President Thieu is the president of South Vietnam. Mother dislikes him and seems to distrust him; she doesn’t think any of his displays of emotion are genuine, and when he steps down in the weeks before the Fall of Saigon, she also doesn’t believe his promise to stay in the country and serve his people. Mother only tolerates him because in years past, he’s held an event for “war wives” where, at the end, attendees received food to thank them for their husbands’ service.
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President Thieu Character Timeline in Inside Out and Back Again
The timeline below shows where the character President Thieu appears in Inside Out and Back Again. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Saigon
A Day Downtown. Every year in the spring, President Thieu puts on a long ceremony for “war wives.” Mother takes Hà to the ceremony because...
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...from the báhn cuon was salty. She sucks on a tamarind candy from Mother until President Thieu appears. He thanks the wives for their suffering and then sobs into the cameras. Mother...
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The President Resigns. Hà watches the TV. On it, President Thieu looks shockingly “sad and yellow.” He cries and says that he can’t be the president...
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