Le Ly Hayslip (; born Phùng Thị Lệ Lý; December 19, 1949) is a Vietnamese-American writer, memoirist and humanitarian. Through her foundations, she has worked to rebuild cultural bridges between Vietnam and America following the Vietnam War.

Early life

Hayslip was born in Ky La village in Hoa Quy, now a district of

Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...

in central

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. She was the sixth and youngest child born to farmers. American helicopters landed in her village when she was 12 years old. At the age of 14, she endured torture in a South Vietnamese government prison for "revolutionary sympathies".

Life in Vietnam and the United States

She fled to

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, where she and her mother worked as housekeepers for a wealthy Vietnamese family, but this position ended after Hayslip's affair with her employer and subsequent pregnancy. Hayslip and her mother fled to

. During this time, Hayslip supported both her mother and an infant son, Hung (whom she would later rename Jimmy), while unmarried and working in the black market, as an occasional drug courier and, once, as a prostitute. She worked for a short period of time as a nurse assistant in a Da Nang hospital and began dating Americans. She had several unsuccessful relationships before meeting and marrying an American civilian contractor named Ed Munro in 1969. Although he was more than twice her age, she had another son with him, Thomas. The following year Hayslip moved to San Diego, California, to join him, and briefly supported her family as a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...

. In 1973, he died of

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

, leaving Le Ly a widow at age 24. In 1974 she married Dennis Hayslip. Her second marriage, however, was not a happy one. Dennis was a heavy drinker, clinically depressed and full of rage. Her third and youngest son, Alan, was fathered by Dennis and born on her 26th birthday. The couple filed for divorce in 1982 after Dennis committed

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

. Shortly thereafter, he was found dead in a parked van outside a school building. He had established a trust fund, however, that left his wife with some money, and he had insurance that paid off the mortgage of the house.

Books

Her first book, '' When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace'' ( Doubleday, 1989), tells the story of her somewhat peaceful early childhood and war-torn adolescence. The nonlinear structure alternates between the narration of her life in Vietnam as a child and her first return to Vietnam and her family in 1986. The two stories are interwoven to show the circular nature of Hayslip's journey, both her physical journey and her emotional one. Her second memoir, ''Child of War, Woman of Peace'' ( Doubleday, 1993), continues the same themes in a more linear narrative. Set in the United States during the final years of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, Hayslip must deal with an alien culture and the idea that she may never be able to return to her family and native country, where she is viewed as a traitor. Her tenacity and business skills help her profit, and eventually, she is able to found the East Meets West Foundation, a charitable group dedicated to improving the health and welfare of the Vietnamese, as well as creating self-sufficiency of the people to run the programs started in Vietnam by East Meets West. This memoir documents not only her struggles and successes in the United States but also her growing need to help heal the pain caused by the Vietnam War in both the United States and in Vietnam. The 1993 film '' Heaven & Earth'', directed by

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...

, is based on her life. She also has a cameo appearance in the film. Le Ly Hayslip founded two charitable organizations: East Meets West Foundation and

Global Village Foundation The Global Village Foundation (GVF) is a non-profit charitable organization which provides education and health care for children and rural villagers in Vietnam and some other countries of Asia. Established in 1999 by author and humanitarian Le ...

for humanitarian and emergency assistance to the needy in

and some other countries in Asia.

Awards

In 1995, Le Ly Hayslip was honored by the California State Assembly award in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

for her humanitarian and reconciliation activities.Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) – Open Forum ''Psychosocial Response to Disasters''
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Bibliography

*'' When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace'' ( Doubleday, 1989) *''Child of War, Woman of Peace'' (Doubleday, 1993)

Filmography

*'' Heaven & Earth'' (1993)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayslip, Le Ly 1949 births Living people American memoirists American Buddhists Vietnamese emigrants to the United States Vietnamese women writers Vietnamese people of the Vietnam War Writers of Vietnamese descent Children in war American writers of Vietnamese descent Women in the Vietnam War People of the Vietnam War American women memoirists