Kim Lien Le: A Vietnamese Refugee Perspective
Profilers: Ashwin Suresh, Nick Gutierrez, Vina Nguyen, Amy Pham
Question: What was your first memory of the Vietnam War?
It was 1968. Back then, I was around 15-16 years old. I saw soldiers and people fighting, and some died on my doorstep. So I was like yes the war is starting. Bullets are flying and firing loudly. I was mentally disturbed. I was sick at the time so whenever I saw that type of stuff happen, I would get even more sick.
Question: What was your and your family’s experience during the war?
My life was hard. I have a big family. I had many siblings. I had to both study and work hard to help my father take care of the family. It was not until 1970 that I had to go work in that company, and in 1975, It was considered that I could no longer work for that company. So they transferred me to this place, that place, in general, to many places. But the salary was very low because at that time it was only a subsidy, not a consistent salary. With this, my husband and I had a very hard time, and my father had a very hard time
Question: What were your thoughts about the war and were there any influences to your opinion?
At the time, I was very young, so I really didn’t think about anything. When there was war, I was worried. Worried about me. I was worried about the family I didn’t think of anything else. Because we had to evacuate from our house. We had to leave someplace that didn’t put us near the war. I knew life would be hard, but I had to live my life.
Question: What is your recollection of April 30, 1975?
In 1975, there was no more war. The North came in and just occupied the city of Saigon. There was no shooting, no fighting, no anything. I was from District 1, and I was working, so I ran back to District 6 to be with my parents. At that time, we evacuated because it was a chaotic time, do you understand? In 1975, everyone wanted to go to America, but I didn’t have the means to go you know? No one could help sponsor us, so we didn’t have the means to go. Until I arrived in ’93, that was because I was sponsored by a family member in America. I didn’t want to leave my family. It was difficult. It was hard. But I wanted to go to America for a future. So your mom and your aunt could go to school and for your other aunt to get treated. She was sick.
Question: What was your journey to the United States like?
Before 1975, your aunt was sick. I was working at a company. She was so sick and it costed a lot of money. She almost died and so recovery costed money. I had to ask off work for a month to visit her in the hospital and take care of her. And this was very expensive. One bottle of medicine was around 5 gold coins. It was really hard. While I took care of her, my dad worked to support us financially. After 1975, I went back to work and I sold things, did all I could to make ends meet. When we go the opportunity to go to the US. I couldn’t work yet so I stayed home for a year. So I sold food and drinks from my place, and I did what I could to support my family. When we got to America, it was rough. We didn’t have enough money saved to come. We had to borrow money from others. And I remember it had only been a few days when your aunt had to start her job. She was a seamstress and fixed clothes, but it was the fall and it was cold. Your aunt would get intense bloody noses. When I picked her up, her blood soaked the towel. And you mom went to school and had to wait outside for the bus it was really hard. And I remember, I still remember to this day, these were some of the hardest moments. So moving in 1993 was hard. Living in California, was very hard in San Jose. But soon after, I had a friend that lived in Wichita, Kansas. They helped us move and finding a job was easier. Your mom going to school was easy. Your aunt getting a job was easier. Slowly but surely, our lives were going steady.
Question: What kept you motivated through such a difficult time?
The truth is I was very poor at the time, but I did what I had to do. I was always working. Whenever someone requested something, I would get it done. But I was motivated by my kids. I wanted them to go to school. I wanted them to be good.
Question: For those wanting to know more about the war, what is one thing you’d like to share from your experiences?
I want people to understand how badly war affects everyone. I want people to understand so no other war can bring pain to anyone.
Question: Lastly, do you have any regrets?
No, I don’t have any regrets because when I came here, what was most important was your mom grew up here and had kids. Good kids. Your aunt got married and found a good man. And I have all my grandchildren here who are good kids. That is all I need to be happy and fulfilled.