When Heaven and Earth Changed Places by Le Ly Hayslip

Character List

Le Ly (Hayslip) - The narrator. Le Ly is a Vietnamese peasant who grows up on the central coast of Vietnam. She leaves Vietnam in 1970 for the United States with her American husband and two children. In 1986, she returns to Vietnam for the first time to visit her family. The memoir recounts important events of her childhood and adolescence in Vietnam and her experiences on her return journey.

Tran Thi Huyen - The mother of six children, including Le Ly. Huyen teaches Le Ly about her duties as a woman in Vietnamese society. Beautiful and hard-working, Huyen marries Trong because they are in love.

Phong Trong - Le Ly’s father, with whom she shares a special bond. Trong works as a subsistence rice farmer and is also a devout Buddhist. His Buddhist philosophies about the nature of war and forgiveness govern Le Ly throughout her life.

Bon Nghe - Le Ly’s eldest brother. Bon Nghe is his mother’s favorite child. He spends the duration of the war fighting with the Viet Cong and becomes a Communist Party official after the war.

Hai - Le Ly’s eldest sister. Hai’s husband leaves to fight with the Viet Cong early in their marriage and is never seen again. She lives in Saigon with her daughter Tinh.

Ba - Huyen and Phong’s second daughter. After Ba’s husband leaves for the North, his cousin Chin, a local Republican official, bullies her into marrying him. Ba hoards all of the gifts that Le Ly sends from the United States, causing a rift with the rest of the family.

Lan - The fourth child in the family. Lan moves to Danang, where she works in bars as a tea girl and has many American boyfriends.

Sau Ban – Le Ly’s brother, the second youngest child. Sau Ban is artistic and caring, and he is Le Ly’s closest friend and playmate when they are young.

Bac Lac - Hai’s husband who goes to Hanoi at the beginning of the war and never returns.

Tinh - Daughter of Hai and Bac Lac and Le Ly’s niece. Tinh warmly accepts her into her home for her homecoming.

Anh - A wealthy businessman for whom Le Ly and her mother work in Saigon. His relationship with Le Ly is one of deep, familial love, and he seems to regret not being more of a part of her life.

Lien - Anh’s first wife. Lien is wealthy but in very poor health. Le Ly acts as her personal maid.

Yen - Anh’s second wife. Yen warmly welcomes Le Ly to their home when she returns to Saigon.

Per - The Norwegian in the UN employ. Per helps Le Ly by giving her information and support on her way from the Philippines to Vietnam on her return journey.

Uncle Luc - A relative of Le Ly’s family. Uncle Luc lives in Ka Ly and is an original supporter of the Viet Cong. He helps Le Ly and her family out of trouble many times.

Aunt Thu - Huyen’s aunt, who helps raise her after Huyen’s parents dies. Thu dies during a French-led bomb attack.

Loi - A member of the local Viet Cong.

Mau - A member of the local Viet Cong.

Greg (Red) - Le Ly’s first American boyfriend.

Jimmy - A half-Chinese, half-Irish-American civilian contractor who dates and lives with Le Ly.

Paul - The Air force officer who dates and lives with Le Ly. Paul is a Texan, and he and Le Ly share similar views about the importance of land and family.

Big Mike - A GI who works on one of the bases. Mike is friendly toward Le Ly.

Ed Monroe - An older American who approaches Le Ly, looking for companionship. Ed is sweet and caring and asks Le Ly to marry him and accompany him to the United States. They emigrate shortly thereafter.

Sister Hoa - A black-market profiteer whom Le Ly pays to get her birth certificate and other papers in order to leave the country.

Cou Loi - A wealthy man from Bai Gian. Cou Loi is a family friend. After the attacks on his village, Cou Loi and his family are made homeless beggars. Cou Loi is representative of many who lost everything in the war.

Thien - Cou Loi’s daughter and Le Ly’s friend. Thien is tortured incessantly by the Viet Cong and eventually disappears.

Bich – girl from Ka Ly who is one of the first to go to Saigon.

Nham - Sau Ban’s wife. Nham and Sau Ban are married shortly before Sau Ban is forced into the Republican guard.

Tuan - The chauffeur during Le Ly’s state-sponsored tour of the countryside. At first he is reserved toward Le Ly, but eventually he opens up and shares his real thoughts on the situation in Vietnam.