Mapping the Journey

Linh My Truong

A hand-embroidered world map traces my family’s migration from Vietnam to America, illuminated by shifting light and imagery that breathe memory into the stitched continents. Metal beads mark key points along the journey—Saigon, Hong Kong, Pennsylvania, and beyond. When touched, each bead reveals a story: moments of childhood, family loss, miracles of escape, struggles with assimilation, and unexpected friendships forged across borders. These fragments invite reflection on the invisible weight of the refugee experience—its upheaval, resilience, and reinvention. The act of touching becomes a gesture of care and connection, stitching the viewer into the fabric of the map. Beneath each story, the swirling patterns of suminagashi marbling evoke the ceaseless movement of migration. This work transforms memory into geography, turning a private journey into a collective act of witnessing—an echo of millions whose paths were shaped by war, displacement, and the enduring search for home.