Escaping the Vietnam War - Gabe Tran

My topic was on the Vietnam War focused on the immigration of the Vietnamese refugees. Here i have 3 interviews with my family members who each had their own personal experiences. My mother was a regular civilian who was able to give me an idea of how everyday life was like. My brother was a young child at the time but had a first hand experience with escaping, and my father was drafted into South Vietnam's army just before the fall of Saigon. These three interviews have provided me with valuable knowledge.

Interview with Nuong Tran:

Introduction:
Nuong Tran is a 55 year old house wife and loving mother of 3 sons. During the war she lived in Saigon with her family. She had lived through the war her whole life and experienced many of its hardships. As she looks back on her life, she is glad that it is all behind her now and is very grateful to be where she is today.

How was life in Vietnam?
When I was small, I had to balance a lot of things in life. I had to work and go to school at the same time. Money was tight back then. I was only in the elementary school when I began selling lottery tickets to make the extra money my family needed. I was very active in the church and would always do volunteer work when I could. I was very religious and found happiness in my church. Although I lived a very hard and poor life, I was able to get through things.

How was your everyday life affected by the war?
Being born in 1955, I do not know how life was before the fighting began. But as time went on, I was able to tell that it became even harder to live. But my mother tells me that before, she lived in the North on the country side. But when the Viet Cong began to invade, she was forced to move down south. She was able to escape to Saigon and rebuild a life from there. The war made our lives even more difficult. Our family was not able to make very much money as the war progressed. I was then forced to drop out of school as my situation did not allow it. The schooling fees were far too expensive for us to afford especially under the conditions of the war. I had to give up many of the small luxuries I had. We all had to make sacrifices.

What were the American soldiers like?
I was very fond of the soldiers as a child. They were very loving and nice towards us children. Whenever I would see a soldier walk by I would always run up to them asking them in broken English for a piece of candy or some chewing gum. “Okay gum? Okay gum?” and if I was lucky they would give me a piece of candy. My favorite kind was the small colorful chocolate pieces (M&M’s). I liked it so much because although the weather was hot, the chocolate did not melt in my hands. Every time I would see a soldier I would always get excited. Although they were very kind to the children, deep down I was afraid of them. They were big and looked very strange. They looked intimidating to me. I felt like at any moment they could take my life. I would always get in trouble by my mother when I go up to a soldier. But I really liked the chocolate pieces.

What were some significant outcomes of the war?
The Viet Cong had discovered that my sister is working for an American company. With this knowledge, they discriminated against me and my whole family. We had been restricted from our rights. It was very hard to find jobs or money.
When Saigon finally fell, my family was forced out of the city. They moved us into the jungle where we had to farm for a living. We had to grow our own foods and cut down trees for shelter and other purposes. Life became filled with hard labor.

During the fall of Saigon on April 30th, 1975, what was going through your mind?
I was very shocked and alarmed; I did not know what was to become of us. I thought that the Viet Cong were going to come in and kill us all. A lot of things were changing. I’m not sure but it seemed like they were assisting our poorer neighbors. I was told that the Viet Cong valued the poor and despised the rich. And knowing that my sister was a worker for an American company, they forced us into the jungle. I really thought we were going to die. I didn’t have much experience farming, but I was able to learn from my mother. Here we survived for some time until we were able to return to the city.

Why did you want to move to America?
We were not able to find jobs or anything in Vietnam. We were told that America held many opportunities for us and that they were very welcoming. We heard of all the riches America had. I didn’t really know all about the details of America, I just knew that it was a better place than here in Vietnam. When we heard of the refugee programs that America had we filled out the applications and took the opportunity right away.

How did you move to America?
We were able to move to America because we had an Amerasian child. But he was not my biological son. He was my nephew, my sister’s son. But when my sister was killed during the war, I took him in as my own. I adopted him. We had to live in the Philippines for 6 months before being allowed into America. Here they educated us about American life, the language, and how to get a job. They were preparing us for the transition into America. In the Philippines the housings were very crowded and run down. There was only one bed while there were 7 of us. The size of the space was as small as a storage shack. Food was of very poor quality and low in quantity.

Why did you choose Seattle?
I had family who lived here in Seattle who were willing to sponsor us into America. They supported us and helped us rebuild our lives in America. They helped us adapt to all the American customs. The first few years were difficult for it felt even more difficult getting jobs than back in Vietnam. I did not know much English and for some time I had to do low paying laboring jobs. 


Interview with Nguyen Tran:

Introduction:
Nguyen Tran is my eldest brother at age 30. During his time in Vietnam, was still a young child residing in Saigon. Although young at the time, he had a very significant experience that occurred that may have changed his whole life. Today he is a recently married and happy husband, he was glad to tell me about his time in Vietnam as he had never really spoken to anyone about it.

How was life in Vietnam?
It is very hard to recall but I remember that it was very difficult back then. Mom and dad worked very hard to get dinner on the table and looking back I sort of took that for granted. Dat (2nd brother) and I were very mischievous kids back then. We would always be getting into trouble. At school we would always get scolded by the teacher. But mom always emphasized how important school was, so… we’d get scolded even more once we got home haha… I remember when dad enrolled us both into martial arts class. We were so excited for it that after the second lesson, Dat had already put his skills to use. He went out and got hired. Some kid from school paid him a few bucks to beat up some other kid from around the block so…. He did haha… Their parents weren’t too happy… Well our parents and our teacher was then informed about this and we were kicked out of the martial arts school. I was pretty upset and mad with Dat. I really wanted to learn! I’ve always been the more mature one of us two, but for some reason I’d always be taking the hit worse. But yeah… being a kid we were pretty care free and unaware of what was going on.

Did you want to leave Vietnam? Why or why not?
Part of me did want to leave, and part of me didn’t. I was excited to leave because of the many stories that I had heard of America. I talked to one of our cousins (who was also a child) who was already in America through the phone. He kept talking about toys and T.V. which got me very excited. He told me of how fun everything was and all the cartoon shows. As a child, that’s all I really cared about haha. But then, I didn’t want to leave my friends behind. We had to leave our whole family here. Although I didn’t know them too well yet, it really saddened me. And when we were in the Philippines, I met this one girl… I know I was still young but it felt like love heh. I really liked her. I didn’t want to leave but we were already in the Philippines, we were already on our way to America. When our education program was done, we went our own separate ways as we prepared to enter America. I had forgotten to ask her where she was going or her address and even her e-mail address! I thought I was never going to see her again. Ten years later after I graduated from high school I was able to reunite with her. We became friends again but she went to school in Boston, at Harvard. And on top of the distance between us, mom didn’t really like her. She always gave me trouble about her. So I guess it never really worked out. But uhh… I guess I’m pretty glad I got to leave Vietnam. When I went back there recently I was able to tell the difference in life quality. Even though here in America, we still live pretty poorly, it’s a lot better than over there haha. But life in Vietnam is improving, what really surprised me when I made my visit back there was the paved roads haha. I remember people having to wear face masks due to the dirt roads they used to have. And all the frequent street floods because there was no sewage system. I sort of miss those floods though, they were fun.
What was the process of escaping by boat like?
I was only 7 years old then. My parents had to pay smugglers money to assist us in escaping. I left with auntie dressed as if we were villagers going out to fish. I was very confused back then. I did not know what was going on. All I had been told was that I was going to leave everyone for a very long time. I didn’t have very much with me, nothing but the clothes on my back. I remember seeing mom’s face. She was smiling, yet crying at the same time. Happy, yet sad. I was young, I didn’t know what to make of it. I had no clue of what to expect.

What happened when you were caught?
Like I said before, I really didn’t know what was going on. We had only set sail for no more than 10 minutes when the water patrol stopped us. They questioned us for a bit and our guide was trying to explain how we were just going out to catch some fish. But I guess they didn’t buy it. I remember the patrol officers being real jerks to us calling us names and using foul language. It was as if he had a natural hate for people. They took our boat back to shore and we were transported to the nearby prison.

How was it in prison?
The officers were pretty harsh. I mean they didn’t torture us or anything but they dragged my arm pretty hard as they led me to my cell haha. The guards were very stern but for the most part no harm was done to us. But I was scared, I thought we would be in there forever. They didn’t give us much food to eat, I thought I was going to starve to death. If I was lucky, they’d give me and auntie a can of condensed milk and hot water. We’d mix it and drink it. It was the best thing they served us there haha. We were in there for about 3 or 4 days until mom and dad were able to find us. They bailed us out and we were free to go. It went a lot more smooth and simpler than I thought.

What was your impression of America?
I was already impressed when I entered the airplane. There I could notice the substantial quality difference between Vietnam and America. The seats were nice and comfy, the people were polite, and the food was good! I mean Vietnamese food was free yet good! Well I guess the food wasn’t technically free because we had paid for airplane tickets… when I looked out the window over America, I was astonished. I saw the big city buildings that I had never seen in my life before. They were monstrous. This place was so much different compared to Vietnam. Everything was just, so much bigger! When we got off the airplane, the first thing I noticed right away was the completely different climate change. I was not used it, I was used to the hot temperatures of Vietnam. I also noticed the courtesy of other people. The flight attendants smiled us on out and even gave me a little badge. Everything around me seemed so expensive and high quality. At the airport I felt as if I was in some space station.

How is life here is compared to Vietnam?
Life here is a lot more complicated than back in Vietnam. There’s so much more to worry about. Well… that might be because back in Vietnam I was a child but I could assume. There was simply a lot more aspects to life here. I guess mom and dad knew this already because prior to coming here we had to fill out a lot of paper work. And form mines and Dat’s file, they filled our age out one year younger than we actually were. They were afraid that we could not keep up in school with our other peers. Which was probably true because school was difficult to start out. It was a lot different than from in Vietnam. The teachers had different teaching styles, the curriculum was also vastly different, and in all the environment of school was different. But I guess America’s environment in all was different. Let’s just say, America and Vietnam were like two different worlds.



 
Interview with Hoang Tran:

Introduction:
Hoang Tran is my father, at age 55 he remembers much of the war. He predominantly lived in Saigon but for a short time during childhood he lived in a small village on the country side. Being drafted into the army, I am sure he has valuable information for me to discover.

What was your role in the Vietnam War?
I started in the army school in 1974, I was a soldier in training. I had not yet completed the training course when the war was over. When the communist took the city of Saigon, they came into the school and dispersed us all. We were all forced to go back home. I guess militarily, I did not have a very big role because I was still in training.

What were you doing before you were drafted?
Before joining the army, I was a student in school. At the time I was currently finishing up high school. Also, I was really involved with the church and had been studying to become a priest. I would go to the monastery after school whenever I could. My mother finally noticed my interest in religion and suggested that I join their classes. Here I met long life friends. But I was not able to become a priest and neither did many of my other classmates. It was a hard time period. Many of us had to leave class. Looking back at my class photo, I can tell you who’s currently living in America or Vietnam, or who has passed away. They were all good friends. Remember all those old men who came to our house for your brother’s wedding? They were my classmates! We had not seen each other for many years. I remembered, since we all had really common names, they’d give us a number. They called me Hoang64, and that’s what they still called me when we met for the first time in 30 years.

What were your thoughts when you were drafted?
I felt very nationalistic about it. I felt as if it was my duty to become a soldier and fight for my country. I was 19 then and was eager to join the army. My mother was very worried for me and did not want me to leave. I was her eldest son; she couldn’t have been able to bear losing me. Looking back, I was pretty reckless with my eagerness to join the army. At the time, I did not think about life or death. All the propaganda had filled my mind with nationalistic ideas. After the Americans had left, the army was in great need for more soldiers, and I couldn’t have been happier to serve my country.
One thing I remember that they taught us was that when we were in battle, anyone who was facing you on the opposite side… we shoot them. We were all Vietnamese. Vietnamese killing other Vietnamese. The Americans had already left, I don’t know how they were able to differentiate from us and the Viet Cong when even we had trouble. The Viet Cong did not have any sort of uniform. But now it was just us. The Americans had left and now the whole weight of the war was on us. We had to fight off the Viet Cong. Communist, yes, but nonetheless they were still Vietnamese. That was one thing I had trouble with. The thought of killing a fellow brother.

How has your life changed after the war?
They then did a 3 day re-educating program where they taught us of the new ways they were trying to incorporate. I didn’t really make of it much. It was just really tedious for me. I really tried to ignore all the nonsense they were trying to tell us. But what really pissed me off was that they changed the city name to Ho Chi Minh City and even changed the flag to some communist starred flag. It was quite hideous. But it became illegal for us to even have the old flag. We had to throw them away or hide them if we had any. They were trying to force us all to become communist.

How is life in America?
It is hard. But no doubt we are better off here than we were in Vietnam. Luckily I was able to continue my profession as a truck driver here in America. After the war and returning to the city, I had taken up this job. It was really all I could get because I was never able to finish school. It made decent money and every now and then I would run into a little extra money on the way. I can’t tell you how though. But the truck driving here in America is a lot different than when I was in Vietnam. Things are a lot more organized that I can’t do any sorts of “hustles” to get that bit of extra money. It was really hard for me to start off. We had very little money to start with and I didn’t have a truck to drive. I had to borrow one from a friend and from there I saved up my money until I was able to buy my own truck. Your mom also gave me a lot of trouble. Ever since we moved here she has been more and more troublesome. I really don’t want to tell you though for she might hear me nagging about her. Let’s just say things here are much more complicated than they are in Vietnam. A lot of conflicts and problems have formed since we moved here. But then again a lot of problems were solved.