About Vien

about vien

Vien R. Guenther is the author of five travel memoirs inspired by the road trips she has taken with her husband, Hermann. Her love of gardening resulted in two books about the joy and agony of growing plants. Then recently, she embarked on writing about the rich history of her homeland, the Philippines. Vien’s passion for reading and curiosity about everything that makes life interesting contributed to her writing career.

Vien has a bachelor’s degree in architecture, lived and worked in Manila until she migrated to California to be with her family and worked at a local energy company. Then she moved to Colorado after getting married, where she lived for fourteen years with her husband, Hermann. They now call San Diego, California, their home. Vien shares photos on social media.

“You cannot open a book without learning something” – Confucius

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The Philippines had been colonized by Spain for over three hundred years, followed by annexation by the United States for forty-eight years after the Spanish-American War. Then came a short occupation by the Japanese during World War II, the end of which finally resulted in peace and the country’s liberation. Prior to colonialism, trading with neighboring countries had been carried out by the native Filipino people even before the Spanish came. But colonialism forever changed the lives of the natives, both in terms of culture and mentality. These changes were both good and bad, depending on one’s perceptions and understanding. For the “Old World” empires, competing for maritime trade with Asia, the Philippine archipelago’s strategic location could not have been better.