Born to a Vietnamese mother and an anonymous American serviceman, seven-year-old Hiep was part of Operation Babylift, a military operation to relocate Vietnamese children to the United States for adoption.
Her mother feared for Hiep’s safety if she were to remain in Vietnam and agreed to send her to the States. Hiep (renamed Heidi) was adopted by a single mother in the small town of Pulaski,Tennessee, where she worked hard to assimilate into American culture. As a young adult, her relationship with her adoptive mother deteriorated, and she commenced a cross-continent search for her birth mother. Through a fortunate coincidence, she found a link to her mother, and the two began a correspondence. She learned that her mother was still living in Danang with her half-siblings and extended family. Heidi decides to make the journey to her native homeland to meet her family and soon realizes just how deep their cultural differences run.
The tears when they meet signal the first of a multitude of emotions their long-awaited reunion will bring. Daughter from Danang is a moving and stark reminder that the casualties of war reach much further than we imagine.
(2002. USA / Vietnam. Beta. Colour. 90mins)
Directed by: Gail Dolgan, Vincente Franco