“This Is My Hometown, This Is My Country”: A Vietnamese Refugee Starts A New Life In America

Bao Nguyen was born in Tuy Hoa, South Vietnam, in November 1968. His father fought the communist North Vietnamese as a Captain in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, while his mother often served as a nurse on the front lines. After the South Vietnamese government fell to the communists, his father was arrested and placed in a re-education camp from 1975 to 1981. As a result of his family’s support for the South, he was unable to attend university, find a decent job, or otherwise support his family. Once he realized he was being ostracized by the communist government, he decided to immigrate to the United States. In this interview, Bao Nguyen discusses the struggles he faced while attempting to leave Vietnam, his years in a refugee camp in the Philippines, and his eventual arrival to America. Once in the United States, he was able to create a good life for his family through hard work, determination, and a positive attitude. After earning a degree in computer science, he was hired by Wells Fargo bank. He now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his family, where he owns a restaurant and multiple nail salons, and supplements his income by working as a photographer.