The Endless Journey of An Exile

By: Nguyen Đang Vy Anh

 After the incident in 1975, there was a strong cross-border wave in Vietnam. There were many escapees who crossed the border by sea or by land, but the most common means of transportation was by sea. According to statistics of the international migration organization, about 2 million Vietnamese people crossed the border by sea. Despite journeys fraught with danger, why are there so many people risking their lives to escape? Please be advised that the person involved in this story will be not be identified due to traumatic memories and the need for privacy. We invite you to follow the recollections of Ms. A, and be a living witness to her successful escape, as well as to many of her ordeals.

When she was young, she was a dedicated nurse in Rach Gia. At that time, the Dengue haemorrhagic fever epidemic was serious, but medicine was scarce in comparison with the number of patients. The number of deaths skyrocketed. Faced with poverty and disease, people on this land have suffered adversity and anguish. Beginning in the year of the Goat, 1979, in order to escape starvation, the eldest brother in Mrs. Hong’s family decided to flee the country and find a new life. Before commencing the sea voyage, Ms. A intended to bring fever medicine for her brother on the way out, just in case he needed it. Unexpectedly, it was time to depart. She could not return to the shore due to the danger of being arrested. Ms. A supressed the feeling of abandoning her homeland without feeling ready. The suddenness of the  trip meant that she could only bring two sets of clothes which she brought  to work when she was on duty.

Her life changed once the journey began. Thoughts of Heaven and Hell mixed with feelings of hope and despair were in the hearts of 34 Vietnamese leaving their homeland on a fragile fishing boat. Before leaving the coastal waters of Vietnam, her boat was intercepted by officers. The first part of the  escape had gone through successfully, but that was not the last incident. The next 4 days, boat people had been experiencing the agony of starvation and dehydration. Disastrously, her boat was robbed by a group of Thai pirates. They locked the whole group in a cave. The cave was wet, humid and malodorous. The inhuman pirates  forced two young girls into their cabin to conduct their violent and wild act. In the end, Mrs. Hong’s boat had survived the ordeal and was released. During the following days, the boat was also robbed  by another group of pirates, but fortunately not a single life was lost.

The long time at sea made Ms. A no longer interested in counting the days. Each day was torturous for her. Starvation and dehydration, as well as the scorching sun continued to torment her. When the night came, she was still haunted by hunger, but her nightmares were of the tidal waves that caused her to feel seasick. The tropical storms produced huge waves that hit the front of the boat. There was no time for recovery as the waves caused the boat to nosedive. In this situation, life seemed to hang by a single thread. With their determination and resilience, the escapees tried to fix the boat and  overcome this ordeal.

Hope and happiness caused her to burst into tears when her boat finally landed on the shore of Pulau Bidong, an island of Malaysia. This would be a  sanctuary for her brother, her friends and herself. All the hardship she had endured did not discourage her hope that one day she would be rescued.

Life in the refugee camp was quite complicated. Delegations from different countries came daily to conduct interviews in order to screen eligible asylum seekers for resettlement.  Ms. A felt anxious and insecure as the camp was not a suitable place to live in for the long term.  Food supplies from the government consisted of a can of sardines  and a can of beans for the whole week. She gathered snails and fish along the shore to supplement her food supplies. There on the island, she fell in love for the first time, resulting in the creation of  a loving family. The couple remain happy to this day. Through hardship, two people got together and supported each other to make their lives more meaningful.

In November 1979, her family finally arrived in Australia, a new and strange land to her, but a land filled with generous and good hearted people. Two charity workers were sent to help her family settle into accommodation, and to provide food and employment advice. At the same time, her family also got help through the Humanitarian Aid program for Refugees from the Australian government, which helped to make their life easier. The couple’s most heartfelt dream was to continue their education to university level. However, her first pregnancy, in conjunction with their financial hardships, made this dream impossible to turn into a reality.  She managed to get work making puppet toys, working from home and earning just enough money to cover the cost of food for her family.  She also worked at a plastic factory for a short period. Her husband worked at a car manufacturing company. Despite having managed their life in a good way, they still embraced the dream of having their own business. They were willing to learn a new way of earning a living, which was to operate a farm. Their Vietnamese friends, who had extensive experience in the farming business, were willing to help them set up  their own business.  At the beginning, they had to hire a farm. Finally with hard work and great savings, they were able to own their own farm. Thanks to a stable job, she was able to send money back to Vietnam to help her family.

Ms. A and her husband have also contributed their efforts to helping the Vietnamese Community in South Australia. She often organises various entertainment programs for the Vietnamese Community and also helps her fellow Vietnamese in many ways. They work and thrive in Australia with their 5 children, who have all grown up successfully and completed their degrees, fulfilling her own broken academic dream. To conclude, Ms. A’s exile has come to a perfect ending.  Ms. A’s story of resilience and non-stop striving makes us ponder. Ms. A is a good example for every one of us. 

Nguyen Đang Vy Anh