Thirty years ago, the only future that awaited young Vietnamese was war. But how have those born in the war\u2019s aftermath capitalized on the dividends of peace? The final film in Sandy Northrop\u2019s trilogy on Vietnam today, Vietnam: The Next Generation<\/i> profiles the lives of seven young Vietnamese, revealing the challenges, choices and dreams that shape their lives, and that of their generation.<\/p>\n
Vietnam\u2019s first postwar generation is coming of age, and its members \u2014 now in their 20s and 30s \u2014 are seizing opportunities unimaginable in their parents\u2019 time. Communism is losing its relevancy, the doors of a free-market economy are opening and memories of the war are being relegated to the distant past. This generation, representing 80 percent of Vietnam\u2019s population, is making up for lost time, exploring all the benefits and costs of their country\u2019s new economic and cultural future.<\/p>\n
Yet prosperity is nowhere close to reaching all young Vietnamese. Vietnam: The Next Generation<\/i> follows construction engineer Le Viet Tien, who works to rebuild the Ho Chi Minh Highway far from his wife and newborn child; Pham Van Vinh and his sister Loan, two of the thousands of children living on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City; and Le Thi Phuong, a rural farmer who lost a leg in a landmine accident and now struggles as the sole supporter of her entire family.<\/p>\n
The new generation gap is perplexing to the old guard leadership in Hanoi, underscoring the immense challenges the government faces in meeting the aspirations of the young. As the people featured in Vietnam: The Next Generation<\/i> prove, the social and economic answers ultimately lie with this generation, the future leaders of Vietnam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today, three quarters of Vietnam\u2019s population is under the age of 30 \u2014 too young to remember the war, yet old enough to have witnessed its devastating aftermath. Meet Vietnam\u2019s new generation, reaping newfound opportunities while reshaping their country\u2019s future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"topic":[],"class_list":["post-228","films","type-films","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n