History through soldier’s unforgettable memories

By Tien Khong

History through soldier’s unforgettable memories

“You know, at that time, our country was very chaotic and being a soldier wasn’t an easy thing, so, if you like to know, I would like to tell you” – This is a time when I learned why my grandfather left Viet Nam.

Thong Nguyen is a Vietnamese and born in Hue (The Middle Viet Nam). In 1975, he traveled to Sai Gon (South Viet Nam). At that time, Viet Nam still had a war (a proxy war during the Cold War). It was divided into two parts: one was from the Middle to South and the government was capitalist; allied countries were the U.S. And other countries of  Southeast Asia. Another part if from the Middle to North, the government was communist and allied with The USSR and China. One day, the North led many troops to the South and took it. The South lost because the U.S left and didn’t want to help anymore.

About March –April/1975, after The North took the South, the North government started to make laws like: sent all the soldiers, officers, polices of the Capitalism government to jail. And my grandfather Thong was a lieutenant in the South government. In the jai, all the prisoners had to work without pay or good meals. Also, for the prisoner’s family, things weren’t equal; for example, you couldn’t go to the college, and could only get bad jobs.

After 1975, the U.S government negotiated with the North government to liberate all prisoners staying in the jails for a long time and moved them to live in the U.S. This was called political asylum. The North government agreed but didn’t say anything to the prisoners. Thong knew this because someone told him, so that is why until 1995 (he was still in Viet Nam for 20), he came to the U.S (San Francisco, California). After 1995, Thong went to school to learn a new language and found a job in there.

“Although those things are never easy, you know, changing from rich to poor, and going to the jail… I tried, I started from the beginning. I thought about you and your family every day, so that is why, now you’re here with me, my family is here with me “– And he is smiling to me, that is the most beautiful and proud I had ever seen.