Vietnam refugee feels shadow of war 50 years later

The Buddhist altar perched in the middle of Lien Le’s San Pablo home seemed to stand as a testament to her family’s faith following its harrowing escape from Vietnam a half-century ago.

A ripe orange sat as offering, flanked by lights, statues and pictures of departed family members, some who made the trek to the United States, some who did not. Its mere presence signified the tug of the old world here in the new one.

The push-pull of memory has become a central theme in Le’s life since arriving in the U.S. in 1982. Her childhood in Da Nang, Vietnam, played out against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. She remembers things that only now make sense to her. An uncle disappeared on the battlefield. Men would secretly go into hiding. The family dug holes in the backyard for emergency shelter.