Mia's Struggle With Cultural Differences In Vietnam

Mia’s believes her summer is ruined when her family drags her to Vietnam against her wishes. In Vietnam Mia struggles with the cultural differences as her family pushes her to embrace her heritage
This book is very interesting and sometimes funny. Many of the traditions shown in the book are highly realistic to real life Vietnam. For Instance, the book describes many traditional Vietnamese foods like pho. I …show more content…
Mia is judged by the Vietnamese people for being American and not speaking Vietnamese despite her Vietnamese heritage. While Mia is judged by the Vietnamese, she also has many misconceptions about them. Before coming to the country, she assumed that Vietnam would be a hot sweaty place with no technology and even uncivilized people, but the people in Vietnam prove themselves to be proper, interesting and kind. Mia makes friends with Út and takes part in Vietnamese ceremonies as she learns more about her heritage. Mia and Út find they have many things in common. For instance, their parents pressure both of them to conform to traditions. Mia does learn to appreciate some of the traditions as she experiences her culture, heritage and the people of Vietnam. Her appreciation also brings acceptance as the Vietnamese people start to understand her differences and appreciate what they have in common with her. They all share beliefs and appreciate community. Mia is drawn into her heritage and learns to appreciate her summer in