When the U.S. Army pulled out of Vietnam more than 40 years ago, many families abandoned their homes and possessions to flee the communist Vietcong forces. Nearly 1.5 million Vietnamese immigrants started over completely in the U.S. Today, some of the younger generation that grew up in the U.S. are returning to a more prosperous Vietnam to learn more about the culture they left behind and to help stimulate its growing economy. “There’s so many ways to really make a contribution, to make the life of people here in Vietnam better,” said Henry Nguyen, who grew up in Northern Virginia after fleeing Vietnam with his family as a child. Nguyen returned to Vietnam 12 years ago and now runs the country’s largest venture capitalist fund. While Viet Kieu — as Vietnamese Americans are known in Vietnam — was once used as a derogatory term for those who left, today locals recognize the resources and benefits associated with returning Vietnamese.

Ho Chi Minh City — the largest city in Vietnam; formerly named and still referred to as Saigon refugee — a person who has been forced to flee a country for political or religious reasons colonization — the act of establishing a colony in a place in order to take control of an area and send people to live there venture capitalist fund — funds that invested money in a project in which there is a substantial element of risk, typically a new or expanding business