In The Pursuit of Happiness:

My 50-Year Journey

Nguyen, Minh Hai

USAID Group 1

This personal account is dedicated to all my USAID friends,

in particular, my Nha Trang & SJS classmate, Nguyen Van Ngoc

and my San Jose roommates Le Thuc Hai (Paris), Ly Gia Tin (Paradise),

and Albert Dong (San Jose).

Thank you to all photographers

whose artistic works were presented in this journey

Special thanks to Le Han, Hua Tu Cuong

& members of the San Jose Organizing Committee of the

50-year USAID students Reunion.

Their commitment and devotion are much appreciated

That journey began on February 22, 1967

when the PAN AMERICAN Jumbo jet

landed at the Los Angeles International Airport,

carrying 100 young Vietnamese students.

It was my first trip abroad and I was 22 years old.

USAID Leadership students- group 1

arrived at Los Angeles International Airport

Group photo at San Dimas

The first week, we stayed in the beautiful San Dimas Conference Centre.

For the first time of my life I was so amazed with rows of gorgeous orange trees.

Beautiful orange trees

I was not able to sleep well due to jet lag.

It took few days for me to adjust to the new North American environment.

We started making friends and shared stories.

Orientation was provided. English skills Test took place.

Time flew fast. At the farewell party, several students including myself

formed an amateur choir to sing the final chorus “Vietnam, Vietnam”

thinking of the beloved Vietnam that we had left.

San Jose State

here we came

Together with fourteen (14) other students I was sent to San Jose.

In 1967 it was called San Jose State College.

A new life began with dormitory and American room-mate.

We began learning English and slowly integrated into the new environment.

On the first Easter break, an American host family welcomed me to their home for a week.

The Avens (my host family) of 50 year ago now are still my good friends.

The next semester we shared an apartment at Killion Hall

across the SJS administration building.

Thuc Hai, Tin and Luong (Albert) were my room-mates.

Ngoc lived next door and Cuong, Bich, Binh, Huan enjoyed their small kingdoms upstairs.

While student life was quiet and always busy with homework at night,

I still had the time to dream about my family and Nha Trang,

the beautiful beach of my childhood

Nhatrang beach

For the first Tet in 1968 - Year of the Monkey,

together with Vietnamese students in the San Jose area

and families of Bui Chiem Han & Minh,

we held a Tet celebration at our small place.

Ironically, the joy of the New Year was dashed by the sad news of war.

Our eyes were glued to the old black and white TV

and followed the tragedies in the streets of Saigon, Hue

and other parts of South Vietnam.

On January 31, 1968 South Vietnam was attacked

during the traditional Lunar New Year – Tết Mậu Thân.

Innocent people were massacred in Hue.

Images of war during Tet Offensive

Following the Tet offensive, in the US the anti-war movement

gained strength and the peace talk was about to begin in Paris.

Anti-war protesters marched in New York May 1968

An anti-war rally on campus

1968 at MSU campus

Life went on for students like myself as we were trying to complete our studies.

From time to time I got some bad news from home,

an old friend and a cousin were killed in the war,

somewhere along Truong Son (Long Mountain).

In the Fall of 1968, I was transferred to another campus

to pursue my graduate study in Economics.

Michigan (the beautiful state with 4 clear seasons) and Michigan State University (MSU,

part of the Big 10 League), welcomed me with their big hearts

The war at home still followed me.

Almost every day I sat quietly in front of a public TV

reserved for the residents to watch the 6PM news

hosted by the prominent American anchor Walter Cronkite.

At times, as anti-war sentiment was growing on campus

and heated debates occurred among MSU students,

I could not fully concentrate on my studies.

I wish I could have a magic wand to put away that terrible war

that continued ravaging my poor motherland.

1971 - Au Revoir

my beautiful America

In April 1971, having completed my studies,

I returned to Saigon, in the hope that I would be able to

contribute something to Vietnam, my beloved country.

Ben Thanh Market

Rice field of a quiet village

On the trip home, images of the beautiful and peaceful countryside

and the vibrant and popular Ben Thanh market have always been on my mind .

Unfortunately, as the war has intensified,

I was drafted in October 1971,

took military training at the Quang Trung Military Academy

and was assigned to work at the Ministry of Planning then Ministry of Agriculture.

1972 - Summer of Hell

Summer of hell in Central Vietnam

A year later, the Vietnam war continued with wrath.

Mua He Do Lua (Summer of hell) as penned by writer Phan Nhat Nam

took place in Quang Tri, Central Vietnam.

The Napalm Girl-- picture of Kim Phuc, the terrified girl,

victim of an aerial operation in Trang bang, Tay Ninh shocked the world

Note:

More than three decades later,

I met Kim Phuc in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

during her speaking engagement for a charitable organization

She told me about her ordeals, her escape to Canada and the power of forgiveness

1975 The Fall of Saigon

On January 27, 1973 the Paris Peace Accords was concluded.

South Vietnam was left alone to defend itself

until Saigon fell on April 30, 1975

Evacuation on top of the US Embassy in Saigon in April 1975

Life after April 1975

Farewell to the good old days of South Vietnam!

My family and I have endured 5 years of hardship under the new regime.

With re-education camps, new economic zones and other measures

to suppress the will of the losing side,

the new liberators have forced millions of innocent people

to escape in search of basic freedom and human dignity.

In search of human dignity

In April 1980, together with family members,

several university students and the family of a Vietnamese Navy sergeant

we quietly bade farewell to our treasured country

on a tiny boat of 8 metres in length and powered by a Kubota engine of 9- horse power.

During this frightful journey we were captured by the National Coast Guards

and attacked twice by the Thai pirates.

The truth of an old Vietnamese proverb was confirmed: “Tháng Ba, bà già đi biển”

(Even an old lady can cross the ocean during March of the lunar year).

After nearly 5 days on the calm and peaceful open seas, we have survived

and arrived at Pulau Bidong where about 250,000 Vietnamese had passed through

or resided in the camp to begin a new chapter of my life as an unknown refugee

Boat people on the high seas

Pulau Bidong Refugee Camp, 1978-1991, Malaysia

At Pulau Bidong, all the boats must register with local authorities and UNHCR.

Since our tiny boat did not have any licence plate

so I decided to select a quite fancy ID: MH1927

(Note: MH are my initials, MH is also the name of Minh Hai province,

number 19 stands for 19 people on board and 27 is the date that we landed in Malaysia)

Perhaps, it was the Will of Heaven that sent me to Canada.

Compared to other refugees, perhaps I was more qualified

to be admitted to the USA but the wait at the refugee camp was too long.

As a result, my family and I decided to go to Canada.

In July 1980, we finally left Malaysia and arrived in Canada, our new adopted land.

While waiting for another opportunity,

I began to re-build my shattered life from the scratch.

I performed several odd jobs just to put food on the table.

Thanks to my years in the American campus,

I was able to connect with some Canadian friends and offered my voluntary service

to the Vietnamese community in Calgary, Edmonton and across Canada.

I worked with the Vietnamese Canadian Federation

and took part in the building of The Refugee Mother & Child statue in Ottawa,

the capital of Canada.

Refugee Mother &Child statue in Ottawa

to pay tribute to those who have died during their

search for human dignity

In May 1985 at the age of 40,

I became a civil servant, working for the Government of Canada

responsible for the Canadian Identity programs.

Having served my adopted land for more than 27 years,

I retired in 2012.

Since then, I have a quiet life in a small Canadian city

covering mostly with snow during Winter months.

EPILOGUE

Fifty years ago in 1967 when we came to the USA,

we were young and hopeful.

Fifty years later in 2017 when we meet at the San Jose Reunion

perhaps we are older and wiser.

With the passage of time, I still believe that the desire to serve Vietnam

and the world are always with us.

We should be thankful that God has given us good health and energy

to meet and re-live our student life of 5 decades ago.

As our prominent poet Nguyen Du indicated,

as long as “thiện tâm” (good heart) is with us, we will, soon or later,

attain happiness since a person with a good heart would be willing to give and share,

to forgive and forget, to build bridges not walls and to appreciate life to the fullest.

During this long journey, perhaps I have found happiness

at least on three occasions: my arrival to the USA with spectacular orange trees in San Dimas in 1967,

my return to war-torn Vietnam in 1971,

and the bright day in April when our tiny boat reached the Malaysian shore in 1980.

Undoubtedly, my happiness would be more complete

when liberty, democracy and human dignity were restored

in my beloved Vietnam.

To my friends, like poet Quang Dung,

I still dream and hope that one day we shall meet again:

“Bao giờ ta gặp em lần nữa

Ngày ấy thanh bình chắc nở hoa”

(If, ever, should I meet you again.

On that day, perhaps peace flower would blossom).

Orange trees

Peaceful rice fields

My 50-year journey, while it was long and full of hardships,

I must admit that I was blessed with love, hope and friendship.

Even now, some nights in the valley of snow,

I still have the dream of the beautiful orange trees

in California and the peaceful rice fields of Vietnam.

Nguyễn Minh Hải