My Bicultural ValuesAfter the fall of Saigon in 1975, Vietnamese Americans became members of one of the largest refugee groups in the United States. The Vietnamese came to the United States with a culture very different from most American cultures. My two older brothers were among the hundreds of thousands who fled communist Vietnam as “Boat People” in 1984. They fled with the clothes on their backs and my parents' wedding rings hidden inside. My family, including my parents, older brother, younger sister, and I left Vietnam to come to the United States to reunite with my two brothers in 1994. We had permission from the U.S. government to come to the United States. -United because my His father, a former general in the Republican army, was imprisoned for ten years in 1975 when the communist army of North Vietnam won the battle. I saw my parents sacrifice to bring us here, so I felt it was my duty to respect their rules and uphold our Vietnamese customs. Like many refugee parents, a good education is a large part of my parents' aspirations for their children. My parents risked their lives for me, I must do everything I can to make their dreams come true. However, life as a Vietnamese American is very difficult for me. I often find myself straddling two social worlds in which I also don't fit perfectly. Basically, I have one foot in every culture. Vietnamese culture places a strong emphasis on belonging to the We. Your individualism falls short of the needs of the many. This is how families traditionally survived. Children have a duty to take care of their family. They should study in the field that their parents want us to study. When I was in school at the University of Dayton, more than half of the Vietnamese student population majored in computer science and electrical engineering. Many told me they didn't want to. It was competitive and difficult. Some wanted to become artists, architects, etc., but their parents were poor or were still in Vietnam. They needed to find solid foundations in America in order to help the rest of the family. American culture, on the other hand, emphasizes independence. It tells you to seek number one, have individual ambition, take care of yourself first and go on a quest..