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Fridge, rice cooker here.

Swimming pool is on roof.

You have water in the fridge and fresh fruit from the market.

Here's an inventory list. Everything is in order.

Thanks.

- Wi-Fi password? - All in here.

The network, password, contact details.

Oh, here's a map.

We are here.

Floral market, famous pagoda, Chinatown, Notre Dame Cathedral.

OK. Thank you.

Three sets of keys.

- Any problem, please call me. - Sure.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Hello.

- How are you? - Good.

Come in.

Was it easy to find?

Your directions were good.

My daughter. Katie.

- Hello. - Hello, Katie.

- Good to meet you. - Good to meet you.

She is six.

Speaks a little English.

I teach her.

Where are you staying?

Thao Dien, in District 2.

If I see you in the street, I cannot recognise you.

It's been a long time. 30 years.

Same age as Katie when you left.

Do you remember my mother?

She read stories to you when you were very young.

Yeah, I have a vague remembrance of that.

My Vietnamese isn't very good any more.

Do you mind telling her that for me?

Ah.

We sang from my mother's song book.

Your mother would join.

She liked to show off her voice.

Yeah, I can believe that.

How long are you here?

Once I settle everything, I'd like to travel a bit.

So... I'm not really sure.

You should visit your old home.

Yeah, I'm going to.

I actually brought some presents.

That's just some biscuits.

Some chocolates.

Whisky.

This is really good.

You put tap water in it and it filters it clean.

Yeah, I...

I didn't know what you would...

I hope you like them.

So many gifts.

Thank you.

Your English is very good.

Better than your Vietnamese.

How'd you learn it?

I used to show tourists around the city.

Walking tours.

Will you visit Ba Chieu market?

- Yeah, I went there. - Changed so much, no?

I remember some things but...

..others, it's not very clear.

We played there.

I have this picture of me and two boys

trying to search out for crickets.

Yes.

That was with me.

- Hello, everybody. ALL: Hello.

My name is Tran, I'm your tour guide for today.

We will go to Cu Chi tunnel now

and the trip will be around two hours 30 minutes

and there will be two toilet stops.

We will have lunch at Cu Chi

and then start heading back for Saigon

around five or six, depending on the traffic, OK?

¶ KUMI SOLO: I Know What Boys Like

- There you go. - Thank you.

I love this song. Do you know it?

No, I've not heard of it.

It's a cover of The Waitresses.

And I love that she keeps her accent.

That's what makes the song.

And how are you finding Saigon?

My God, it's intense. It's relentless.

Is it your first time here?

Yeah.

You look like your picture, thank God.

Everything I said was true.

Age, size...

- Yeah? - ..height.

Better to be honest.

I don't mean we reveal our innermost secrets, you know.

You know, just the basics.

Things that are...

You know, that have...

Well, you know.

I'm rambling.

¶ LAURA BRANIGAN: Self Control

What?

"Please don't waste my time.

Be forthcoming with recent clear face pics.

I want to see your eyes.

Be honest and upfront with your intentions."

I sound fucking crazy.

This is nice.

Stressful day?

No, no.

I just had some errands, bought a new lamp.

Boring stuff, really. You?

I had a walk round my neighbourhood.

They have networking nights here.

Oh, yeah?

Well, no, it's at their other bar,

near where you're staying. It's called Somo.

It's become a big event. I often go.

¶ I haven't got the will to try and fight

¶ Against a new tomorrow so I guess I'll just believe it

Are you the manager?

MAN: I'm CEO.

You want new phone?

No, I'm OK. Thank you.

I bought this for my mum.

Everything else was too complicated.

Call.

Hang up.

That's it.

Simple. Perfect.

Your mum... loaned us some money for this shop.

I remember her saying.

Here, eat.

Looking forward to this. I'm salivating.

I went to our old flat.

I wanted to have a look inside.

- Did you? - No.

I tried to find that... that pond.

The one out the back.

That's filled in now.

Hien... does he remember much?

He remembers more.

He's called Henry now.

Henry?

One morning, I went looking for you and Henry.

Everything was same...

..the door, the street.

Exactly the same.

But... no one there.

Henry and his family are coming soon.

I'm sure they'd love to see you.

He's married?

Yeah.

He's got two kids, Bruce and Lee.

Do you have any children?

No.

I had no idea that we were leaving.

Mum said that we couldn't tell anyone

in case we got caught.

I went to sleep one night and...

..when I woke up, I was on a boat.

Drifted for days.

Did your family try to escape?

Your father got caught and taken to a re-education camp.

It scared everybody.

Very risky after that.

Are you sure?

I don't think that was my father.

He tried to escape on his own.

He was caught.

After release, there was no choice.

All of you must escape together.

Who told you that?

My mother.

Hey, can you hear me?

Hold on a sec.

How's that? Is that better?

How are you? You look good.

Relaxed.

It feels a bit odd.

Not much.

It's all different now, isn't it?

There's this separation.

Yeah, I felt like a tourist.

I saw Lee and his family.

I brought over some presents...

..a shortbread tin with the Royal Family on it and...

..this bowl that filters tap water.

Jesus.

Who brings presents

with the Royal Family printed all over it?

It's so archaic, patronising.

Well, it wasn't meant to be.

I went to where we used to live and the market.

I don't know.

I want to see the other places.

Yeah, I know that.

It just doesn't feel right.

I'm fine.

Don't be. Really, it's OK.

I'm fine.

Yeah, me too.

Me too.

WOMAN: Sophie runs it here, I run it up in Hanoi.

- And we alternate every year. - SOPHIE: It's our business.

- Is the arts scene big here? - Yeah, it's growing.

Our tour is about the history of art,

from colonialism to the two Indo-China wars,

up to now.

Are you American?

No.

I'm Vietnamese. I'm from Hanoi.

You should do our tour, it's very interesting.

- No, I'd love to. - Great.

Thank you.

I don't have my card, I'm afraid.

So what do you do?

I animate.

Mainly apps and online stuff.

Hey.

- Hey. - OK?

Yeah.

This is Lewis.

- Sophie and Linh. - Hey.

They do the... They run the art tour.

I've been. I'm a fan.

Here.

Right.

Thank you.

- So are you here for work? - More of an extended holiday.

No job to return to?

No, I quit.

- To go travelling? - Yeah.

You look bored.

No, not at all.

Didn't think I'd see you again.

I'm glad you came.

What do you think of the event?

Saigon's really thriving.

It's a hive of opportunities.

You can really make something of yourself here.

Is that why you're here?

I'm here to oversee the production

of my clothing company.

To exploit cheap labour?

To contribute towards their growing economy.

This is one of my designs.

It's really nice.

Yeah, it's a cool brand.

Why Curve?

Cos I'm not straight.

Nice.

Totally awesome, man.

- Are you laughing at me? - No, I'm not.

I wasn't.

It's a nice name, with your own curve.

I get it. It's playful.

Fucker.

So, how are you finding District 2?

It doesn't feel like the rest of Saigon.

I mean, there are some parts

that remind me of the Vietnam that I grew up in.

Mainly the poorer parts.

Like that street behind the hospital.

When we first met, you said it was your first time here.

Did I?

Yeah.

You did.

I lied.

Sorry.

Why?

To keep it simple.

You just can't get enough of me, can you?

I have that effect.

So you were born here?

Yeah.

Here in Saigon.

How old were you when you left here?

Six.

Yeah, I was also born after the war.

Just a beer.

I'll have the same.

- Do you have any siblings? - No.

No family?

Yeah, my mother's in New Jersey.

She's my delivery coordinator/line manager.

What did your parents do here?

My dad worked for a Southern Vietnamese official.

Delivery man, driver, helper.

Was he under suspicion after the reunification?

Yeah, he was.

- Cam on. - Cam on.

When I was getting ready to come here my first time...

..I thought about sewing a Canadian badge on my backpack.

I just wasn't sure...

..how they'd treat me.

Do you ever feel a sense...

It's not my gener... I don't mean I don't.

It's not that I don't feel any guilt. Of course I do.

Ask me again.

How do you feel?

I'm great. I'm perfect.

Look at me.

In the beginning, I felt unprepared.

But the kids here...

they don't care about the war any more.

They want their dreams... their careers.

I remember growing up in London.

Every Vietnamese person I met lost a family member here.

Yeah, it took a great deal out of us too.

A generation forgotten, a country divided.

It's not a war we can recall with pride.

Why would you want to recall it with pride?

Anyway, I didn't sew the badge.

What is it?

Can I smoke in here?

You've got to go outside.

Is the wooden box an urn?

It's my mother's ashes.

We're returning them home.

Who's "we"?

My brother arrives next week...

..with my father's ashes.

It's not what you think, though.

They passed at different times,

Mum more recently, about a year ago now.

Where will you scatter the ashes?

I hardly recognise this country any more.

My parents rarely talked of it.

You never asked them?

It was like drawing blood from a stone.

It was a traumatic time for them.

Do you remember when you were young?

You were so desperate to be like everybody else...

..to have fun...

join the Scouts, go camping.

How they loved to go camping.

They loved boil-in-the-bag bloody rice.

For fuck's sake.

Then suddenly they're gone.

And there's this cavity.

If only I knew then what I know now.

I would have asked them all day, every day, just wore them down.

Should you wait for your brother?

No, he's happy for me to do the searching.

Just choose somewhere obvious and tacky.

Do you have anywhere in mind?

Somewhere momentous.

What about where you lived?

I think they're gonna knock that down soon.

How about where they were born?

Yeah, I'm heading over to Hanoi. It's where they're from.

When are you going?

A couple of days. I'm taking the train.

And then your brother arrives after that?

Yeah.

You'll love Hanoi. It hasn't changed much.

- Really? - Yeah, it's beautiful.

Your parents' old house might look exactly as it was.

I can give you a lift to the station.

You don't have to.

The pond was here.

I've got fond memories of this place.

There was a wooden bridge over the pond

to these communal toilets.

Yes. Every year they have a festival.

To catch the fish.

Here.

Your parents' old address in Hanoi.

We'd like to be there.

We will find the right place.

No, of course. Absolutely.

Can I ask you something?

Sure.

Do you have photos of my family when we were young here?

I don't know.

My father burnt all our pictures.

When we escaped, he was so worried

that if the government found pictures

of our friends and family, they'd be punished.

So he burnt them all.

I'll ask my mum.

It's a local temple. No tourists.

Our families would come here often.

No?

Saigon is changing so quickly now.

But this place has stayed the same.

She's the goddess of seafarers.

I know the streets like the back of my hand.

What's funny?

No, it's just... It's a nice expression.

Why has it been so long for you to return?

Out of respect.

They forbade us.

You're a good son.

You must miss her.

Want a piggyback to the entrance?

Please don't.

I'd better go.

Hey, wait.

The other night...

I don't want you to think that I'm...

I mean, I do believe a generation was lost.

My dad was one of them.

But I am not one of those Yanks that think we've won

and sticks a freakin' flag in it.

I'm clearly not that, right?

- Take it easy. - Yeah.

Take it easy.

Do you know

if there is any communal carriage here?

There isn't.

There are some carriages with seats, but they're all numbered.

I'm Stephane.

Kit.

- Good to meet you. - Good to meet you.

Are you English?

Yeah.

- You? - French.

Brest... Bretagne.

Where are you heading to?

To Da Nang and then to Hoi. What about you?

I'm getting off at Hanoi.

38 hours. Good luck with that.

Hello? Hello?

Hello, boys! How are you?

Well, he is very mean.

Oh, Lord.

Ohh, it is so hot!

You boys are gonna be sweating like little pigs!

Me too. I can't wait to see you.

I'll see you soon. Bye!

Bye!

They're pretty excited, aren't they?

Lewis.

He's American.

There's this... old soul about him.

You know?

Anyway, I'm in Hanoi.

I did.

I'm just not sure.

I don't know any more.

It's tiring.

I feel tired.

Yeah, I remember that.

It meant everything to them that we went to uni.

But you wanted to be in a rap group, didn't you?

The Mixed Boyz!

Oh! They made you hold your ears and kneel down!

What were you thinking?

LINH: We'll look at the Franco-Vietnamese

and American-Vietnam War.

How artists became these tools

for boosting morale and for communicating

and the works that came out from that.

We then compare Northern and Southern art.

The last chapter is contemporary art,

which is very exciting,

because this is about young people today producing works

and the organisations

facilitating and connecting them.

We'll actually end our tour back here.

Please, use the toilet now and we'll start our tour soon.

- Hello. - Hi.

- You remembered me. - Of course.

- Um... welcome to Hanoi. - Thank you.

This is your first time, right?

Yeah, it is.

Where's your handsome friend?

I forgot his name.

Lewis.

It's just me.

Mm.

I think it was probably the most unique tour I've been on.

Thank you.

I mean, it's super-insightful.

How do you put it all together?

It's mainly Sophie.

I help out with translation and researching.

I'm impressed.

Tell my parents that.

Do they not approve?

They want me to scent tea, take over the family business.

- Right. - It's...

Mm.

My family makes lotus tea.

That's my parents' favourite.

I mean, they're from here originally.

Do you like it?

I can't say that I've tried it.

Exactly. No one drinks it any more, only old people.

Do you want to see it?

Yeah, I'd love to. I mean, is that all right?

You have to work.

My mum gets paranoid you'll steal the family secret.

Oh, I promise not to steal a thing.

There are strict rules before you can help.

What are those?

No eating durian or jackfruit before scenting,

and if you have been to a funeral

or if you're menstruating.

Well, I can safely say I haven't done any of those.

- So... I'm good. - Good.

It smells incredible in here.

What's this used for?

She asks where in Hanoi your parents are from.

Hoan Kim Lake, around there.

These are dried and used in soups.

We throw nothing away. Every part is edible.

She said it lowers the blood pressure.

Are you bored yet?

No.

You look bored, though.

Every day is like this.

Lotuses are picked before sunrise,

we do this for 27 days.

Then it's ready.

My mother asks, "Why did you choose England?"

The camps in Hong Kong...

they asked my mother where she wanted to go.

Everybody chose America, Australia, France.

No one wanted to go to England

because they said it was too cold.

Of course, she chose England.

They all wondered why.

She said,

"I want to go England because I love the Queen very much.

She very polite.

Very happy."

She saw a bloody picture of the Queen and she liked it.

Are you OK?

It's just...

It's ridiculous.

What are we meant to do with these photographs?

Did your parents ever come back to Vietnam?

Never.

It must have been very painful for them, not to come back.

She seemed sweet.

That story of the Queen was funny.

She was formidable.

My parents are always talking about the war.

My grandfather died in it.

I'm sorry.

I never met him.

The smallest size we have.

I've included the instructions in there for you.

This is perfect. Thank you.

How much do I owe you?

- It's OK. - No, I'd like to pay you.

It's fine. No one drinks it any more, anyway.

I fucking love tea.

Our tea is too expensive for everyday drinking.

There are brands that use aroma oils for their scenting.

It's quick, cheap and sells a lot.

The quality, it's inferior, right?

How will my menstruation affect the quality?

That's the superstitious part of tradition.

I want to travel.

But they've spent so much money on my education.

All their savings.

¶ THANH LAN: Tinh Dem Lien Hoan

Hey.

Hello.

Want to come in?

I was just...

You want a coffee?

Do you like tea?

This is the proper stuff.

Only the best for you.

You're damn right.

So did you find what you wanted in Hanoi?

I thought of something about me to tell you.

- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.

After I quit my job...

I took dance classes.

No way, fuck off!

Don't laugh.

Hip Hop 4 Hope was what the classes were called.

Thank you.

Tell me about your dad.

Three years and five months ago, he shot himself.

I went back home to pick up the pieces.

I took my mom with me.

And I had this king-size oscillating pain.

I got sciatica across here.

It keeps...

I couldn't listen to music on my headphones.

It triggered the pain.

They gave me Tramadol. You know it?

No.

It numbs you all over.

You could pinch me, stick a pin in me...

I wouldn't feel a thing.

If you drink a beer on that, my God!

It sends you up to the stars.

It's stunning.

- Do you still have it? - Sometimes.

Not here, though.

I think it's something to do with the humidity.

Is that why you're here?

My old man fought here.

18 months.

Three operations and 20 pieces of rocket shrapnel later,

he was discharged.

And sent back home to begin his life again.

In debriefing, the army psychiatrist says,

"I see in your file you have confirmed kills.

Does that make you want to kill other people?"

He said, "No."

"Good. That is all I wanted to hear.

You're dismissed."

Back into the world.

Back on the streets.

Was this the temple we went to?

Yes.

All our families are there.

Do you remember this, when this picture was taken?

I'm gonna look at them properly later.

Thank you.

Cam on.

How's your business?

It's OK.

How are you financially?

Yes. Fine.

They say when a country becomes wealthy,

the first three things that people buy are a mobile phone,

a flat-screen TV and a fridge.

All in that order.

I will be a very rich man.

Super rich.

Kit...

..I can't give you the money now.

I don't have enough.

I will have in three months.

What money?

Your mum loaned us a lot of money for my shop.

That was hers.

You don't want it back?

No.

You know...

back then...

the most urgent question for us...

..was when and where can we emigrate to.

We applied for Australia...

..America...

We didn't get accepted.

Your mother tried to help us move to England.

But...

..we were not direct relatives.

Impossible.

I didn't know that.

We thought of using the money to make fake documents.

I could be your brother...

..my mother could be your auntie.

So why didn't you?

We have the shop now.

Did you find your parents' home... in Hanoi?

I did.

Will you rest them there?

I really don't know.

You look... in pain.

They went through so much to leave here.

And now you bring them back.

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