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Lan
Lan was born in the south Vietnamese capital Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City, in June 1969. Lan's parents met in the south where her mother had moved to find work and her father had fled from the communist dominated north Vietnam. In 1975 as foreign troops deserted the south Vietnamese, Lan's family joined thousands of others and fled. They were lucky and were picked up by an American vessel and taken to safety to the American military base cum refugee camp in Guam. For two months they stayed under American protection while deciding which country to go to. At this time many countries were happy to accept refugees. Most of the Vietnamese refugees in Guam chose to move to America or France. Very few families wanted to go to Australia.
Lan's first impression of her new home was its quietness. The shops closed in the afternoon, the buses stopped early in the evening and most Australians were friendly and helpful. After two months they left the friend's accommodation and moved to their own place. Lan's father started to work for Radio Australia and her mother learnt English. The Indo-Chinese population wasn't large in the 70's and there weren't any established Vietnamese organisations.
Lan visited Vietnam with her mother in 1990 soon after the border was open. The visit was a shock, the country was poor with beggars on the streets and the people forced to be only interested in money. The family and friends they had left had changed. The trip made Lan realise that she is not just Australian, part of her is Vietnamese and always will be. Today Lan is married and works in the community sector, part of her work is with the Vietnamese community as she sees it as an important part of her reconnection to her Vietnamese heritage. "
Thankyou to the Ethnic Communites' Council of Victoria for providing these stories. |
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"Lan
remembers leaving her war torn homeland and coming to Australia
vividly. She remembers the destruction and confusion that encompassed
Vietnam after many years of civil war. Vietnam had gained independence
from the French in 1954 and after many years of instability the
communist north, supported by Russia and China, and the nationalistic
south, supported by USA, France and Australia fought for control
of the country. 
Lan's
parents could not agree where they should go. Her mother wanted
America as a cousin already lived there but her father was angry
with the Americans for abandoning the south Vietnamese and was influenced
by a journalist friend living in Melbourne and convinced his family
to choose Australia. Lan's father had to sign a written undertaking
promising to never engage in political activity in Australia. After
receiving their visa, the family flew to Melbourne where their journalist
friend picked them up at the airport.
Lan's
parents separated after two years and Lan moved with her mother
to Brisbane who worked as a teacher's aid at a local primary school.
Lan stayed in Brisbane until she completed her law degree at university
and moved back to live in Melbourne in 1998.
