The white path: the experiences of young Vietnamese-Australian heroin users returning to their homeland

Almost all studies on Vietnamese Australian heroin users have expressed concerns over their risk behaviours, particularly in relation to young people travelling to Vietnam for drug related reasons. The latter were considered liable for potentially transporting HIV from Asia into the Australian community and sustaining the current epidemic of hepatitis C among injecting drug users. Although these studies have produced valuable findings on the profile of and the risk factors affecting these young people, they have not focused on the experiences and motivations of these young people for whom the issues of heroin are very much a part of their daily lives.

Consequently, my study aimed to provide a much needed ethnography that has addressed the research question: What are the experiences and needs of young Vietnamese Australian heroin users who have travelled to Vietnam as a means of addressing their heroin related issues? This aim was largely achieved by recording the personal narratives of the young people, their family members and the relevant professionals who work with them. A qualitative methodology, influenced by a critical ethnographic approach was also adopted. Thus, this study is discursive and interpretive as I have used my own professional knowledge and experiences in the Vietnamese Australian community in an attempt to describe the multiple layers of meanings contained in the body of relevant literatures and in the narratives of my research participants.

Since this study is concerned with the needs, motivations and experiences of young Vietnamese Australians travelling to Vietnam to address their heroin issues, this thesis describes the migration and settlement experiences of the young people and their families to provide insight into their personal backgrounds and circumstances. Following on from this, I explore the experiences that have led them to become involved with the use and sale of heroin, as well as the reasons that motivated them (and their families) to reach the decision to go to Vietnam as a means of addressing their heroin issues. Then I discuss the young people’s experiences in Vietnam, including their ability to meet their families’ and their own objectives in relation to drug detoxification and abstinence. Finally, I examine their return to Australia and their experiences in relation to their health status, drug use, family relationship, and their expectations for the future.

Throughout this thesis, I have attempted to understand the experiences and worldview of my research participants. Given the qualitative methodology in which this study is situated, I perceive the lives and experiences of young Vietnamese Australians to be located within the political, economic, social and cultural context of Australian society. I believe research should be committed to empowering people and bringing about social change and justice. As a result, this thesis concludes with recommendations and strategies for change by proposing a primary health care approach – a social model of health – for addressing the range of social determinants of health and the inequalities that exist in our society.