Minh, in the blue shirt was in the camp alone. He was so brave and such a great student. The night before, at a party held in his honor, he'd delivered a fine speech in Vietnamese and English. But here at the harbor, he became a little boy again and had us all crying along with him.
Minh , bé trai mặt áo xanh, tới trại một mình. Minh rất can đảm và thông minh. Đêm hôm buổi tiệc tổ chức cho Minh, em diễn thuyết bằng tiếng Việt và tiếng Anh lưu loát. Trong hình này ở bến tàu ra đi, Minh trở nên nhỏ bé trở lại. Minh khóc và ai cũng khóc theo
Site I, Zone 2 between the barracks (refugee housing). The camp was a clearing in the forest. 10,000 people...sometimes more
Khung cảnh Galang khu 1, vùng 2, giửa những gian nhà cho dân tị nạn. Galang ở giửa khu rừng nhiều khi có tới hơn 10,000 dân tị nạn một lúc
This boat had just landed on Galang. There were 88 people on board. They'd tried to land in Singapore, but authorities there refused permission but gave them food, water, gas, and a chart showing how to get to Galang.
Chiếc tàu này vừa tới Galang. Có 88 người trên tàu. Họ tính tới Singapore nhưng bị từ chối cho lên bờ. CHính phủ Singapore cho họ thực phẩm, nước, dầu máy, và chỉ đường cho họ tới Galang
Quach Thanh Van in his barrack. He tried unsucccessfully to teach me Vietnamese. Van and his family resettled in Ashland, Oregon and later moved to Anaheim, California. I visited them there. Van had passed his GED and was studying electronics.
Quách Thanh Vân trong khu nhà của em. Vân dạy tôi tiếng Việt nhưng không xong.
Gia đình Vân về Ashland, Oregon và sau đó dọn về Anaheim California. Tôi đã tới thăm Vân ở đó
Mai in her "Ao Dai" in front of staff housing
Mai trong chiếc áo dài chụp hình trước căn nhà của chúng tôi
Hiện bên tôi đang mở lớp viết báo cáo giám sát môi trường
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I was the boy in the blue shirt 45 years ago.
ReplyDeleteEven today, the memories of the camp still return to me. Some of them are difficult, and at times they still haunt me. Yet those very experiences shaped who I became. They made me stronger, tougher, and more resilient. They taught me how to endure hardship, how to adapt, and how to keep moving forward.
We were the “boat people” — a generation forced to leave everything behind in search of hope and freedom. In many ways, we were the pioneers of a new wave of migrants, carrying little more than courage, determination, and the dream of a better life.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of seeing Gaylord a few times, and I will always treasure the time he came to visit me in Vancouver. We shared stories and memories from those days that forever shaped our lives.
Looking at these old photographs from that bygone era reminds me how far we have all come. Many of us are now living all over the world, building families, careers, and communities in places we once could only imagine. Yet we remain forever connected by those shared beginnings.
And when I reflect on it all, I realize that people like Gaylord and Debie truly changed the course of our lives. Their kindness, compassion, and dedication gave so many of us a chance — a chance to rebuild our lives and find our place in the world.
We arrived with almost nothing. Yet today we carry stories of survival, resilience, and hope.
And when I look back at that boy in the blue shirt 45 years ago, I realize he was not just one boy or girl — he was part of a generation whose journey helped shape the lives we live today.
We were the “boat people” of Vietnam. And our story is not only one of struggle — it is a story of courage, dignity, and the triumph of the human spirit.
MICHAEL