Shoeboxes'75 Book
It's a duo book.
A first poetic tale — a series of poems weaving an extraordinary story.
Ambiguous, controversial, disturbing.
This poetic narrative transports the reader to a decisive moment, shortly before the end of the Vietnam War: "Operation Babylift," a massive and urgent evacuation of children.
In April 1975, in the climate of panic and chaos preceding the fall of Saigon, nearly 3,000 Vietnamese babies and children were evacuated by military aircraft to the United States.
Some were orphans, others still had a family. Several were shipped in simple cardboard boxes.
"Operation Babylift" began tragically on April 4, 1975: the Lockheed C-5A Galaxy performing the first flight crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in the death of 138 people, including 78 children.
This poetic narrative is dedicated to one of the crash survivors, Lê Thị Mỹ , and, through her, to all the children of the Babylift .
The story captures these events with the sensitivity and aesthetics of a poetic tale — driven by the conviction that only emotion can remember and do justice to these tragic and complex destinies.
This emotion takes the reader along the path taken by these thousands of children, in the fragility of their destiny.
Bilingual French-Vietnamese text, 200 pages, 13 × 20.5 cm format.
Browse some excerpts online here , discover the magnificent illustrations, and have it delivered to your home!
🏷️ Editions
Shoeboxes'75 is originally a text written in French.
Having arrived in Vietnam with this original version, we collaborated with the publishing house Phương Nam Book to create an illustrated adaptation.
The book is available in two bilingual editions :
- French / Vietnamese, published exclusively by HỘP Édition (printed in France);
- Vietnamese / English, published in Vietnam by Phương Nam Book, then re-imported to France and distributed by HỘP Édition.
📦 For all orders in Europe or in the USA : click on the blue button below
In Vietnam:
The Vietnamese/English edition is available from November 1, 2025, available for online purchase below, distribution in Vietnam only.
Order Vietnamese/English edition — Vietnam only
The Vietnamese/French edition will be available at the French Bookstore in Ho Chi Minh City from December 2025