In When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman’s Journey from War to Peace, Le Ly Hayslip chronicles her experiences as a peasant during the Vietnam War and as an American returning to Vietnam to visit her family in 1986. She emphasizes the importance of family to her surviving the devastation of war and calls upon people to break the cycle of vengeance and mistrust on her return visit. Hayslip, who experienced the war firsthand, is well qualified to make this valuable contribution to the literature on the Vietnam War. Originally published in 1989, the book became an instant classic, upon which a movie was based.

All quotations are from the 2017 paperback edition with Jay Wurts.

Content Warning: Because Hayslip is describing the brutality of war, there are descriptions of torture, death, suicide, and sexual abuse.

Summary

In each chapter, Hayslip juxtaposes her story from the war years with that of her visit in 1986. The youngest of six children and weighing two pounds at birth, Hayslip only survived infancy because of the determination of her mother. Her parents were peasant farmers who cultivated rice. A peaceful man, her father stressed the importance of family, respect for ancestors, and dedication to the land. Her mother was a hard worker who encouraged Hayslip to be virtuous. Remembering the war with the French when she was a young child, Hayslip considered them monsters. The time between the wars with the French and the Americans was idyllic for her. Her brother Sau Ban, five years older than her, looked after and played with her.

In 1963, her oldest brother, Bon Nghe, went north to train to fight with the Viet Cong. Hayslip’s family sympathized with the Viet Cong, who were perceived to be fighting a war of independence against foreign invaders. Her village of Ky La, later called Xa Hoa Qui, was in central Vietnam and the scene of heavy fighting. The Viet Cong were respectful to the peasants in the first year of the war, while the Republicans and Americans were more often cruel to them. As the fighting intensified, the Viet Cong came to Ky La at night and organized the peasants, assigning them tasks. They rewarded children for bringing them anything of value. The Viet Cong also executed any who were aligning with the Republicans. Hayslip served as a sentry for the Viet Cong. On one occasion, she saved a group of Viet Cong soldiers from an ambush. When she was later arrested for the second time, Hayslip endured imprisonment and beatings at the hands of the Republicans. However, her brother-in-law Chin, a Republican police official, helped to secure her release.

Chin had coerced Hayslip’s sister Ba into marrying him. Ba was married to Chin’s cousin who had gone north to fight with the Viet Cong. To spare her family torture and danger, Ba consented to the marriage. After saving Hayslip a second time, Chin warned her that he would not do it again. Meanwhile, the Republicans were searching homes for hideouts of the Viet Cong. If found, they would burn homes and take the occupants away. The Viet Cong were also increasing their control over the peasants, using kangaroo courts to convict any suspected of treason and then executing them. The civilians were experiencing the devastation of the war, losing their lives and property.

Hayslip’s brother Sau Ban was drafted by the Republican side. Horrified that brother could be fighting brother, his family encouraged him to go to Saigon with his older sister, Hai, who lived there. Once in Saigon, Sau Ban made his way to fight with the Viet Cong. He was later killed and his body was never recovered. Hai had a young daughter, Tinh, and had gone to Saigon for work after her husband was killed in the war with the French.

Hayslip was arrested a third time when found in a ditch by soldiers. Taken to a military prison, she endured brutal forms of torture. However, she was released relatively quickly thanks to a bribe that her mother paid. When Hayslip returned to her village, the Viet Cong suspected her of treason because she was released quickly. Two soldiers came to her home. After taking her to a meeting, they led her to a shallow grave. That night, both men raped her. At this point, Hayslip no longer believed in the goals of either side in the war.

Soon thereafter, her mother was accused of betraying the Viet Cong and was almost shot. Both mother and daughter fled to Saigon. Hayslip suffered from an ulcer there and was hospitalized. After that, both Hayslip and her mother found work in the household of a wealthy textile owner, Anh. Anh and Hayslip were attracted to one another. When Hayslip became pregnant, Anh’s wife expelled both Hayslip and her mother. In exchange for the promise of financial support from Anh, they returned to Danang.

In Danang, Hayslip stayed with her sister Lan, who worked at a bar and had American boyfriends. While there was volatility in the sisters’ relationship, Hayslip saved Lan from a drunken soldier on the verge of killing her. After giving birth to her son, Hung, Hayslip transitioned to a job selling souvenirs to Americans and using the cash to buy liquor and other desirable items, which she then sold to the South Vietnamese and soldiers in the countryside. The job enabled her to gain financial independence. At this time, Hayslip’s father was deeply depressed. He forgave Hayslip for the pregnancy and told her to dedicate herself to her son and family. Hayslip’s father died by suicide on his second attempt.

By 1968, it was clear to Hayslip that the Viet Cong were going to win the war and she made the decision that she wanted to get her son and herself out of the country. As a result, she got a job that would bring her into contact with the right people. She had serious relationships with three American soldiers, all of whom betrayed her, before she met Ed Munro. An older man, Ed proposed marriage to Hayslip. Although she was not in love with him, she accepted his offer. She had another son with him and he paid the necessary bribes to corrupt Republican officials to adopt her first son and to get Hayslip and her children out of the country. She left Vietnam for the United States in 1970.

When Hayslip returned to Vietnam 16 years later in 1986, she was fearful of the governmental reaction and the reception that she would receive from her family. The governmental authorities instructed her to keep them informed of her activities. The government additionally had her take an official tour of the countryside and meet with some officials. She found Anh in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. Divorced and with another woman, Anh was pleased to see pictures of his son and he escorted Hayslip to Danang and on her official visits.

In Danang, Hayslip waited nervously for her niece, Tinh. When she arrived, the women embraced. However, it became clear to Hayslip that it was dangerous for her family members to associate with her in public. Her sister Hai was cold when she met her at the public market but warm to her in private. At Tinh’s home, Bon Nghe came as did her mother. It was awkward at first with Bon, but the two warmed to each other. Her mother expressed pride in the accomplishments of Hayslip’s oldest child but did not inquire much about Hayslip herself. Tinh’s children enjoyed the gifts Hayslip brought, but Tinh made sure that all evidence of them was burned and that neighbors did not see them.

Hayslip sought to break the cycle of vengeance and mistrust prevalent at this time. To do so, she spoke freely to two progressive Communist officials and to her brother, Bon, who worked for the government. She made small gestures, such as buying a nice meal for the group on the state tour, which caused the Communist bureaucrat to relax. With her encouragement, her mother forgave Ba, who had kept the gifts Hayslip had previously sent for the whole family. Her mother allowed Ba and Chin to attend the family reunion. It was extremely difficult for Hayslip to leave her family and return to Ho Chi Minh City. However, she explained the exhilaration from closing one circle in her life and starting another. She had returned to the land of her ancestors and family and would now work to create a foundation to bring former enemies together.