Oral History for Lam Thanh Nguyen
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Oral History for Lam Thanh Nguyen
Narrator: Nguyen, Lam Thanh
Interviewer: Nguyen, Claudia
Date of Interview: 2015-05-21
Permanent Link To This Item: http://hdl.handle.net/10575/14585
Item Files
Montclair, CA; May 21, 2015; Photographer Jucy Nguyen
Montclair, CA; May 21, 2015; Photographer Jucy Nguyen
took place; Montclair, CA; May 21, 2015;
son, Nathan Nguyen, was enlisting into the Navy. Nathan was leaving to Chicago, Illinois for boot camp; Upland, CA; December 18, 2000; Photographer Lam Nguyen
from Cal Poly Pomona; California State Polytechnic, Pomona, CA; June 2006
from Saigon to Bangkok in September 1992; VN
was taken to have a picture of him in his uniform. He re-wore it to remember the Fall of Saigon; Orange County, CA; 2010
CA; August 1, 2006; Photographer Claudia Nguyen
Committee For Migration; Panat Nikhom Refugee Camp in Thailand; April 12, 1988
for the Orderly Departure Program; Bangkok, Thailand; September 15; 1992
and his second son (Myran) coming to pick them up from the airport; LAX Airport; CA; September 21, 1992
Trai 1 (The first main camp), Quan Khu 5 (5th military area) in Quang Tin province, Vietnam; April 7, 1976
7, 1976
was passed down from Lam’s grandfather; Quang Tri VN; 1996
they attended. They are in their military outfit; Nha Trang, VN; 1973
Seoul, Korea; Seoul, S. Korea; September 21, 1992
California; Los Angeles, CA; September 21, 1992
6 months. This picture was taken with one of his teachers; Bataan, Philippines; September, 1988
Philippines; August 21, 1988
from ESL school after 6 months to be able to go to the United States; September, 1988; Bataan, Philippines
lunch together in the Philippine Refugee Processing Center (PRPC); Bataan, Philippines; August, 1988
of where they lived in the PRPC; Bataan, Philippines; July, 1988
traveled by bus to the airport in Manila, Philippines in order to fly to the US; Bataan, Philippines; August, 1988
on one of the actual boats that some people used to escape from Vietnam to the Philippines. They displayed the boat in the park; Bataan, Philippines; June. 1988
day. They are graduating from vocational class (auto-mechanic, air conditioning, electronic, etc.); Panat Nikhom, Thailand; April, 1988
they lived at the refugee camp; Panat Nikhom, Thailand; October, 1987
a picture inside of where they lived at the refugee camp; Panat Nikhom, Thailand; October, 1987
Vietnamese military. He was about 43 years old; Nha Trang, VN; 1973
second language, cultural orientation, and work orientation training. Notice this was certified 4 days before he came to America; Bataan, Philippines; September 17, 1988
Additional Information
Summary: An oral history with Mr. Lam Nguyen, born on November 3, 1951 in Hue, Vietnam. He grew up in Vietnam with 11 other siblings: 7 brothers and 5 sisters. His parents were very poor, so it was difficult to take care of 12 kids. He went to school up until college where he attended a university in Hue for 2 years. Unfortunately, he had to quit school and enlist into the Army because of the Vietnam War. He was an officer in the Air Force in Da Nang, and his father was a lieutenant colonel in Vietnam. After the collapse of Da Nang on March 29, 1975, he was arrested by the Vietnamese communist and put into re-education camp for one year. He was released in 1976. He discusses his memories of South Vietnam before 1975, his experiences in re-education camp, and his experiences in the refugee camps. He also discusses how he left Vietnam and his experiences when he first arrived in America in 1988. After coming to the United States, he worked in a clothing factory called Silvery Factory. He currently works with electronics. He has four children--two boys and two girls. He also has two grandchildren. He currently lives with his wife and two daughters in Montclair, California.
Decade of Birth: 1950-1959
Subjects: Air Force (VN) | Anticommunism | Anticommunist | Assimilation | Asian American studies | Boat People | Buddhist | Children | Citizenship | College or university | Communism | Communist | Death | Education | Elderly | Escape | English as a second language (ESL) | Ethnicity | Family | Family reunification | Health | High school | Higher education | Ho Chi Minh | Humanitarian operation | Humanitarian organization | Immigrant | Language barrier | Marriage | Naturalization | Poverty | Prisoner | Racism | Reeducation | Refugee camp | Refugee camp (Philippines) | Refugee camp (Thailand) | Religion | Resettlement | Restaurants | Soldier | Sports | Student | Tet Festival | Tradition or custom | United States Catholic Charities (U.S.C.C.) | Viet Cong | Vietnam War | Cambodia | Irvine, California | Little Saigon (Orange County, California) | Vietnam, Southern | Virginia (United States) | Da nang (Vietnam) | Hue (Vietnam) | Nha Trang (Vietnam) | Nha Trang (Vietnam) | Saigon (Vietnam)
Type: Sound
Duration: 87 minutes
Language: English
Identifier: VAOHP0253
Provenance: Recorded Digitally
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