WAR SURVIVORS: Houstonians from Vietnam share insights & stories to guide new Afghan refugees

Saigon evacuation 1975

Hundreds of Afghans who had helped resist the Taliban are being resettled in Houston — which for years has led the U.S. in the number of refugee resettlements— after American troops withdrew from their nation this month.

The Afghanistan and Vietnam wars were thousands of miles and many decades apart, but there are parallels between them. Both triggered often-frantic efforts by people of those nations to flee to safety and freedom after American troops withdrew.

Now a significant number of Afghan refugees and former Vietnamese refugees live and/or work in the Southwest Management District (where The Alliance main office is located) and the adjacent International Management District as Asian culture continues to shape the identities of both.

So, we asked Vora, Nguyen and Luu to share stories and insights that could benefit their new fellow Houstonians from Afghanistan.

What lessons did you learn that you want new refugees to Houston from Afghanistan to know?

Vora:

— “Watching the chaos in Afghanistan brought back so many painful memories for a lot of Vietnamese refugees.  And we realized how crucial it is for the U.S. to help Afghans resettle here. But we also know that with time and hard work, life will get better.

— “Perseverance prevails. My parents were very resilient when they first arrived. They took English classes at night and worked during the day. My mom worked as a manicurist and often enough, it was a humiliating job for her. Oftentimes, her clients would complain or even throw racist slurs at her. ‘Don’t speak your native tongue in front of us.’ ‘Your food smells bad.’ But she was calm and adapted.

— “Look for resources. One of the best things about living in this state is that there are a vast amount of resources to help kick start newcomers  . . . There were nonprofit organizations that provided us with volunteer translators, free transportation, and free English classes. The sense of community in Houston really gave us a sense of belonging.

— “Focus on education – one of my favorite memories as a kid living in a new country was going to school.  The teachers here were so warm and welcoming.  I knew that the pathway to a better future was to do well in school.”

Nguyen:

— “In America you can be a woman burdened as a single mother, know little English, unable to read and write well, dropped in the middle of nothing familiar, and with all of this you can still make it and thrive. This is the gift of being American. Work hard, reach, and never give up.

‘’I had no real ‘adjustment’ to life in the U.S. It has been all that I have ever known. However, I have watched my mother struggle and thrive as she navigated her life. She went to night school to learn how to read and write. 

“Her first job, the hiring manager was not willing to hire someone with little reading and writing skills, but she told him to train her and if he wasn’t satisfied in two weeks, he wouldn’t have to pay her. The company kept her. 

“She learned to assemble early versions of computer motherboards in the ‘80s. Today she is nearing retirement after a long career in which she assembles and lays the intricate circuits for the electronic boards in commercial satellites orbiting the planet.”

— “You have made it to a city that has experience in lifting up refugees. When you get here, reach out and there are people and organizations that are waiting to lift you up.”

Luu:

— “I did not speak or understand any English, but people around me were willing to help. They were patient with me as I was trying to pick up the language, but also, I had to have the courage and humility to accept help and corrections. I was very fortunate that whenever I put in the effort, I was given opportunities to help me establish a new life here.   

— “Make no judgment, be open to new experience, open to new interpretation, and take your time to get to know the new culture, new friends, and new country.

— ‘’This country will do its best to get you on your feet. But (it’s hard) being self-sufficient after the country has gotten you on your feet; getting accustomed to the new language, new laws, new neighbors, and new country.”

How do you feel about the U.S. decision to accept refugees from the Afghanistan war?

Vora:

‘’There is proof (the stories like my family and many others) that refugees fleeing their country can come to the U.S. and build better lives and contribute to a better society. 

“I feel strongly that the U.S. should be able to accept Afghan refugees to this country and offer them a new beginning. The U.S. has a moral obligation to do so, especially for their involvement in the Afghanistan War (as well as its involvement in the Vietnam War).”

Nguyen:

‘’We and our families all started somewhere else other than here. All the pride you might feel in being an American was built on yourself or an ancestor who was an immigrant or refugee at one point. Don’t see them as Afghan refugees, see them as new Americans.”

 Luu:

‘’Contrary to all the publicity I see, the U.S. has the biggest heart. I have experienced first-hand how its people are generous, kind, forgiving, and readily willing to help if you need it. There is no other place in this world that would offer the same opportunity, resources, and a chance to restart your life, your family, and to become a successful entrepreneur.”

Please tell more about your dramatic immigration stories.

Vora:

“After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, my father became a prisoner of war to the Vietnamese communist party for six years. After his release, he reunited with my mother and their three children. I was born a year later in 1982. Life was difficult for them in postwar Vietnam, and in the late 1980s my parents had heard of a program called the Humanitarian Operation that allowed all prisoners of war to immigrate to the U.S.  We arrived in Houston September of 1990.

“We lived in a two-bedroom apartment with our two uncles who also arrived in recent months. My siblings and I shared one bedroom for as long as I can remember. My mother worked as a manicurist and my father worked odd jobs to keep us all afloat. 

 “Life in those days was hard. We stuffed ourselves with rice and fish sauce on most days to fill our hungry bellies.  On occasion, a local newspaper company would hire us to help them collate and deliver newspapers to businesses. My dad dragged all of us on school nights to fold and collate in order to complete as many stacks as possible.

 “Once my older siblings were old enough to get part-time jobs, they worked in grocery stores to help pay the bills.  And as hard as it was, the one thing that we were pushed to do was to stay in school.  We knew the way out of poverty was a college education. Half of us ended up at the University of Houston and the other two at the University of Texas.”

 “There’s always this thought at the back of my mind of the what-ifs.  What if my father didn’t endure six long years of concentration camp? What if my parents didn’t apply to come to the U.S.? What would life be like for me (or will I even exist)? There’s always a sense of gratitude for the life I was given and a need to pay it forward.  It’s our responsibility that when we have more, we should give back.’’

Nguyen:

‘’I am an Amerasian born in Vietnam. My mother had worked for the American military as a secretary during the Vietnam War. Knowing that she had a half-American baby, she took on the heart-breaking decision to leave all her family behind when Saigon fell. She made the choice to save me . . . 

“When we made it to the U.S., my mother took on the daunting burden of establishing a life for herself and her child. I lived most of my life in San Diego. I came to Houston for work some 15 years ago. What I found was a huge Vietnamese community that I never knew existed here in such numbers. I always thought San Diego was pretty much the Vietnamese mecca.”

Luu:

“After escaping from Vietnam in 1975, our family relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana. My father knew an American family (there) and they graciously agreed to sponsor us out of the refugee camp (at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, CA). I was fortunate to be able to continue my high school education and got my (degree) from Purdue University in Indiana. I relocated in 2003 to Houston . . . I started several new business ventures without success, but I learned a lot of lessons in my failures. So, I currently work for The Alliance. In my role as the Small Business Assistance Program Manager, I can use the lessons and experiences to help guide those who seek help.”

— by Alan Bernstein