Sea of Freedom

Transcript

My name is Nguyễn Thị Hà. I am the seventh daughter in a family of twelve children, born in Vietnam.

After the fall of Saigon, many families were forced to flee from the new communist regime.

My siblings and I pooled our money and bought a small boat to escape from Vietnam.

We travelled to a small coastal village in the south.

I was very scared, but also happy to have my brothers with me.

The only possession I took was a ring engraved with our family’s names.

We boarded a small, cramped boat that smelled terrible, and we were told to keep silent.

We set off, searching for our own shore of freedom.

But our boat was overloaded and struck rocks before reaching the open sea.

A few days later, we tried again on another boat, but the border police discovered us and fired their guns.

When we reached international waters, they gave up and we managed to escape.

Five days later, we ran out of food, water, and fuel.

The scorching sun caused many people to faint.

Dad, my throat is dry.

Drifting on an endless ocean, I thought I would die.

Then, a fishing boat appeared on the horizon.

We thought we were saved, but it turned out to be pirates searching for prey.

They tortured the men and stole anything of value.

I swallowed the ring before the pirates could search me.

After many days adrift at sea, we lost our sense of direction.

Many died from dehydration.

But finally, the wind pushed our boat towards land, and we washed ashore in Malaysia.

Local police were waiting and took us to a refugee camp.

I hid behind my brothers so we could be processed together.

The camp was overcrowded with others who had also left their homes.

It smelled terrible, but they gave us food and water.

The paperwork to leave the camp was very complicated.

My brothers wanted to sell the ring to bribe officials, but I refused.

Eventually, my application for asylum in Australia was approved because I was a single woman.

When I arrived in Australia, the Salvation Army helped me find a job and a place to live.

I worked as a seamstress in a small garment shop.

I worked hard to send money back to my family.

Ten years later, I had a family of my own.

I saved enough to bring my parents and siblings to Australia.

Through all of this, the ring has stayed with me.

It gave me hope.

Now, I can pass it on to my children and grandchildren so they remember our heritage.

Goodbye!