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Tan Hoang, a 70-year-old refugee, recalls the traumatic journey he undertook with his family after escaping Vietnam on a makeshift wooden boat. His memories are vividly tied to the oppressive presence of local law enforcement, which starkly reminds him of the communist soldiers who once overtook Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City.
The fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, symbolized the conclusion of the Vietnam War, a conflict that persisted for two decades. This pivotal moment witnessed North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces capturing the city, ultimately leading to the unification of the country under a communist regime inspired by the governmental structures of the Soviet Union and China. Today, the Communist Party of Vietnam remains in power.
“I yearn for my homeland, but I am filled with fear,” Hoang expressed during an interview at his pho restaurant in Edmonton’s Chinatown.
“I don’t want to witness anything like that again.”
Hoang is one of many who fled Vietnam during the mass exodus following the fall of Saigon, commonly known as the “boat people.” Between 1975 and the 1990s, Canada provided refuge to around 200,000 individuals escaping Vietnam, along with those from Cambodia and Laos.
On the anniversary of this historical event, Hoang plans to convene with fellow Vietnamese Canadians at a community center for a reflective gathering. Known affectionately as “Mustache Man,” he intends to share harrowing accounts from fifty years ago.
At just 20 years old, Hoang was engulfed in the chaos of the city’s downfall. “I was terrified, of course,” he admitted but felt an overwhelming urge to explore. He vividly remembers riding his Honda motorcycle through Saigon, witnessing soldiers engaging with civilians, arrests being made, and a tumultuous scene at the harbor where many took desperate measures to flee, sometimes falling victim to the sea.
In the aftermath of Saigon’s fall, life under communist rule sharply deteriorated as the government imposed food rations, leading to widespread starvation. A decade later, Hoang and his family made the difficult decision to escape, constructing a boat in secrecy with the help of relatives. They bribed soldiers to turn a blind eye and embarked on a perilous four-day journey, crossing paths with a tornado before finally reaching Indonesia. They spent a year in a refugee camp before immigrating to Edmonton, where Hoang opened the King Noodle House in 1995. A picture of the handmade boat hangs proudly in the restaurant.
Nhung Tran-Davies, a physician based in Calmar, Alberta, fled Vietnam in 1978 alongside her mother and five siblings, believing her father perished in the conflict. The harsh realities of life in post-war Vietnam, where starvation was rampant, pushed her mother to seek refuge on a boat.
“People were robbed and killed for a bag of rice,” Tran-Davies recounted, describing how her siblings often sacrificed their meals for the sake of the youngest family members.
Her mother collaborated with others planning to escape, successfully boarding a boat during this critical period. Tran-Davies was just four years old, and while she cannot remember many specifics of their journey, she recalls the overwhelming nausea and despair prevalent among the refugees.
Linh Vu, another “boat person” now operating a Vietnamese street food restaurant in Edmonton, shared her own experiences. As a toddler, her mother carried her through the streets of Saigon days before the city was captured, driven by the urgency to reach her own parents amidst warnings from communist soldiers.
Arriving at her grandparents’ house, Vu reflected on how their disheveled appearance caused her grandfather not to recognize them. After four arduous years, he constructed a boat for their escape. During their time at sea, they were rescued by a British cargo vessel that transported them to a refugee camp in Singapore, eventually leading them to Edmonton. Vu’s grandfather passed away in 2019, having never returned to Vietnam, convinced he had lost his homeland to communism.
Both Vu and Tran-Davies plan to commemorate the anniversary with conversations about their shared heritage. “I want to instill in my children the importance of our history and the sacrifices their grandmother made for our freedom,” Tran-Davies emphasized.
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globalnews.ca