The portrayal of the fall of Saigon in the new HBO drama series “The Sympathizer” deviates from the commonly depicted narrative across Western media. In this rendition, which barely features any American GI as panicked families attempt to flee Vietnam under heavy fire, the absence of American soldiers is intentional, according to cast members.
Hoa Xuande, portraying the main character known only as “the Captain,” and Sandra Oh, who plays his love interest, Sofia Mori, emphasize that the show aims to challenge prevailing perceptions of the war. Instead of focusing on the sacrifices of American soldiers, it centers on the plight of Vietnamese people who endured the conflict.
Oh describes the series, which premiered on HBO and Max, as a “major shift of perspective,” one that has been missing for decades. Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the seven-episode series follows the Captain’s experiences as a spy for the North Vietnamese communists within the South Vietnamese army, serving as the right-hand man to “the General.”
Through flashbacks revealed during confessions at a re-education camp in Vietnam, viewers witness the Captain’s journey from the end of the war to a new life in Los Angeles, where he monitors the General’s activities closely.
To decenter U.S.-centric perspectives, the series incorporates frequent use of the Vietnamese language. Oh estimates that more than half of the dialogue is in Vietnamese, aiming to showcase the language’s elegance and normalize its usage.
For Oh, her perception of referring to the war has evolved, reflecting a broader understanding of its complexities. The actors acknowledge the challenges faced by many of Asian descent in grappling with their cultural heritage due to embedded trauma in family stories.
However, they hope the show can serve as a form of acknowledgment. Already, Xuande’s parents have been prompted to share their own experiences of escaping to safety on a boat, spurred by the series.
“I’m sure the wider Vietnamese diaspora who had experienced this struggle firsthand will watch something like this and it’ll be cathartic to them in a way, whether they’re able to express it or talk about to the kids or even just be able to feel like, these struggles and trauma are validated,” Xuande said.
