Vietnamese Immigration 1970

Growing up in a family that have many relatives immigrating to the U.S in different ways, I always want to know more about people’s journey to the United States. Therefore, I decided to interview my Professor, Dr. Lan Hong about her journey coming to the U.S after Vietnam war.

Vietnamese did not magically appear in the United States, the Vietnam War sparked the immigration of Vietnamese to America. Vietnamese did not virtually exist in the United States until 1975 when the war forced Vietnamese to evacuate (Povell). The war began after Vietminh defeated France and split into North and South Vietnam (O’Connel). In 1956 communist Ho Chi Minh ruled the North Vietnam, and Bao Dai ruled the South, who the United States supported and backed up (O’Connel). The Vietnam War consisted of the North and South Vietnam, fighting against eachother in order to stay two separate countries. The North tried to overtake the South, and the United States sent in troops to

A refugee is defined as a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war or persecution. Since the communist victory in Vietnam in 1975, Australia has become a desirable location for hundreds of thousands of refugees as a result of the pleasant lifestyle and an abundance of employment opportunities. The experiences of Indochinese refugees in the 1970’s and present day refugees contain both similar and contrasting elements. Refugees no longer flee from countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos instead they arrive to Australia from war-ravaged nations in the Middle East such as Iraq and Syria. Nevertheless, these countries are all victims of war and people continue to seek refuge as a consequence of conflict and fear

There are multiple businesses that offer jobs for refugees so that they can get used to our culture, and provide for their families. We often help put their children into some of the programs that we have here in the U.S. to help them catch up. For example; the USRAP, the PRM, and the USCIS, are some of the programs that refugee children attend. But why stop there? We can donate, volunteer, and just help the refugee community as best as we can.

My dad escaped from Laos and entered the Thailand Refugee Camps. From the Thailand Refugee Camps they were relocated to live the United States.

Based on Uong experience, fleeing into America was not an easy journey. “Those who escaped death by drowning had to endure multiple robberies, rape, or assault at the hands of the Thai pirates (an estimate two-thirds of boats were raided)” (Cao 6). Due to complications, there were individuals who were not able to flee the country by boat. “Those who did not flee the country via the seas escaped Vietnam by dangerous land routes through Cambodia to Thailand” (Cao 7). As for Uong experience, he escaped Vietnam very easily. “It was April 30, 1975, and Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, was under siege. I was 10, the youngest of eight children” (Uong 1). Only being 10 years old, he was forced to run away from home in order to search for a better life. Hoping that he and his siblings would make it to safety, Uong parents told them to leave. Uong stated, “My parents, hoping to get us away from the chaos, told my brothers and sister to get on our bikes and ride away. When things calmed down, they said, we should come back” (Uong 2). After they had ridden away, they were able to see a “small South Vietnamese navy ship

The immigration of Vietnamese people to Australia has been occurring for over 40 years in this period of time the reason for migration has changed with the times, but predominantly began with the conflict between North and South Vietnam. With the end of WW2 in 1945, many counties and regions had been greatly affected, including the Pacific, Asia and Europe. The rise of communism, beginning in Russia, and slowly spreading to China was soon adopted by the Northern portion of Vietnam. After declaring independence in 1954, Vietnam divided into North and South Vietnam. Only a few years later the North spread their power and overtook the South, of which resulted in the whole country being ruled by communism.

After the South Vietnam has fallen to the communist in 1975, many had flee to America in search for refuge. These are the “boat people” that risked everything to go to America in such of a better life. Like many other minorities, they came with empty hands; no family, money, education, or spoke the same language; however, their only objective was to survive. Another group of Vietnamese immigrants, were those that were imprisoned after the war. After they were released from the “reeducation camp”, they were adopted by America under the “Help Operation”. These people came here legally with supports from the government, because they were fighting side by side with American troops during the war.

Most refugees that come to America are fleeing their home country because of threats of death or persecution. Of all the 27 countries that take in refugees the united states brings in more than all of them combined. (Doc A) Australia

Before the first wave of migration, the United States took part in the Vietnam War which started the first wave of immigration. For over centuries, Vietnam was under Chinese and French controls. After World War II, the French withdrew from Vietnam and American troops entered with a request from the South Vietnamese government; who asked for American support and interest against the North communist. At the time, the Northern region of Vietnam was a communist party. In addition, the United States agreed and declared that they had to fight against communist power. As a result, many violent Anti-Vietnam War protests went throughout the United States because many people opposed to the United

     Vietnam has a very rich and cultural diverse background dating all the way back to 1066 when William the Conqueror invaded and paved the way for English colonization.

A policy called screening took place which sorting the Vietnamese refugees into those who left the country due to political reasons and those who simply left to start a better life. Those who seeked a better life were called “economic migrants” and had a smaller chance to move to a western country than those who wanted escape from political repression. Places such as Hong Kong formally endorsed the screening policy in 1989. They wanted to exterminate any hope that they would be able to move to a western country and to discuss what should be done to people who refuse to go back to Vietnam. In December 1989 Hong Kong deported 51 refugees back to Vietnam. They had believed most of the 53,000 boat people in those camps were “economic migrants”, and had apparently forced those people out. They had also called for “volunteering” . The number of boat people was expanding still, even though it has been years since the Vietnamese Conflict. Other Countries are also said to have pushed and rejected 10,000 refugees. The world had possibly forgotten about the aftermath of the war that ended years ago.

The Hmong were a tremendous Help to the Americans in the Vietnam war, they had shown the Americans where to go and aided them in gunfights, they helped heal some men who had injuries. Many Americans who were injured had aided by the Hmong people. The Hmong who consequently supported the American Military was called a terrorist. In return, they helped the Hmong, the bomb called the yellow rain dropped and killed a huge amount of innocent Hmong and died. The Yellow Rain was designed to kill the northern Vietnam army but had a large widespread killed radius (BOFFEY). The U.S couldn’t stop the war and brought some of the Hmong to America to help and ignited a new life trying to free them from their misery, hell, and torture. The Hmong held a parade

One of the most recurring themes in Warren St John’s 2009 novel, Outcasts United: An American Town, A Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference is community. Throughout the book, the protagonist, Luma Mufleh, creates a unique community amongst refugee boys living in Clarkston, Georgia. In the 1990s, Clarkston became a resettlement location for refugees and their families. The boys and their families were selected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for resettlement in the United States. These families were forced to relocate after living in countries with war, persecution, natural disasters, environmental crises, and poverty.

Born on August 20, 1952, three years before the Vietnam War, my uncle and his family were forced to migrate from North Vietnam to South Vietnam. As an intelligent boy with an ambitious dream, Anthony had not known of the land of freedom until tragedy struck. After World War II and until 1955, France worked hard to reign over Vietnam. Unfortunately, with a poorly organized army and little determination among the troops,