Viet Thanh Nguyen
Naturally, because A Man of Two Faces is a memoir, the book's main character is Viet Thanh Nguyen. Nguyen was born in Vietnam during the tail end of the Vietnam War, which the United States (aided by South Vietnam) fought between 1955 and 1975 against the North Vietnamese (aided by China).
Nguyen spent his first few years in Vietnam before his parents made the difficult decision to move to America. They thought that they were unsafe and constricted in Vietnam; they felt that America was a land of opportunity and would be a place where they would be able to prosper with all of their family in tow.
However, shortly after arriving in America, Nguyen was separated from his parents and siblings. He was forced into the foster care system for several years and bounced between homes until he finally returned to his parents. Nguyen's experiences with the foster care system scarred him and caused him to rethink his life and his relationship with his parents. It was also a major reason why he chose to become a writer.
Nevertheless, Nguyen was still young during his experiences in the foster care system and carried on.
That all changed, however, when his parents were shot when he was nine while they were working at their grocery store. Devastated, he wasn't sure what to do and, naturally, panicked. They ended up being okay, but that experience scarred Nguyen for life.
Over time, as Nguyen learned more about himself and found out what he wanted to do with his life, he started to gravitate towards writing. He always had a vivid imagination and felt that he had stories to share with people. In A Man of Two Faces, that story is his life. And specifically, his struggle between his American identity and his Vietnamese identity. He struggled to wrestle with that identity and often had trouble determining if he was American or Vietnamese. In the end, he chose both.
Joseph Thanh Nguyen
Joseph Thanh Nguyen is Viet's father. A strong-willed, intelligent, and loyal man, Joseph and his wife Linda decided to uproot their family from Vietnam and move them to San Jose, California (in the U.S.) for better economic opportunities. He and his wife felt stuck in Vietnam and thought moving could get them out of their rut. He was largely successful, thanks in large part to the store (called the Sàigòn Mới) that he ran for much of his life with his wife—a store in which he was ultimately shot.
Although Viet and his father were separated for a period of time in Viet's early life, Joseph's love for his son was evident. He was always a strict but loving father who adored his son and wanted nothing but the best for him.
Joseph stayed married to Viet's mother until her death in 2018. Their marriage was largely rock-solid and served as a model for Viet in his love life. Even through their rocky patches, Viet and his father maintained a long-time friendship and strong relationship—something which continues to this day.
Linda Kim Nguyen
Linda Kim Nguyen is Viet's mother. A loving, devoted, and hard-working woman, she made the choice with her husband to move their family to America. Although she sometimes butted heads with Viet, her love for him was always abundantly clear. Like her husband, she spent much of her life championing the immigrant cause and encouraging people to move for a better life and better opportunities.
