ADVERTISING itself as the first British-Vietnamese play to be staged in this country, Tuyen Do’s script is a tightly structured, engaging and effective account of the challenges facing first and second-generation Vietnamese immigrants here.

The real drama, though, is not the racism they face but the tensions between generations. The older generation bears the concealed scars of the Vietnam war and clings to their cultural values, while the young try to deal with traditional parental expectations in a very different world.

Set in an oriental-style house dominated by two sewing machines, initially their only source of income, the family struggles to maintain a Vietnamese identity in an environment beset by financial hardships and social challenges.

The father (Kwong Loke) is a worn-down former prison-camp victim, whose nightmare journey is only seen in sleepwalking episodes. He adjusts to life by accepting each new adversity with quiet fortitude, whereas his wife (Linh-Dan Pham) is the strength behind the family.

Her sharp tongue, ambition and determination to preserve a way of life is the driving force behind her children.

The traditional high expectations for their son (Michael Phong Le), escaping Vietnam as a boy, are nothing compared to those demanded of their daughter Mai (Anna Ngyuyen).

Compelled to fulfil a traditional female role, speaking Vietnamese in front of her parents, unable to socialise openly yet expected to achieve academically, the conflicting demands of home and her peers shape the girl caught between two cultures.

Mai’s journey to find not only her own identity but also that of her family forms the heart of this domestic drama.

Occasionally, the format comes across as slightly dated and the scenes somewhat predictable.

But director Kristine Landen-Smith and her cast’s sensitivity to the cultural clash and the war-ravaged background, as well as aspects of originality within Tuyen Do’s script, make this more than just another story of an immigrant family.

Runs until July 13, box office: parktheatre.co.uk.