Hội An has been an international trading port since the late 16th century, when it was home to Dutch, Portuguese, French, Japanese, and Chinese merchants. Minh Hương town in Hội An was established during the late Ming dynasty after many Chinese people who refused to surrender to the Manchus and remained loyal to the Ming Dynasty fled to Hội An. With its rich history and many architecturally significant assembly halls and temples, Hoi An was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, This website is a place where you can learn about the lives and culture of the Minh Hương people.
Our storyDiệp Truyền Hoa was born in the Minh Hương town of Hội An, Vietnam. He was a university professor of linguistics, philosophy, and literature. He is also a poet and a journalist devoted to writing about life, politics, and the local culture of the Vietnamese-Chinese community in war-torn Vietnam during 1960-70. During his university years in Beijing and Kunming, Diệp Truyền Hoa wrote about the struggle of the Chinese people in both Vietnam and China during World War II under Japanese occupation.
Đặng Kim Xoa lived through the Japanese occupation during World War II, the war of resistance against French colonization, and then over 20 years of internal struggle. Through it all, she was a part-time high school teacher, homemaker, and single mom. After her husband passed away, she devoted her life to providing healthcare to the poor as a volunteer acupuncturist with Buddhist monks. In 1975, she came to the United States as a refugee via Guam and settled in Southern California. Kim Xoa experienced humanity and kindness firsthand from volunteers from various religious organizations who helped her through her flight as a refugee. Thus, in her late 60s, she got baptized into the Catholic faith and devoted her life to healing and aiding those in need, particularly community members experiencing poverty. In this book, she was inspired to write poems about humanity and the experience of her suffering through war, which turned into joys and celebration of God’s love and blessing.
Read MoreThe Diep-Dang Kim-Xoa Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation bringing healthcare and education programs to indigenous communities worldwide
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