Summary
- The Sympathizer
, starring Robert Downey Jr., deals with the aftermath of the Vietnam War. - The series is a semi-fictional story based on a book by Viet Thanh Nguyen.
- The fall of Saigon was the catalyst for the HBO miniseries and is crucial to the story.
HBO’s latest miniseries deals with the aftermath of the Vietnam War in the mid-’70s, both with the Vietnamese and Americans who were involved in the war. The drama is an adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2015 novel of the same name and is written and executive produced by legendary South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook. The miniseries has also been made in collaboration with A24, and Robert Downey Jr. serves as an executive producer and stars in the show. The Sympathizer is a semi-fictional story based on the real-life events of the Vietnam War and primarily takes place after the Fall of Saigon in 1975.
While the main characters are entirely fictional, the events of the war and Saigon’s fall are real. The show follows and is narrated by a North Vietnamese spy, simply referred to as The Captain (Hoa Xuande). The Captain had infiltrated the South Vietnamese army’s ranks and became The General’s right-hand (Toan Le). After Saigon’s capture, The Captain is forced to flee to the United States with the rest of the South Vietnamese refugees to continue spying and reporting back to the Viet Cong.
Although the characters are fictional, Nguyen was inspired by real-life Vietnamese and American people who were involved in the war his family tried to escape when he was just four years old. Many of the characters and their stories draw from events that happened both in Vietnam and the United States to create the show’s storylines and character arcs. With the fall of Saigon serving as the primary event to kick off the events of HBO’s The Sympathizer, history is at the core of this story.
The Technical End of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War started in November 1955 and lasted for nearly 20 years. When Saigon was overtaken by North Vietnamese troops in April 1975, it marked the technical end of the war. This is especially true for Americans, as the U.S. government had begun pulling troops and South Vietnamese refugees out of the country two years prior. Civilians back in the States were divided about U.S. interference in what was really a civil war among the Vietnamese. Plenty of Vietnamese citizens also questioned the U.S. involvement in the war, which is referred to as the American War in Vietnam.
American troops were sent to aid the South Vietnamese army against the North to stop the spread of communism. This caused a stir in the counterculture movement back home, but in Vietnam, America was seen as a third party in the throes of civil unrest. U.S. troops trained the South to fight back against the North. The CIA then staged an assassination to rid the country of former president Ngo Dinh Diem so the more sympathetic General Nguyen Van Thieu could take over in a rigged election.
However, the South suffered heavy losses, and many Vietnamese saw the presidency as corrupt and filled with low morale. By the time Saigon fell, Thieu had already resigned and fled to Taipei. On paper, this was the end of the war. Still, the war continued in Vietnam in ways other than battle. Many South Vietnamese were left behind and forced into “re-education” camps where they faced starvation and harsh labor. Political figures, journalists, and activists were tortured or executed in these horrific camps. The poverty and suppression of free speech that resulted in the North’s rule still exist today.
Saigon’s Fall Is the Catalyst for The Sympathizer
Before, during, and after the fall of Saigon, the United States evacuated the remaining troops and refugees out of the country in a mission called Operation Frequent Wind. In the series premiere, we see The Captain (Hoa Xuande) and his comrade Bon (Fred Nguyen Khan) attempting to flee on a plane to the U.S. as they are attacked from above. This attack on Saigon serves as the catalyst for the events of The Sympathizer that we see from then on.
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The Captain was ordered back to the United States, where he attended college, to continue spying on The General in case he planned to enact revenge on the North. Author Viet Thanh Nguyen’s family fled the war-torn country after Saigon’s fall as well, marking the seizure of the city of utmost importance to the series. Since he is ordered back to the U.S. after the city’s fall, The Captain begins to view the situation from both perspectives: the refugees’ disdain backed by the U.S. government and the North’s communist agenda.
As he settles into life in America again, his perception of right and wrong begins to change as the war continues off the battlefield back home. Saigon eventually became Ho Chi Minh City after the North officially reunited the country as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Nevertheless, it’s the collapse of the city that paved the way for the story that takes place in The Sympathizer.
Two Sides to the War and The Sympathizer
The Captain was born to a North Vietnamese mother and a French father who was absent in his childhood growing up in the North. His mixed-race heritage has been a pain point for him throughout his life and led to feelings of split identity well into his tenure as a Viet Cong spy. Despite his loyalty to North Vietnam, he feels a sense of companionship with his friend Bon after years of serving with him while undercover in the South’s army. These confused feelings intensify as he begins life as an American again.
Being surrounded by South refugees and freedom-loving Americans while reporting back to the Viet Cong has already altered The Captain’s worldview thus far in the show. The Professor, the second of four roles played by RDJ, urges him to write down his “Oriental” and “Occidental” qualities upon returning to his alma mater’s campus. While a bit insensitive of his former professor to ask, it does highlight that he is facing inner turmoil as his viewpoints begin clashing. His perception of right and wrong blurs as he frames a man for espionage and debates killing him to protect his cover as a spy. When he falls for university secretary Sofia Mori (Sandra Oh), those lines blur further as he becomes accustomed to life in the U.S.
HBO’s The Sympathizer: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know
High-profile and high-stakes, the epic adaptation of The Sympathizer employs the formidable forces of A24, HBO, Park Chan-wook, and Robert Downey Jr.
Just as the war itself has two opposing sides that clash at every turn, The Captain’s views do as well. His loyalty to North Vietnam and its regime stems from birth, but his exposure to the South Vietnamese and their experiences only exacerbates the identity crisis he has faced since childhood. Being in America and embracing American ideals alongside the refugees he is supposed to be against only encourages his continued war against himself, just as the war continued on in Vietnam long after the crucial fall of Saigon. The Sympathizer is streaming now on Max.
