Who Are the Refugees?

Abstract

The refugees from Vietnam came from a society very different from that in Britain and the Western world. The prolonged war in Vietnam had altered many traditional ways of life — drawing rural communities into cities. Communism had been the prevailing philosophy in the North for more than 30 years. Despite these recent changes the culture of Vietnam has a long history and whatever effects the recent events have had it may be useful to understand something of Vietnamese culture and values, which may assist an understanding of Vietnamese resettlement needs.