Some say that a writer lives many lives. This is certainly true for Hanh Bui, an educator and author of The Yellow ÁO DÀI (illustrated by Minnie Phan), Ánh’s New Word (illustrated by Bao Luu), and the forthcoming I Stand in Line. Fleeing from Vietnam at eight years old during the fall of Saigon, Bui and her family were rescued by a U.S. Naval ship and lived for a time in a refugee camp before making America their new home. These stories and those of beloved family members, personal heroes, and helpers fill Bui’s books. PW spoke with Bui about the inspiration behind her teaching and writing, her motivation for depicting characters that look like her and share her heritage, and what she hopes students and readers will take away from her journey to help them with their own.
In a previous interview you shared that you were influenced by a teacher you met at a refugee camp when you were eight years old. What was she like?
I was inspired by my teacher, Miss Marilou Shaida, and wanted to be just like her. I met her in 1975 at Fort Indiantown Gap, a refugee camp in Pennsylvania, where my family and I spent six months after being rescued at sea. Miss Marilou was a 19-year-old volunteer studying to become a teacher, and I gravitated towards her because of her kindness. She helped me to feel safe through a very traumatic experience of leaving my home during the war, and I never forgot about her. In fact, I will be reuniting with her next year.
When did you follow Miss Marilou’s steps into the classroom? What has been the best part of teaching, and what has been the most challenging?
After I completed my English degree and my master’s in early childhood education, I started teaching second grade and I taught for five years. Like Miss Marilou, I wanted to be a kind teacher and help kids feel safe. I think that because of the struggles that I went through as a child, I have always had a great sense of compassion and was able to meet my students right where they were. I feel that what I’ve been through has helped me to be a better teacher and parent. My favorite part about teaching has always been connecting with the children. The most difficult part was sometimes not being able to reach certain students. I was patient and tried connecting in many ways, but oftentimes they just weren’t ready. Sometimes it took months to build their trust and connection. But it was well worth taking the time—and then they could take off and learn!
When did you start writing children’s books, and why?
About eight years ago I decided to start writing children’s stories to represent the different perspectives and experiences of refugees and immigrants, and to share my lived experiences. Writing stories based on my memories as a child allows me to revisit my homeland when I miss it. This also helps me to find healing and hope, and allows me to tell different stories about Vietnam, beyond the trauma of war and loss of home.
When I was first published, I was thrilled to see my books in the library. That’s because when I was little, we couldn’t afford a lot of things, but we could go to the library because it was free. It was also my safe place where I felt welcomed.
Your first book, The Yellow ÁO DÀI, and your second and most recent, Ánh’s New Word, are very personal stories. Can you tell us about them and your upcoming picture book, I Stand in Line?
The Yellow ÁO DÀI was inspired by my daughter and her grandmother—my mother-in-law—who she never met because she passed away when my daughter was 18 months old. The two of them had so many things in common: they loved the color yellow and dressing up like princesses. One day, my daughter was in my closet wanting to try on her grandmother’s yellow dress, and I said that it was too big for her. This moment was the beginning of our conversation about when she would be big enough. And, in the meantime, I shared with her photos of her grandmother and stories about her resourcefulness. Both my grandmother, who raised me, and my mother-in-law would sew and repair things and pass the clothes down from generation to generation. When I wrote the book, I thought that maybe my readers would be curious like my daughter was to learn more about their own family stories, history, and their heritage.
Ánh’s New Word is about an experience I had with Miss Marilou. I was really worried about speaking English and trying new words. I found a reindeer sweater that I wanted at the camp’s Salvation Army store. I didn’t know what animal it was, so I pointed to my sweater, and Miss Marilou said, “Reindeer.” And then I said “reindeer.” It was the first word I said in English. And I took off from there. Just like in the book, I wanted so much to speak to my kind teacher, but I didn’t know how until she helped me.
My third picture book, which is coming out in 2026, is called I Stand in Line [Penguin/Paulsen]. It’s about a child and all the lines that she stands in at a refugee camp for things she needs; and then she grows up and also stands in line to help others. I wrote it to show that we often stand in line for the things we need and want. But it’s very different when you stand in line for survival. The idea came to me when I was thinking about what’s happening in our world now with so many wars, and immigrants and refugees having to leave their homes. And I thought back to what it was like for me as a child—my memories of standing in many lines. Today, I appreciate that I was able to stand in those lines.
What are your hopes for your books and your readers?
With Ánh’s New Word, I hope readers will realize that it’s not important to do things perfectly at first. It's about trying again and again until you feel comfortable with a new language or skill. Just like me/Ánh at the end of the story, even though I didn’t sound like my teacher, “reindeer” was now my word because it was in my own voice—–and Miss Marilou loved it! And so did I!
With the Yellow ÀO DÁI, I hope readers connect with the character, Naliah, and know that their stories matter, too. This story is not just about sharing Vietnamese family life or cultures. The themes in my books are universal; these are family and human stories.
In addition to describing your personal immigration stories in your books, where else have you shared them? What do you want your audiences to learn or take away from your journey?
When I left the classroom to become a full-time mom, I volunteered in classrooms sharing my immigration story and was interviewed by students about my early experiences. Today, I also do author visits at schools, bookstores, and for Reading Is Fundamental of Northern Virginia. I recently received an invitation to do a storytime at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Lunar New Year celebration next year. I’m grateful for these amazing opportunities to read my books and tell stories about my Vietnamese heritage and refugee experiences, 50 years after immigrating to the United States.
What I want children to learn from my experiences representing immigrants and refugees is what is possible even during hard times—especially with all that’s happening in our world today. If they focus and live from a place of gratitude, they too can do hard things. Gratitude has always been the secret to my resilience and helps me to remain hopeful. I also want them to know that I write and share my stories from the heart, and I hope that my stories will linger in theirs.
