And they wanted to do a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the orphans who now live there. They suggested that we try to visit as part of our trip. My friends knew I’d lived in an orphanage near Ho Chi Minh City. Now they had become my overprotective brothers, nagging me about everything. Phu and Francis thought I was trying too hard, but they let me tag along. At the time, I was rocking blonde highlights, blue contacts and Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirts with baggy ripped jeans. They were in college and had started a support group for young gay Asian men. I met them 15 years earlier when I was in high school. My best friends, Phu, Francis and Will, had planned this trip to Vietnam and invited me to come. I wondered if coming back was a good idea. Nearly 25 years had passed since I lived there. The gate to the orphanage was smaller than I remembered. It’s called, “Why Did She Leave Me There?” It’s written by Kacey Vu Shap, and it’s read by Keong Sim. Yeah, I was struck by his bravery in sharing it, and just kind of the beauty of his ability to process the trauma he experienced in childhood and come to a really positive place. And it wasn’t about traditional romantic love, but more about self-acceptance through friendship. It was clearly the most important story in his life. I remember when this story first came in, I was immediately taken by the power of it. Today’s essay comes from a writer named Kacey Vu Shap. Why did he go back? Wednesday, May 19th, 2021 įrom The New York Times, I’m Dan Jones. Kacey Vu Shap spent 25 years trying to forget the Vietnamese orphanage of his childhood. Transcript Modern Love Podcast: She Left Me There Hosted by Daniel Jones and Miya Lee, produced by Julia Botero and Hans Buetow, and edited by Wendy Dorr music by Dan Powell mixed by Corey Schreppel.