Phong Vo and Dao Huynh Thi Huyen

Phong Vo [00:00:00] Okay, my name is, Phong Vo. And my wife’s name is Dao Huynh. Interviewer [00:00:09] Which part of, Vietnam did you live in?  

Phong Vo [00:00:13] We live in. I live in Saigon. And born and raised in Saigon. And my  wife is, born and raised in, city in Southern part of Vietnam, Bac Lieu

Interviewer [00:00:26] Okay. And can, you describe how life was, before 1975?  

Phong Vo [00:00:32] Life before 1975. Beautiful. Back then, when I was a young kid in, in  high school, I enjoy life and, the freedoms, and, we have everything we need, and nothing  bad. And the war breaking out and then, 1968 is, getting into the city. And that's where my  first experience with the war.  

Interviewer [00:00:56] And what age when you, when you witness, and hear about the,  the war?  

Phong Vo [00:01:00] I born in 61. So by 68, I was only seven years old. And, I remember,  a lot of soldiers on the street of Saigon and helicopter hovering around the city, all over  24/7 and, that's where in the, in the, the New Years of 1968, we called it, Tết Mậu Thân  and, Oh, it's bad. It's really, really bad. Lucky that, our house in that part of the city has not  been hit with the war, but, that's where a lot of our relatives have been, evacuated to our  house.  

Phong Vo [00:01:37] So our house is full of people because our house is very near one of  the hospital. And then there's a big Red Cross on a hospital roof. It say it is a big Red  cross. So this is a hospital, so leave it alone. So our house is next to the hospital, so it is  very safe space.  

Phong Vo [00:02:00] That's where all of our relatives like evacuating to, to our house for  about, I think very well, two weeks to stay away from the war. And then most of them,  when they come back home, is, you know, scattered because of the of the war, torn them  all down. So it was bad. So, yeah, that's the first of my experience with, with the war. Other  than that, by 1975, I was only 14 years old, having been having a chance to, to join the  military doesn't do anything. So with the war.  

Interviewer [00:02:30] All right, so how was your family, adapt to or react when you hear  that? Okay, the communists is going to be taking over the South after April 30th.  

Phong Vo [00:02:42] I mean, a few days before April 30th, I was 15 years old, and then I. I  was just heard the, the current president resigns, and then he left the country and the next  president Trần Văn Hương taken over and just for about a few days and then, and then  he, he make a speech on the radios and the TV say, okay, we are going to, surrounded  and then now North and the South, is going to be united.

Phong Vo [00:03:11] Everybody is supposed to be happy. Everybody is supposed to be,  you know, really happy because the war is over and we all united. And that's when we  know that is the war is crumble out. Now that's what we know is bad.

Phong Vo [00:03:26] So, and the city was a mess because, you know, government just,  closed up everywhere. And then the official just evacuated the left and right. And  practically the city had no government for about, like, practically a few days. And when  those bad people come in, the Communists come in. And that that that goes to hell  started.  

Interviewer [00:03:49] What year did you, leave the country?  

Phong Vo [00:03:52] I left, I left country in 1979.  

Interviewer [00:03:58] So with those four years of time frame living under the the new  regime, how was the lifestyle?  

Phong Vo [00:04:05] That was tough. The one thing I'd say is they come in in they call  themselves a Communist, meaning they, everything is belong to the people and controlled  by the government. And they practically rob us everywhere they go. And they, been,  fighting in the jungle for too long.  

And when they win the war, they come to the city that was truly acting like, really, really  funny because they do not know how we live. The the world, the life that we live before  they come all they hear is the, called the Paradise of Communist. That tell them to say the  people in the Southern part is really suffering. So we need to go with there to liberating  them. But actually they came with a surprise of how how well, how rich, how happy, and  how liberal that we are in the country.  

Phong Vo [00:05:05] So, so then they try to grab everything they can, they take over the  current control of the government and they and they, they try to start robbing, taking  things. Okay. And then one thing is they really trying to in Vietnamese it’s called Đánh tư  sản. And I was involved in I was a young high school student then I was forced to involve  into some of those activity is because one of the, summer of what I remember, I was in  that ninth grade and one of the summer they called in they say okay we need you help.  

You need to come and help. So what they do is, is they just get us together with, with the  police and the military and, and just come to people and knock on people house and take  the house, take the everything and throw the family onto the truck and take them to the,  the new economy zone.  

Phong Vo [00:05:58 ] So in Vietnamese they call kinh tế mới. Right. So, so that I actually  have witnesses myself, I actually forced to be involved with this myself. And if I have to be  testify about those robbery active acts, actions of them, I can very much tell you how is  that happened? So I was directly involved in them forcibly.  

Interviewer [00:06:23] Well, were there any other, changes that the, communists, imposed on?  

Phong Vo [00:06:32] Right within those four years that I stay one of the things that I  remember that that there, exchanging the currency twice. And that's another way of  robbing people is because, does it matter how much money you have? They only allow  you a family. Say they would only exchange you $200 per persons. If you have three  person, you only exchange 600. The rest is trash.

You cannot change any more. Do whatever you want with it says bring us $600 of old  currency. We give you $600 of new currency and that's all you have. Move on. And they  did it twice.  

Phong Vo [00:07:10] So we would work, save money, work and save money and try to,  you know, save money for, for for rainy days that at that time $600 per family. That's it.  Move on and live with it die with it whatever you want.  

Interviewer [00:07:25] And this is the reason why millions of, Vietnamese boat people like  us, decide to leave our country.  

Phong Vo [00:07:32] And for me, I need to mention one thing. For me, my family, my my  dad is not in service, but three of my brothers in the service, and they, had injuries in the  wars. So, so I know okay, three of my siblings were there and for me, at 1978, when I  turned 17, I was trapped into the military of the Communists, and I was refused to do that.

And that's that. I think one of the main reason that I really want to escape is because to  me, back then, you know, I was like 15, 17, like teenager. I'm like, okay, I'm kind of happy  because, you know, at least after 30 years, the war is over. But okay, no more killing, no  more fighting.  

Phong Vo [00:08:20] And then all of a sudden I get trapped in to military. Guess what? Go  to Cambodia for fighting. And, and that's and that's not makes sense to me, right. Because  we fight for 30 years North and South and we just got it over and then we start to invade  other countries to fight again. So. So I think that that's one of the main reason that I really  want to escape.  

Interviewer [00:08:46] I forgot to ask but do you have any siblings as well or you're the  only child.  

Phong Vo [00:08:50] We have I have, we have a big family and the time that I escape, I  only we do, I did it with my sister. It's supposed to be going with my brothers. One of the  one that in service. But then he was stuck in the countryside for, for some labor work,  forced labor work from the government. So he couldn't make it. So, so my sister would go  with me.  

Interviewer [00:09:15] So when you planned it with your sister as your mom or your, your  family knows that you were about to leave.  

Phong Vo [00:09:22] Yeah, yeah. Okay.  

Interviewer [00:09:23] And how was that, planned carry out?  

Phong Vo [00:09:26] I was one of the lucky one. We were. We are lucky ones. So we, we  made it the first time. Okay, so because we, we did it, 1979. And that's the time where  where the government was have the pressure from Chinese government to let those  Chinese citizens in the country escape.  

Interviewer [00:09:49] Right. But you weren’t one of the, the Chinese though, right? So  how how was that you were able to.

Phong Vo [00:09:56] We fake the Chinese. So. So me and my sister was get the fake I.D.  that we were Chinese, so we, we escape. We allowed to leave the at that time. Every time  you leave the city, you got to have a permit. Permit the paper to go everywhere you go,  you have to have the permit. So from Saigon to Cà Mau where I get on the boat and then  escape. It was like so many, checkpoints that you have to show your paper.  

Interviewer [00:10:26] So I believe during that time was a lot of, Vietnamese who actually  paid money to change identity, to become Chinese in order to be easily fled. Okay. And,  for the boat that you were on. How many people want that boat?  

Phong Vo [00:10:41] Three hundreds and some people on there. I don't know the exact.  Interviewer [00:10:48] Right, right, and, how how tight was it?  

Phong Vo [00:10:53] Yeah. It doesn't, it's a fishing boat, right? You know, the fishing boat,  you say the, you have the lower level divided into three part. Right. So that's where when  they, they net the fish album they dump it down there. So a lot of people on the top, a lot  of people and under. And it was like people everywhere just like fill the boats up.  

Interviewer [00:11:14] Because I've also have heard stories that even you on these boat.  But there's some people who actually fake you to, you know, you pay for it, but, they just  not legit. And then next thing you know, you you end up, you know, losing all that money,  that's--

Phong Vo [00:11:34] Is because a lot of people go fake and then they are not supposed to  be on there and they just sneak on there. Right. And a lot of people pay to be on the other  boat. But then the government forced them to be on our boat.  

Interviewer [00:11:44] Okay.  

Phong Vo [00:11:45] So so, you know, all of them supposed to be Chinese, right? So then  at that night is supposed to be two boat leaving because they got the whole bunch of  moneys already, but then at the last minute and they want to make some more money,  they say to you, all of you, go get the one boat left, the one for me. Yeah. So that's why is  is double right. And my boat is like three boat is supposed to be leaving that night and all  three of a group of people get onto one boat left them the two boat.  

Interviewer [00:12:19] Wow. And how many days will you see before you get to your first  destination?  

Phong Vo [00:12:25] We're lucky we. Because the guy that, that really sailing the boat, he  know what he does, so. So he did. We did it for, like, three days and three night. Right at  the, at the four nights. We, we just flied into, the shore of Malaysia and a place called  Terengganu.  

Interviewer [00:12:49] And so that's the first refugee camp that you stayed.  

Phong Vo [00:12:50] Right. The first, the first, the first stop. Because, because we were  on the boat. We are so desperate to get off from it. So when we see like we see land.  Yeah. We just fly the boat to it.  

Interviewer [00:13:02] Yeah.

Phong Vo [00:13:03] Okay. So happened I remember. I still vision the that night beach  there with you know shimmering lights on on on the shore when the boat fly into it. The  reason we fly to it is because. Because we have to really make the boat get on to the sand  and stuck on the sand.  

Interviewer [00:13:20] Okay.

Phong Vo [00:13:21] Otherwise the ministry is Malaysia. I go to drag us out and bring it  out because at that point they don't accept any more refugee.  

Interviewer [00:13:31] As this is was in 79 though, right? Even in 79, there were so many  already that they don't want.  

Phong Vo [00:13:41] They the local police will do that before the United Nation or the  international community would be aware of that. We presence over there Okay. So a lot of  boats like this, they sort of saw and they just fly the boat into it. But but they bad luck. But  the boat is not stuck on sand. So the, the military boats can be able to drag that boats out.  And when they drag their boats out, they just drag it out. Okay, get out of here. Go  someplace else. Things like that.  

Interviewer [00:14:11] They drag the boat with the people in, on the boat. Or how about  what happened if you get onto the beach? And so people just jump off the boat, and if they  drag it, they drag it. But at least the people are still on the beach. Has anyone ever even  jumped off the other.  

Phong Vo [00:14:27] Yeah, we we, for us, we jump right off and then the boat end up  stuck in there. And then lucky for us because we pull right into a resort, of that beach city,  the city that like, you know, in Vietnam like Nha Trang the tourist city. But actually when we  come back there later, the city is very small very quiet. The resort is not very, you know,  fancy for, for for international tourists. But then but it is a resort.  

Phong Vo [00:14:55] Okay. So so they didn't drag us out, but, you know, it's, the boats  actually stuck on there, so we get, get up the boats gathering on the sand, you know, they  move up into where the, they have shadings and all that, and then they, they, barrel us up  with the, like, police tape. Yeah. And. Okay, so stay there for a night and. Okay, so we so  exhausted, we tired.  

Interviewer [00:15:18] Slept out in the open.  

Phong Vo [00:15:19] I pass out under the tree on a on the pine tree. And I have a piece of  rings on my, on my finger that that the only piece that my mom gave it to me, you know, I  passed out on the beach in there, and next thing I wake up its gone.  

Interviewer [00:15:37] Wow.  

Phong Vo [00:17:52] I don't know. Is is is is, I don't know. I'm not saying anything, but it's  but it's gone. So. So, so that's what, that's what happened. So you that's the first stop that  we get is not the refugee camp. We see the shore, we fly right through. Get the boat stuck  on that. Don't care where. Okay. So we so the police gathers on their lucky we saw some  tourists come out at that time. I don't know who really. You know. Who are they. They just  come out and with the camera and make the picture of us. And then police just you know

guarding us in there. So we, we sleep in there for. One day two night. The next night,  there's a bus actually it's a trucks, carry us to a more permanent spot.  

Phong Vo [00:16:24] It's still on shore, not the refugee camp. It's still on shore within  Terengganu city, but is a more permanent place where, you know, next to the police  stations where they can you know better guarding us here. But. And then we stay there for  about, I think ten days, ten days or two weeks.  

And then there's it was a fishing boat. Come and pick us up and bring us to Pulau Bidong that is, where is actually a official refugee camp, where United Nations have an office in  there to really do the paperwork for us, to get us start as a refugee.  

Interviewer [00:17:03] Wow. I'm just wondering, how do they feed 300 people? 300 plus  people?  

Phong Vo [00:17:08] Actually, you know, we only prepare for 150 per boat. Okay. So if  they triple that from three boat to one it’s close to 450, right. But I don't have the exact  count. You know, it's it's like you say someone sneak up somebody sneak on and Somebody. Okay. If you know, I'm not going because too dangerous. I can wait for the  whenever. Okay. So so don't have the exact count.  

But when we get on the, on the refugee camp when we do the paperwork and every time  we go to or for, for pick up the, the food for the boat. And that's why I know it's about 360  or 370 people. So, so and that's where I know the right count for it.  

Interviewer [00:17:55] What was your reaction the first time they brought you to the  refugee camp?  

Phong Vo [00:18:00] Oh my God. This I look at because you know. When I get to the  refugee camp. We consider ourselves like a first generation at Pulau Bidong because, five  years ago, when I when I come back there for a visit at Kuala Lumpur. The taxi guy ask  me, what years I was there and I say it was 1979 and the taxi guy say oh you first  generation. And that mean, I know her cousins. Her sister was there at the second or third  generation. So as the third and the second generation, the camps already have some  some facilities built by the United Nation. So it's more accommodatable. But for us at the  first generation, when we come on, there is nothing. Yeah. Practically nothing.  

Interviewer [00:18:50] I heard you have to build like your own place to sleep and--

Phong Vo [00:18:57] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, for the next generation that that we  do the tape for the purpose you need to relate to the tale called Three Little Pig. Okay.  Remember the first pig. Run away. They built the house out of twig. Instead of brick. Okay.

That practically what we did on the camp first generations. So we go to the wood, we chop down the twig and then and and the tree, and we build the house, and we put the twig  together as a as a house that we that we stay and actually start the house. So it's just, you  know, a tents or something like that.  

So, so yeah, we, we in the twig and then every time the storm come with, like, like a big  bad wolf. So we have to stand up at the night holding the tents up otherwise is going to fly  away or its going to blow the house away. So that exactly what happened at the first  generation Pulau Bidong.

Interviewer [00:19:47] How much of assistance, does that place provide for refugee like,  like, like yourself.  

Phong Vo [00:19:57] Assistant from?

Interviewer [00:20:00] For food or, you know, shelter because, I mean, they putting  everyone in a refugee camp was, like, pretty much newly developed, right? But, they got to  give you food or at least, you know, something to control the area, right?  

Phong Vo [00:20:13] Yeah. Yeah, the food came from United Nations funding. Okay. It's  go to an organization like in Malaysia there as, as the organization. Similar to the Red  cross and go through them, and they gave us a bag of rations. It’s like military relations.  Each person have a one bag for three days.  

Phong Vo [00:20:34] Okay, so, a bag of rice in there two bags of instant noodles. A can of, chicken or meat and then a can of sardine. A couple of, orange or lemons, powder for  drinks. And that's it that we will live on for three days. Wow. Each person's. And then the  waters, the, the cooking. We have to go to the, the jungle to, chop down the tree and get  the wood for cooking. Wow. And then we got the, the water from the well for cooking and,  drinking and shower and all that. So.  

Interviewer [00:21:10] So this is only you and your sister, right? Right. Do you know  anyone on that boat? It was just all random people. Or you do know somebody.  

Phong Vo [00:21:22] On that boat, the 150 people supposed to be on that boat, 20 of  them. I know. Okay. Those are the folk came from Saigon. Okay. And then, the rest of the  folks came from different area of South Vietnam to come over there. So, so I only know 20  of those people, about 20 some of the people that came from Saigon.  

Interviewer [00:21:47] So at least at the refugee camp. You know someone you know that  you don't feel like even though everybody's a loss, but you still know some people that you  can feel some sense of ease.  

Phong Vo [00:22:00] Yeah, yeah. That's how we stayed together. 20 of us would stay in  that one house that we built. Okay. So, so, I remember, you know, 20 of us just sleep in  there. Okay, so so on the twig bed that we built. Which is so uncomfortable. Right? We  have to use the cardboard from the from the ration box. As a as a mattress to sleep on.  And no toilet paper. And we use that cardboard. Paper as a as a, toilet paper as well. Well,  I need to tell you about that. Well water. Okay.  

Interviewer [00:22:38] Yeah, yeah please.  

Phong Vo [00:22:39] Because we, I get up there because no wood. Right? We have to go  to the jungle to chop the wood down. So. So we bring our home some wood. So my leg  have some scratch because, you know, we go to the jungle and then. And then the tree  and the branches scratch my legs, you know, is nothing. So that. But then the first week I, I  shower with that well water. Okay. And every. Scratch that I have get me infected so bad.  

Interviewer [00:23:06] Yeah, bacteria.

Phong Vo [00:23:07] So I was I never got infection like that. So, so it's so bad that I have  to, visit the what's called a sick bay. Yeah, no it used is not the hospital there yet at the  time I come, there's a boats out there from France called Sick Bay Boats down there. So if  you really sick they bring you to the sick bay and they give you some antibiotics over there.  

So yeah, there's two kind of wells on, on, on the well, waters on a, on the camp the one  that close to the beach, you know, meaning you just dig it for about six feet and then you  have water. But that water is very salty. You practically just shower a little bit with that. But  if you really want a water that you can drink or cook with, you have to go up the mountain  a little bit, right? And that they dig the well actually by about 30 to 50ft deep. Wow. So  every time you have the string with the bucket, you have to go all the way 50ft. And then  you bring up the bucket 50ft okay.  

Phong Vo [00:24:09] All right. So that's where you get one bucket while it's really really  deep. But then that water's now I understand that is really really rich in mineral. So it's  really bad for you because you drink over here a rich mineral kind of water.  

We call this a hard water. But in here we're going to have to go to the the hole, the main  filtering system in the house to, you know, the filtering out all of those, minerals in there,  you know, that we can use in the house. So back then that now that I understand the  waters up there, it was really, really rich in the mineral. And that's where, you know, when  you shower with it, you've got to get, infected, very easy. You drink with it, you get you sick  somehow.  

Interviewer [00:24:52] Yeah.  

Phong Vo [00:24:53] So then later on United Nations, every week they arrange for two  boat to bring the water out to the to the the camp for people. So every time the water, the,  the boat come, they have the pipe coming up and everybody, you know, thousands of  people come out to the to the station.

Phong Vo [00:25:15] They're waiting for the water. Everybody with a with a can like 25  gallons. And I remember I got two gallons and I have to carry all the way out there into the  house. So like almost a mile with one can on the shoulder and one can on here. So it's  balance, right? So one, here and then pull it back down so I can go, go, go home so that  that's fresh water from, from, from mainland to bring out by, by the, the help of the United  Nations.  

Interviewer [00:25:38] So besides dealing with, not having fresh water and also, you  know, eating, canned food without any conflict going on in the camp with conflict between  different opinions, fighting stuff like that.  

Phong Vo [00:24:54] At my first generations. The, the populations on there I remember it's  growing from 7000 when I first started, when I first came to about almost 40,000 people.  There, within they say is about one kilometers, one square kilometer living space,  remember, is an island okay? Is it's sand and mountains. There is no flat state for you to  live.  

Phong Vo [00:26:29] So the livable estate on that island practically, you know, by call, is a  front Bẩy Q C, bẩy Q A, bẩy Q F. We live in on that practically, it's like one square  kilometer kilometer in there. This is. It's about 37,000 or about 40,000 people, at most out

there at the time. And, some gangs activities going on. Yeah. Some gang activity is going  on.  

And, and yeah, a lot of, a lot of, the people up there, are from the, you know, the old  regime militaries, you know, they come up there. They, they, they run the camps. Very  good. You have the the leader of the camp who is a Vietnamese. They have the, security  group with the leaders is also, policemen active before 1975. They run is very good.  

Phong Vo [00:27:22] Yeah, but the only, conflict I see is, is, is some a lot of gangs  activities going on. Because, because when the, when the sick bay boat from France left  the islands, they bring all the equipment and donate it to the camps and they build, a  hospital up there, a small hospital we call a sick bay hospital and they donate their  equipment.  

And then I was working at the hospital and that hospital security guards, and then I saw a  lot of gangs. Member got stabbed and hurt and killed. Bring them to the hospital for  emergency treatments in their own time. So. So that's how I know.  

Interviewer [00:28:05] Yeah. And it's kind of sad for, you know, people like us, we leave  our country so that, you know, we can find freedom. And we all have that common theme,  common reason. Yet when we, you know, get in a refugee camp, now, we have to deal  with something that just so opposite from what we supposed to do. We supposed to be  together, right? You know, searching for hope and a new life.  

Phong Vo [00:28:27] Yeah. But one other conflict that I see in there that that that is really  bad is this. Remember, I tell you that, the two boat got hold back. That mean the, the  communist official get those boat and they sell the boats for money. We're talking about  100, 100,000 gold per boat, $500,000 of gold per boat. So they sold that they make  money. So that makes so, they have a whole bunch of money go back in the back in an  embargo country. They don't know what to do with it. So at the end. They joined into the  group and they escaped too, guess what happened when they got on to the camp. People identify them. Okay.  

Phong Vo [00:29:13] And they said, hey, this guy is not a refugee. This guy is a  communist. And, we catch quite a few of them because, you know, back home they, they,  they wired up with a bunch of gold. What are they going to do back home. Right. So they,  they decided to go like us. So fake like us they go like this. So that's tell you that on the  camp. This is so many different kinds of people on there.  

We have we have, you know, the old regime military official, you know, and then we have  the fisherman's people from the countryside who help navigate the world into the into the,  into the camp. Yeah. Now, we had the folk from the city, you know, families and, and we  have some Chinese people on this, you know? So, so that's a mix of, of kind of people on  there. Yes. We really hope to see politically, we we united to be the whole group, but then,  economy and the race ethnic kind of, reason, we divided.  

Interviewer [00:30:15] Right. And how long were you at the camp before, you get to come  to America?  

Phong Vo [00:30:21] I stay there for, pretty well, 19 months.  

Interviewer [00:30:24] Wow.

Phong Vo [00:30:25] Yeah. We get on to the camps around end of April. And then, I arrive  in here at, December of the following years. So 12 months of the following years and eight  months of that, of that, 1979, that, 20 months.  

Interviewer [00:30:44] Wow.  

Phong Vo [00:30:45] Yeah.  

Interviewer [00:30:46] Did you even know that you coming to America and not any other  country? Or, you just like any country. They put me, I just go.  

Phong Vo [00:30:54] Yeah, I know I come to the United States because, other countries  won't accept me, so that's why I stay until United States taken me. So that's why we call.  

Interviewer [00:31:04] Yeah. It's. So what what, year you came in?

Phong Vo [00:31:07] 1980, in December of 1980.  

Interviewer [00:31:09] And which state? You came?  

Phong Vo [00:31:11] I immigrated into, San Francisco, port. And then, we resided in  Louisiana, Baton, Baton Rouge, Louisiana for six months before I move out of my sponsor,  to my relative in Maryland, and then I work there. I go to school there until I'm done, and  then I move to Virginia and marry her and then stay here for now. Until now.  

Interviewer [00:31:36] So when you landed in California, now you say you a sponsor. Is  this a relative sponsoring or an organization that sponsor you over?  

Phong Vo [00:31:45] Organization sponsor. Yeah.  

Interviewer [00:31:47] So, so that means, well, you were 19 at that time, so, you know, no  longer considered as a minor. Right?  

Phong Vo [00:31:42] Right I never been a minor, though. Because if I arrived in, if I'm a  minor, it would be a completely different story, but I was, I consider 18 years old. Yeah, at  the time I arrive in the camp. So. So I am no longer a minor, according to the United  Nations, policies. When they when they do the paperwork for you speaking of, arriving,  you know, one of them tell you one thing I wanted to say to you. You know, for the record.  90% of us arrive here, or a third to a third country where we reside. Empty handed. Nothing

Interviewer [00:32:29] Exactly.  

Phong Vo [00:32:30] Okay. We left the camp. We get on the plane land here in the United  States. We walked out of the of the plane. I carry with me one bag. Guess what’s in there.  The X-ray of my lungs.  

Interviewer [00:32:43] Wow.  

Phong Vo [00:32:44] And that is critical because they want to have a good health to be  able to come here. If you don't, you need to be treated before you come. And that the

lungs x rays is related to, you know, TB. So they don't want to have that. So I have one  bag with two set of clothes and then one bag with the with the Red cross on with my x ray  and practically no money at all. So we here we start our live here practically with nothing  but. And on top of that, no English.  

Interviewer [00:33:21] Right. When, when my dad and I came here in 1982, we, just like  how you described, we had nothing. We even went through dumpsters just to find, you  know, stuff that we can bring home. Yeah. And the first thing I found was, was a mattress.  And that became the first time in my life that I slept on a mattress.  

Phong Vo [00:33:38] All right.  

Interviewer [00:33:39] How was that? You came in with nothing. And what was the first  thing that you did?  

Phong Vo [00:33:43] Oh, I say, you know, I'm lucky that I'm here. Number one. Thank  you. The country that taken us, number two. And then. And I'm young, so I say, okay, this  is this is this is another opportunity. There's no place for failure, no place for give up. This  is you got to try your best and you survive and you fight.  

That's where I could see the the boat people. When they come here, they are considered  a fighter. Survivor. They independent. Okay. And they and they, they made it. They, they  really have high, mentality, very strong mentality to make it, to survive in this country.  That's the main point that make the boat people different than any kind of group of  immigrations in this country.  

Interviewer [00:34:35] Right.

Phong Vo [00:34:36] Yeah, because we escape the regime that we reject. We spent so  much rough time at the roof as you came. You got so lucky to be accepted into this  country. So we here so determined that we're going to have to do it. But we're going to  have to make it. So. So both of us to me. What difference between, again, the boat people  and the different group that immigrant, including the Vietnamese in the later part of the of  the of the immigrations. We different in that way.  

Interviewer [00:35:11] At the age of 19. It's also a cutoff age where you can't start high  school. You might not have enough qualification for college. What was your route? Did you  go to school or do you go to work?  

Phong Vo [00:35:24] I went to school. Okay. So what happened is I go to work for  someone. Live and work two job at my at the first years.  

Interviewer [00:35:31] While going to school.  

Phong Vo [00:35:31] Well, not yet, not yet. Okay, so I work for 7-Eleven at midnight shift.  And then I. And I work for Subway sandwich store in the morning. Okay, so. So I work two  job and try to save money so I can buy me a car so that I can go to school. So what? I be  able to buy me a used car. Then I quit one job. I quit the Subway job. So I go to school.  

Phong Vo [00:35:58] And the way I go to school is the school that I go to. My sister back  home send me a diploma from from from Vietnam. And of course, you know, there is no

value here. So so you go to. I go to take the TOEFL for that English as second language.  So I don't get a good score. But then the school accept me. And in Maryland, that school  back then was a school call, a Capital Tech. So they take me. I have to spend the first  semester to take, you know, all the English course that they require. I pass the English  course, and then that I can go to the, the actual curriculum. So, so, yeah, that's how I go to  the school. When I first start here.  

Interviewer [00:36:44] Wow. So to that, you said Maryland. So you did your schooling in  Maryland? Not in not in Louisiana.  

Phong Vo [00:36:49] Not in Louisiana. Yeah.  

Interviewer [00:36:50] Okay.  

Phong Vo [00:36:51] Yeah. So.  

Interviewer [00:36:53] And then you got the degree.  

Phong Vo [00:39:55] Yeah, yeah. And then funny story that my wife remind me on the  way here is, actually, that I've been working for the whole years. Walk into 7-Eleven and  then walking to Subway and then walking home for the whole entire year. So I just so used  to walking and, and taking, taking, the bus. Right.  

So I told her the story is very, quite funny. I need to tell you so, so far, it's funny. So I,  finally, I be able to buy me a car, right? So I'm so excited. You know, that night, I was so  happy to drive the car to work. Okay, so I work all night long. In there so, so in the  morning, I'm like, okay, so now I have all night and I work in the whole night. I'm so tired.  So I actually left the car there and I walk to the Subway. So I thought it, I still as do a walk  of life.  

Interviewer [00:37:44] That’s amazing.  

Phong Vo [00:37:45] I bought the car. Yeah. Drove it to work. Just left there the morning  and walk to the other job and walk home until the next, the next shift. Next day. Oh shit. I  had to go get my car

Interviewer [00:37:57] I own a car now.  

Phong Vo [00:37:59] Yeah, I have the car. Why do I still walk? So. So, yeah. I mean,  that's the life was about the first start, so. But then, you know, like I say, we are so  determined to make it, we going to have to propose to and make it.  

Interviewer [00:38:12] So you met Co in Virginia you said.  

Phong Vo [00:38:13] Yeah.  

Dao Huynh [00:38:14] Yeah. We work together.  

Interviewer [00:38:17] And how many-- you have children? How how old are they now?

Phong Vo [00:38:22] Oh, they all grown up now. They. 38. And 36. And then, 33 and we  have a 26 that the younger, the younger still stay with us.

Interviewer [00:38:36] Have you ever share the story with them?

Phong Vo [00:38:40] Of course, yeah, I do, share, yeah. But I have the feeling. What if I  might tell them they. They don't get the mentality. They hear the story, they know the  details, but they don't have the feeling. They don't have the mentality because they are not  involved here.  

So one way of telling them, okay, so the one way that I really afraid for them because we  are survivor here, we are really strong mentality to survive. We are not going to end up  standing on the street corner to beg for money. Okay, so this is not us, so we need to be  strong.  

Phong Vo [00:39:07] Okay, so I tell my kid what I what I tell him, you know, says whatever  you do, don't give up. Okay? Okay. Do your best. Don't give up whatever. Okay. Because,  you know, I see a lot of men, mentally unstable people here, and they just run into just a  little failure and they give up. The next thing is the addict to something, right? And the next  thing you know, and they mentally, you know, sick and then that's an excuse for them to  stay out, stand out in a street corner, with a hand.  

Interviewer [00:39:40] Yeah. So similarly to to you, I tell my my kids about, you know, how  I survive as a boat person. And you, you tell them so much. You you think they absorb it?  My daughter is 21 now, and, I feel that it's different between us, you know, telling versus,  you know, we experienced it.  

So it's in our blood, our everything. Right? We can wake up in the middle of the night like,  wow, I can believe I experienced trauma. And that's what led me to write a book. I write a  memoir of my entire journey. I'm not suggesting you should write, but if you have time. But  you know, we all have great stories and that's the story of the book. But I would like to say,  you know, thank you very much for sharing this story with us.  

And I want to give you the final, you know, last two minutes if, share your wisdom, just like  what you just mentioned, you know, how is that you able to thrive and you know that our  audience, you know, thrive with you? What? What kind of message? You want to let us  know.  

Phong Vo [00:40:35] All right. The very, valuable lesson I wanted to tell you. And for the  next generation, whoever listen to this or watching this. Okay, the rough lives make a good  quality persons. Yeah. Just like the English have nothing come. Good things don't come  easy. So if you have it easy life appreciate it of course but then move on and try to give  yourself a rough situation where you can learn, okay? Failure is nothing bad.  

Phong Vo [00:41:08] Failure is is the lesson for you to win. Okay, so, just like my wife just  mentioned I in refugee camp. I used to be a fisherman. I used to be a, a laborer. I used to  be I do. I go up to the wood, to the jungle to cut wood. Fisherman. Meaning I go out to the  sea in a small boat, catching fish for living to eat. Okay. And I come to this country empty  handed. Okay?  

Phong Vo [00:41:35] No English, no nothing. And, that's how we start. And that's how we  got here today. Let's go. We can hear the message to you all out there. So just just build  yourself, a life that you would never, never give up. You don't need a fancy goal. You don't  need a, a fancy degrees, whatever. Set up a goal, work hard for it. Never, never give up.

And remember, your mentality would have to be strong to get to the goal the way you have  set.