Land of the Free (1980-Present)
America was the promised land of wealth and opportunity. Yet of all the places in this vast nation, we were settled in crime-ridden Oakland, California, with its corner liquor stores…
Seeking Refuge (1979-1980)
We fled Vietnam when our daughter, Amanda, was only three months old. Life was so chaotic that she was almost switched at birth with another baby girl. The hospitals in…
A Miraculous Escape (1975-1979)
My good friend, Ju Luc, experienced many terrible hardships during the Vietnam War. After the fall of Saigon, as the Americans troops pulled out, the South Vietnamese were left to…
Two Unskilled Chefs (1977-1979)
After my release from prison, I had to be resourceful in order to make a living. I didn’t possess many business skills, but one of my former prison mates lived…
Girl in Red (1976)
I spent less than a year in prison because my uncle’s son, as a high official in the Communist party, influenced his unit to release me early. I should have…
Prison Life (1975-1976)
In 1973, as the Chinese advanced through the Pacific Belt islands, the U.S. decommissioned their PTF boats to conceal how they had crossed the seventeenth parallel. Once my contract as…
War in Vietnam (1962-1975)
In 1962, the Vietnam War intensified between the Communist Viet Cong and the United States of America. I was only a month away from completing high school when I was…
The Communists (1954-1969)
As the Viet Minh (a precursor to the Viet Cong) rose to power, they persecuted the wealthy and destroyed our property to achieve equality between rich and poor. In order…
My Dog (1952)
When I was eight years old, I had a small, yellow dog named “Little Babe” which I loved dearly. Most dogs in Vietnam ate whatever they could scavenge, but I…
Resistance (1950-1954)
When I was about six years old, my oldest brother, who attended university in Saigon, became the chairman of the Hoa (Chinese) student resistance group.[1] They passed out fliers and…