NGUYENTHANH

Interview with Nguyen Thanh, 1980

 

1980-11-30

 

Interviewer: Hoang, Bach

Nguyen Thanh was born in 1920 in a small town in the highlands of North Vietnam. He earned his bachelor's degree in Hanoi, then joined the army at the age of 29 and graduated from the Reserve Officers Training School in Thu Duc, Saigon. He also taught Vietnamese at a college in Penang, Malaysia. He fled Vietnam in a boat with 200 people in June 1979, landed at refugee camp in Indonesia, then came to San Diego via an American sponsor nine months later. In this interview totalling 36 minutes, Mr. Thanh discusses his background in Vietnam and why he left the country. He recalls his journey from Vietnam as one of the "boat people," the refugee camp where he stayed, and how he arrived in America. Thanh describes the Vietnamese community in Escondido, their lifestyle, and how they help each other, and expresses his opinion about the American way of living. He also reports what he has heard about life in Vietnam in late 1980, and compares the educational systems of Vietnam and America.

Boat people; Vietnam War; Refugee camps; Vietnamese Reserve Officers Training School; Immigration sponsorship (United States)

2368 Oakridge Place

California - Escondido

© San Diego State University. All rights reserved.

 

 

Vietnamese

 

Audiotape

00:36:12

Yes

NGUYENTHANHTRANS

See NGUYENTHANHTRANS

 

Audio

MP3

45.77 MB