ABSTRACT
Australia was one of the top four Western countries of resettlement for Vietnamese refugees. Drawing on oral histories of second-generation Vietnamese health professionals in Australia, this chapter explores the ways in which their history and heritage as the children of refugees have influenced their educational and career choices as well as their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2. The chapter argues that their negotiations of family histories of trauma and the multiple challenges that they faced helped shape not only their drive and determination to succeed in their respective fields but also their capacity for empathy and resilience.
