When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace

Because Hayslip was working so hard at her souvenir business, her son Hung was neglected. She traveled to Ky La to inquire if Hung could stay with her father. Once there, she was shocked to see the devastation of the earth and the poor shape of her home and father. Because two US soldiers had died in an explosion in his bunker, he had been detained and tortured even though he was not at fault. Her father told her to forget which side was right in the war and to focus on life and on being a mother. Right is love for family and ancestors, instructed her father. Hayslip returned to visit him and when he was well, he came to see her and Hung. He was gentle with Hung and sang to him at times. Acting strangely on his last visit, her father soon thereafter died by suicide. Chin, Ba’s husband, brought the news to Hayslip and her sister Lan. All three cried together.

Hayslip’s family ensured that all the detailed traditions of Buddhism were followed after her father’s death. Such adherence was necessary to ensure that her father’s spirit went from hell to heaven quickly (251).