Vinh's Family

Refugees in the late 1970s

The Tường Nguyễn Family

Vinh's family left Vietnam in aftermath of the Vietnam War. His maternal family ran because their ties to the South-Vietnamese Government lead to their incarceration and confiscation of property. They left Vietnam by boat and arrived in Malaysia where they were processed in a refugee camp. After three months, the families split into three groups, being resettled in Europe, the USA and Australia.

final.mp4

Interview: Lưu Tường Nguyễn, 81 years old

Lưu fled Vietnam with his family by boat to Malaysia where he was processed as a refugee and moved to Australia. Here he shares the story of his journey from Vietnam to Australia.

Interviewed by Vinh Nguyễn

Translated by Vinh & Minh Nguyễn

Thanks, 妈妈 (mum)

Intergenerational Analysis

Something gained

Most immediately, Lưu had gained freedom which he didn't have in Vietnam. Australia offered a home where he could work and earn money without persecution. Having left the re-education camps, the freedom he felt was tremendous. Despite losing all of his property, his job and his position in society; Australia was willing to give them back and restore his basic dignity as a person. For him, Australia had made for his family a better world.

Having grown up in Australia, Lưu's children became fluent in the Australian language and the Australian way of life. They all attended university and integrated into the Australian system. Despite this, the family is still able to practice cultural events like Tết and Lễ Hội Trung Thu (Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival) and can go to temples to parttake in ancestor worship and other religious practices. These traditions are observed as they would in Vietnam, with no impedence on the quality or way they are conducted. Their identity wasn't Vietnamese nor Australian; it was Vietnamese-Australian, they lived both worlds at the same time, in a country that allowed them to do so. For them, Australia was a better world.

Something lost

While Lưu's wife, Ngọ, spoke the chinese languages Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese; some of her children only retain Mandarin. Multilingualism was very common in Asia, especially due to the density and diversity of languages in the southern region. This however has not been passed down to the next generation, as in Australia there is no need for one to know more than English.