Liz Nguyen: Childhood Life in Saigon
Profilers: Derik Lien, Charlize Cledera, Robbie Wu, Mark Acosta
Early Childhood Life
Start introducing yourself, like, what is your name? And where were you living during the war?
My name is Liz Nguyen. I was living in Saigon at the time. So it’s the city. So I was 10 when I left Vietnam.
Were there any specific movements that affected you, like your daily life, like the Resistance movements, or any sort of…?
I didn’t really get involved in any resistance movements. Maybe there were, but I wasn’t aware of it, because I was young, and we were pretty sheltered, so I didn’t feel it as much as I would have normally, I guess.
There were no significant memories or feelings towards it since you were pretty young?
Yeah, when I was young, I remember Tet, when it happened, when the VC came in, and we all had to take refuge somewhere. My parents had a bag packed just in case something happened. I don’t remember the details, but I know we were given some instructions. It was just that one year during Tet.
Yeah, I think that was discussed in class, actually, or we haven’t gone to that part yet.
Other than that, I don’t remember much.
Impact on War on Her Family
We discussed the Resistance movements in Saigon, but we never really touched upon the daily life of the people. This class, while it gives the American perspective, hasn’t really focused on what the Vietnamese thought of the Americans during the war. Did you or any of your family members serve in the war? If so, in what capacity?
Some of my uncles served in the war, and a couple of them passed away because of it. I was really young, though, and I just remember my mom being very distressed when they passed away. It was very bad for her.
I’m guessing, since of that, you don’t really have much memory of those uncles?
No, I don’t remember anything about them at all.
So, how did the war impact, I guess, not just your family, but the community around you and how the country was run during that time?
I was too young to really understand much. All I observed was that my parents were very stressed when my uncle passed away. My grandmother was crying a lot, and my mom was very upset. I don’t remember anything about the government, but I do recall that the TV was only showing state channels—everything was controlled by the government.
We did talk about that in class—the state-run channels. Do they still exist?
I don’t know much about it, but I’m sure yes. Maybe they have some other channels, but it’s a communist country. I guess it’s capitalist, but it’s still communist, still run by the government.
Yea that makes sense.
Family Life During the War
May I ask, what sort of job did your father work for?
He was some sort of inspector for the government. It was a good job, though.
Did your mom do anything?
We had a chicken farm, but in the city. It was a hatchery where they put eggs, and the chickens would hatch. Then they would either sell the chickens or raise them to sell.
How did the war affect things like food supply, school, safety, and even travel, if you traveled at all?
We didn’t really travel much, except to visit family. My mom always said that we couldn’t travel too far because of the war, so travel was limited. You couldn’t go anywhere freely.
Was school still going during that time?
Yes, I went to private school. If you had the money, you could go to school. There were no public schools, at least not for younger kids.
So, for people who would usually go to public education, that wasn’t really a thing back then?
No, there were no public schools for younger children. There was only public college, but that was it. Everything else was private.
Were there any restrictions or policies that made life more difficult for you, your family, or your community?
maybe for the family, maybe. But I personally didn’t, you know, I was pretty young, and I was very sheltered. So I would say, I would say, maybe, you know, we’re not allowed to go, like curfews or whatever. But it didn’t really affect me, but I suppose it affects people that, you know, it’s not free, like here, like at night, you go out stuff. No, yeah, there is a curfew. I remember that, although I don’t remember what time, but I do remember this, like some sort of curfew. Maybe just my family.
Oh, yeah, I think the curfew was applicable to a lot of people, and since there was a curfew if you were caught outside during certain hours, you could get arrested or fined. I guess like this is more emotional, I guess like, a question of, like, did you hear any, like, I guess, like, like, combat noises, like, around the city?
Oh, I don’t remember hearing anything, because, like, in the city we’re in, like, The main area, okay, I guess it was only when we were leaving Vietnam that there were, you know, that they actually came in, right? So then we visually see a lot of things, you know, we see, we actually see soldiers and stuff like that. Oh, okay, yeah, so that’s not too good, but, you know, I only remember vaguely. So I guess, fortunately for me, I wasn’t really traumatized in that sense. Because, I mean, I’m always scared and stuff like that, you know, violence and stuff and maybe that stems from that. But, I mean, you know, I don’t, it doesn’t trigger any you know, yeah.
I understand what year your family and you left?
Oh, 1975. Oh, so that’s what I said. We left when they came in. So that’s when I saw the soldier come in.
So by soldiers, you mean like soldiers, like from both sides?
No, outside soldiers. Like retreating ones. And I, you know, I do remember some wounded and and I think at the very end there was some on the opposite side. But visually, I don’t remember seeing them, but I do remember hearing guns and stuff.
Oh, that’s really scary.
Yeah, you know, for some reason I wasn’t scared, because we just don’t know what it was maybe.
Daily Life Impacted by the War
Once you left Vietnam, like, how did your life change? Like, for that matter?
So we have some relatives here, yeah, that, you know, sponsor us out of refugee camp. But we were in a refugee camp for a while, and it wasn’t bad. It was okay. I have some good memories of it, like they have this truck where they give us snacks. You know, you just stand in line and you get some oils, cookies and so lemonade.
Wait, where was this refugee camp?
Okay, so, actually, initially we, when they took over Vietnam, yes, VC, my uncle has, my uncle were fishermen. We were visiting them. So without my dad, our whole family, but except for my dad, he was still in the city. Oh, okay, so, so he got left behind, actually, oh, he came later. Oh, okay, left behind. And my uncle, who’s my dad’s brother or cousin, I think his cousin, has like a fishing ship or boat, but a bigger boat. And he got us to his bigger boat, so he came in with the little boat to take us out to the bigger boat. But when we came out, then they were, they were American, you know, just picking us up. So the Americans just picked everybody up, and we were glad to be picked up by them. So we, you know, because at that time the VC already came onto the beach, and really just the makeup time we got out, I guess we could have all been killed. Oh, but so the boat was so small, because it was like a tender boat, you know? Yeah, that my family got on, and my uncle couldn’t fit in. He has to swim, kind of like, he couldn’t be on the boat because we were younger and had, you know, so he kind of like, just hold on a little bit to the boat and swim out, you know, with the boat and American were picking up people because they couldn’t get in, because they have to be in the international water. So they actually picked us up as soon as we made it there.
Wait, your uncle. Like swam all the way to international waters?
I think, you know, they actually come in a little bit further because, maybe because things were desperate. So they, I believe they came in, they came in a little bit further in, but, but the little boat can go, you know, pretty far, yeah, my uncle held on. You know, he wasn’t really swimming. No time, he held on. But he cannot be on the boat.
I couldn’t imagine that, like, if I had to swim that far, I don’t know.
He’s not like swimming. He’s holding on to the boat. But the boat, yeah, so but I think, I think actually, the Americans so whatever ship or boat, or whatever tender, whatever they did, come in further in, because I don’t remember being out in the water that long before they picked us up. Oh, okay. And once they picked us up, then they took us to Guam. So, so on on the ship they have an area for us. Then they took us to Guam. And then from one we actually went to the Philippines. And then we won the Philippines for just like a day or two, even just like a day or two. And then a day or two in the Philippines, then we went to the US.
Okay, from the Philippines to the US. Did you fly from there? Or?
Yeah, they flew us all. Not, not military air planes, not commercial. I think they flew us in, like those big planes that used to move cargo or something. I don’t remember what it is, maybe I should look up what it is.
And then, like, once you arrive in the US, where was it?
I was in Fort Chaffee in Arkansas, I think. I actually stayed at Fort Chaffee, because the California Camp Pendleton is where we were supposed to go. But there were so many refugees that they had to go to Arkansas Fort Chaffee, and then we stayed until my uncle got the paperwork and got us out.
So, like, was Arkansas, like the place where the refugee camp that gave Oreos out?
Yeah, well, it was the military base. Oh, yeah, yeah. So, you know, military base, when they had, like, a lot of, I remember a lot of bungalows that we stayed there for a while, yeah, until we get sponsor out, yeah, yeah. And then people have relatives, you know, that will sponsor that.
That’s really good. And it probably helped too, because, like, I know, like, as an immigrant myself, it takes a long time to get paperwork done if you don’t have a sponsor, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, like, once you came to California, like, I guess, was it much of an adjustment, I guess from, like, living?
So when we came my dad was, you know, separated from us. Oh. So, when we came to California, my aunt, unfortunately, had a car accident and passed away. So that was just when we came here. So my mom was devastated, but because of that, my dad got priority and got to California quicker. He was also in a refugee camp, but he was going through, like, you know, transition, yeah. But because of that, they did speed up the paperwork and he was able to join us, I guess, quicker.
And like, once you came over here, like, there wasn’t any like, trouble, like, I guess, like assimilating, right? It’s not like the people, like, I guess were, I don’t know, like against, I guess, like the refugees?
No, California is really nice. Oh, okay, that’s good, yeah. I mean, in general, yeah, I don’t remember anything negative. People treated us well, you know, we were associated with one of the church, very welcoming, very nice. Yeah, that’s good, because everybody’s really nice.
Long Term Impacts and Reflection
Were there any like, long term effects of the war, like, on you or your family? Like, did it change how you live over here?
No, I think, like, as all immigrants you know, you just you, you want to make the most opportunities. You know, more driven a little bit because you’re an immigrant, I think you are the same. And I think in general, maybe we were exposed to violence and stuff like that. Yeah, so it affected us in the back of our mind, and even though we may not, it may not, shows you know directly, I’m sure you know, it makes one more aware of violence and the terrible things that can happen.