This is a graphic novel collection in the series of activities of the comic book development project in Viet Nam by Kim Dong Publishing House in collaboration with the French Institute in Ha Noi.
"Memories of Overseas Vietnamese: Vietnamese Worker - Soldiers in France during World War II" is a story about the worker soldiers, or ONS - a term used forVietnamese workers who were forced to work in France during World War II (1939-1945).
At that time, around 20,000 worker-soldiers were sent to France to work in factories, mills, and on the fields. Trapped by the war, some voluntarily stayed behind, while others were unable to return home. Those who did make it back encountered many hardships due to their identity as "worker-soldiers." Their story has almost been buried in the sands of time, and it is scarcely known to both the French and the Vietnamese today.
The comic book "Memories of Overseas Vietnamese: Vietnamese Worker- Soldiers in France during World War II" brings a vivid story about the worker soldiers of the past, with their great contributions to France’s production and their enthusiastic support for Uncle Ho and the Vietnamese Revolution during a turbulent period in world history.
The book "Overseas Vietnamese Memories: Vietnamese miners in the New World" takes readers back nearly 100 years, to the time when steamships from Hai Phong crossed the sea, carrying thousands of Vietnamese farmers to distant archipelagos in Oceania. They travelled as voluntary migrant workers with five-year contracts through recruitment agencies run by the French colonists. These people were known as "Chan Dang" (those who registered for a labour position).
The book depicts the miners’ lives in New Caledonia in the past. It also offers a deeper understanding of a generation of overseas Vietnamese. With simple aspirations, they could never have imagined that they would have to work in terrible conditions and face many challenges.
According to him, the comic books provide an opportunity for him to share his emotions. "Memories will gradually fade in everyone's mind, so I want to use comics to connect those fragile memories with valuable timelines, to reveal the inevitability of human destiny," Clément Baloup shared.
Clément Baloup, born in 1978, has a French mother and a Vietnamese father. He was born in France and grew up in Europe, Polynesia, and South America. After studying design in Marseille (France), he studied fine arts at the Angouleme School of Visual Arts (France) and the Viet Nam University of Fine Arts. Experiencing many different cultures has given him unique inspiration and creative styles.
With French-Vietnamese blood and a special interest in Vietnamese history and culture, Clément Baloup has exploited stories from many different perspectives: comparing the differences between the perspective of witnesses and the perspective of the outside world; the concerns before the fate of people when living abroad; and about the relationship between generations (parents-children).
