Vietnamese boat people were refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship after the Vietnam War.
I know, I was one of them.
I was born in 1970. The United States withdrew from South Vietnam in 1975 and the communists from North Vietnam quickly took over and extended the Socialist Republic of Vietnam into the south. The leaders of the new government then began to exact revenge against those who had been their enemies; those who had sided with the U.S. to fight the North. As a result, an estimated two million Vietnamese risked their lives in crowded boats and fled across the South China Sea to countries throughout the region.
I can still remember the communist soldiers coming into our home, making us all sit in the corner while they ransacked our home, taking anything of value.
They also leveled everyone’s bank accounts, taking everything over a certain dong amount. It didn’t work. Those who had a knack for making money just made it back. Though the communists leveled bank accounts multiple times over the years, the outcome was always the same.
I am a proud American now, but I obviously have strong emotions about my birth country and the family and friends who still reside there.
My experience on the boat was horrible and frightening. The pictures above of the boat people aren’t far removed from what it was like for me. Too many people, poor conditions, little to no food and death, a familiar companion. Our boat didn’t last long, 3 weeks. It sprung a leak and if it hadn’t been for a French Rescue vessel we all would have perished.
I will share more about that another time.
If you grew up in America—anywhere in America, thank God for your good fortune!
