Minh, what were your thoughts and expectations at the time the Communists came into Saigon?

Born and growing up in a country full of hostility and war and cut into two, I think every Vietnamese people, they hope to see a country, there is no more war, no more hostility and with the full length from North to South.

In 1975 when the communist army reaches Saigon, a lot of people, they tried to escape the country to keep away from the communists hell which was going to convert the life and their families lives, But I know some of them, they were really hesitated in the finding the way to escape.

Sorry.

Cut.

We got everything down...

In 1975 ah when the communist army reached Saigon, a lot of people tried to escape from the country to keep away from the herd, the communist herd which was going to convert their life and their families lives. But some people, including my family, we really were hesitated in finding a way to escape.

Even we have some way to do that because we think in, we thought maybe this is a change for us, to see a change in government because the South Vietnamese government was a really not good, not good for us before and maybe now is the change and at least we can see our country now with the full length from North to South and no more war, no more hostility, therefore, we came out the street to see what communists looked like.

And we saw the communist army, they're really nice, they always smile, they were not simple gloss on tank and they smiled with us. Then the next day we were called to be presented at our school and at our office to prepare for a huge meeting to celebrate labor day, May 1st, 1975.

At that meeting, we saw a forest of flats and slogan and the picture of Ho Chi Minh. The communists use a lot of beautiful word. For example, nothing is precious than freedom and independence. Certainly we saw that and now we found something so interest and so think what we aspired for a long time. Now we are free and independence and we can visit Hanoi, maybe, we can know every town, every village from the whole country.

So you had a reason to feel good and hopeful right then. What happened after that?

Then, after that, day by day we re—realize a lot of terrible things. The Communist Party, they try to make the people to become robot. They...What?

Sorry.

Briefly Minh, what caused you to change your mind? What crushed these hopes that you had at first?

About some months later that we soon realized that really the Communist Party they try to make the people become robots, to serve for any interest of the Communist Party. Once I read a poem made by a very famous member in the Communist Party.

He said that when he was born he cried the first time to celebrate the fame of Lenin. Then he loves Lenin ten times more than he loves his father. After that I saw when the Communist Party said someone is not good, then every people from the North and every soldier from the North, surely they said, that is not good.

So when the communist says black is white, then all people must say black is white. If someone says black is black, then surely he will soon be excluded from the society before he's or she's out of the group.

So you decided to leave Vietnam.

Yes.

Tell me how you escaped and what happened on your boat trip.

A day of October 1979 on a boat of about forty feet length, forty feet long, we, 81 people escaped from seashore, Vietnamese seashore named Vung Tau to escape the country for Singapore.

On the way to Singapore, the morning after we saw a storm in front of us, therefore we cannot go ahead, we have to turn back. Everyone on the boat discuss whether we should come back to Vietnam or not. Because we knew that if we came back to Vietnam, we surely was put in the prison without any knowledge of when we will return home.

And a lot of people they rejected the proposition to come back to Vietnam, but the pilot of the boat, he decided to come back. Then we returned to Vietnam. But when we reached the Vietnamese sea area, then a government fishing boat, they are armed with a gun and they shot at us to force us out in the ocean.

We'll have to change magazines.

Um, a day of October 1979 in a boat of about...

Hold it. Cut.

A day of October 1979, on a boat of about forty feet long, we uh, 81 people left Vietnamese seashore called um Vung Tau to intend to escape for Singapore. And the next morning, on the way to Singapore, suddenly we saw a storm in front of us.

Being able to go ahead we had to u-turn. Everyone on the boat discussed whether we should return to Vietnam or not, because returning and being catched is a terrible thing. We was, uh, put into the prison without any day knowing whether to return [incomprehensible].

Therefore, a lot of people refused to come back to Vietnam. But for some reason the pilot decided to come back for survival first. Therefore, he drove the boat to come back to Vietnam. But when we enter the Vietnamese sea area of...an armed government fishing boat, uh, they shot at us to force us out back to the ocean. No other choice we have to go out again into the ocean.

Hold it just a second. [Inaudible] Okay. All right.

I continue?

Just the last.

We have a plane coming.

Oh, we have a plane. Cut.

Okay, just pick up the story where you stopped.

Yes. And then no other choice we have to come out again into the ocean. About one hour later, because of the over speed, when we have to escape from the government fishing boat the engine becomes too hot. Our um, mechanic, ah, he turn on, ah he turn up the engine.

He said to let the engine cool down. And the uh, about two hours later, he turned engine on. But the water covered the battery, therefore it bad. The engine cannot be turned on and so our boat wandered in the sea.

During the time of ten days wandering in the sea we saw a lot of floating ships. They, uh, they from France or Russia or Norway. We signaled them, uh, for uh, SOS, but they turn away. Therefore uh the situation, uh, was worse and worse. Uh, we have a uh, very few amount of water to drink everyday. Therefore everyone was so thirsty. A few people they have to drink their own urine.

Hold it just a second. Changes lenses. Change. OK.

And, um, the situation seems um, to be hopeless. But fortunately at the early of the uh, eleventh morning we saw a boat, uh, surely is bigger than ours. At first we thought that uh, the Vietnamese government fishing boat again, therefore someone uh, were so afraid. But, uh, when the boat comes near us then we saw that Thai fishing boat, and everyone was so happy. Ah, someone cried for happiness.

And we, uh, collected, uh, the golden rings, watches, and US dollars to give, uh, the Thai fishermen in order that they can to show us the way to come to, uh, a refugee camp in or a least they can give us a battery to turn on our machine.

Then the Thai fishermen, they jump in our boat. They, uh, they took away our rings and watches. But because we gave them. Therefore, therefore is uh, is not a bad thing. They just take away, uh, what we gave them. Uh, then, uh, they gave us ah, water and food to drink and eat. And they leant us their battery to turn on the engine. But...

Change.

But when the engine was turned on, they um, they jump in our boat again, and this time they robbed us. They touch everybody to try and find if we still have some dollars or some gold more.

Someone when they asked us, you have, do you still have some gold? They said no. And when, if the, uh, Thai fishermen, uh, they, they found out some gold in the body, hidden somewhere in the body, and they beat the people very, uh very wildly. And, and after, um, robbed a lot more they jump to the boat and they went away.

Now, uh, the machine was on. Therefore, anyway that's a happy thing, and we um, we picked the direction of the sunset, that means we went west to Thailand.

Hold here, Change again. OK.

About, um, thirty-six hours and uh, we came in the Thai Sea area, and now we saw a lot of Thai ah fisher boat. They stop us and a lot of robbery occurred. It is so, uh, I don't know how to describe, and Jesus, this um, I cannot remember how many times it was, but a lot.

Every boat, any boat can stop us and they knew what they want, to rob us. And uh, to beat us, uh, whenever and whatever they want. Ah, about more than twenty times of, uh, robbery and beating. We saw a lot of fisher boat. This one cannot drop anymore, because not, not, not, more no more for them to rob. Then they tow us, uh, to, to pull us, to uh, to police agency.

To put us into refugee camp. Then, uh, everybody was happy, and uh, they pull our boat by uh, a rope. But, uh, actually, they pull us to a bare island, named Island. That is a bare, small island.

Hold it just a second. Want to (inaudible). Just say they pulled us.

They pulled us uh, by a rope. But actually they pulled us to uh, bare, small island named . Uh, and they forced us to land on the island. No one there and almost no plant can grow there. We came there and uh, they gave us food and water. Uh, at least now we can land on, on a place where in no, now we are free of the Communists.

We're going to have to...

So, what happen to you on Island?

And uh, on the first day on the island, the Thai fishermen uh, didn't do anything to us, and uh, just gave us some water to drink and some food to eat. Um, fish, um very big fish to eat. And now, uh, we enjoy the freedom, the free from the Communist Party on the island.

But uh, um, the following day, uh, really the following night, they uh, they started uh, robbering. Ah, we ah, every, every people uh, we lived in a cave on the island. Now they force us to come out and they force us one by one to take off every clothes to come out. And, uh, they investigate very clearly, um, the, um, the clothes to find out if there's some more gold or, or watches or something, something else that still be hidden.

And then, uh, after everything was ah, robbed again, they, they found that there no more for them uh, to rob, and that they, they took away even our clothes. Ah, if some clothes are good then they took it away. And now, uh, they thought about another game other than robbery. They start uh, to, to rape uh the women.

They forced all men into the cave, and they pull out every women. The oldest is about more than fifty years of old, years old. And the youngest is about twelve years old, and they force out from the old woman to uh, a small girl. And um, I think uh, uh, it’s necessary to mention something about Vietnamese culture. The girl usually they usually don't know anything about sex.

Ah, with them uh, to get involved some busines in sex is a very important thing. They only do it with their husband, only the husband, after a official marriage. But now the Thai forced them out the cave and raped them very wildly. Very wildly, uh, I, I, I think that um, so wildly that because of, uh, because they read some, some wild book about, um, about gang rape or something. But uh, I, I never imagined a man can do...

Sorry.

Take up where you left off.

Yes. And um, and uh, and uh, a Thai fisherman, uh he hold gun, uh, stood in front of the opening of the cave. Inside of the cave, uh, is the men. Therefore, uh, no one uh, can uh, have uh, any action against them, because, uh, he hold a gun. And every man uh, they know that if one oppose them or attack them...

Sorry.

At the, uh, opening of uh, the cave, uh, where uh, the man was forced uh, to sit inside, Thai fishermen uh, holding a gun to stop, to depress uh, the men inside. And uh, no one uh, dared to attack them because of the life of the um, all our crews. Then we can't do anything but sit and cry. Many husbands and fathers, they cry for their wife or their... or their daughters outside.

Then, um, the next morning, uh, the women tried to, to hide somewhere around the island. And, everyday, uh, about more than ten fisher boat, they came in the island and each one can come in, uh, search for gold, for um, valuable things, and they search for women too.

Therefore, the women they have to suffered a very terrible thing and a very terrible amount of uh, uh, the thing like that. And, there, there are some uh, strange stories in ah, our crew. I know one girl uh, she's about eighteen years old, uh, so afraid of the Thai fishermen uh, she hide herself in uh, in the stone.

And um, they uh, they crack of the stone is so tight uh, that only she can uh, enter. And a Thai fisherman cannot enter. Then she stay there for about twenty days there. Just um, stand there. And uh, another girl, about, uh, twenty years old. He uh, she hide, uh, herself in a forest, Thai fishermen, uh, they burn the, the forest. She was burned, uh, all her back, but uh, she uh, never cried, she just kept quiet although her was back was burned.

How did you, how did you manage to get away from that island?

Then, um, we stay there for about thirty days. And um, at the, at the thirtieth day uh, we saw an helicopter. Um, this helicopter, um, um deceives Mr. Swaiser, who is the uh, UN officer, uh, in Thailand. Uh, he just uh, took a trip, uh, around Thailand, and occasionally he saw our SOS signal uh, from the island.

Then uh, the helicopter slowed down and uh, and it, and it uh, comes near the island. And uh, we, we burn some fire, and uh, cover, and cover and is cover a blanket over the fire to make the SOS signal. Then uh, when uh, he recognized the, there was ah, somebody um, need to be rescued in the Island, and uh, he, he went away.

And about two hours later, uh the helicopter went back and um, from the helicopter they gave us, uh, uh, food and water. Just, ah, throw uh throwing from the helicopter to the ground. Then, um, uh, the next day, uh, Mr. Swaiser himself, he came to the island by official boat. And uh, getting along is another Thai fisher boat.

Then, uh, they drive all of us, that means uh, eighty, 81 people of our crew and uh, plus uh, two other crews, and a total of people are um, 157 people, and by boat we came to refugee camp to stay there.

Cut.