Following The Family Footsteps: An Oral History of Si Van Nguyen
Early Life in Vietnam
Born in Long-An, Vietnam on April 10th, 1952, Si grew up and lived most of his teenage years in conflict. He describes life in Vietnam as beautiful even though there was a war going on in the background. He is the seventh child of a total of ten sibilings. Growing up in a military family, his father and his older brothers paved the way for Si to join the military. With his father being in the military, he spent most of his time traveling and resettling around the country. After growing up in Long-An, he moved to three different provinces and states his favorite was Vung Tau, due to its beautiful beaches. Si loved school and his passion for education extended to learning the foreign language of English, which he is very fluent in. Si decided to put his education to the side because he felt that it was his duty to serve and protect South Vietnam.
Active Duty in The Military
On March 3rd 1970, Si decided to put his education to the side and join the ARVN Navy. Si believed it was his duty to serve and protect his country. He embarked on his one month ARVN trainning in Vung Tau and describles the trainning as grewling. There he learned how to use the jungles to their advantages, shot an M16, and different types of survival techniques.
"We crawled under machine gun fire. At the time we got scared, but you look at your friend, look at a friend and look at the instructor and you look at the messenger and you look at where you have to go over there, get over there and be like as long as you didn't get up, you were fine." - Si Van Nguyen
After finishing up his one month trainning in the Vung Tau base, he was sent to San Diego for a three month program in the San Diego Navy Trainning Center. In the trainning center, Si was a machinery repairman and his duty was to fix ships coming back from combat. After his three months were up, he returned to Vietnam and his duty on a patrol boat began. His duty revolved around patroling the Vietnam Coast and providing artilirary support to troops on the ground. Si described his duty as drainning because of the long hours he spent on the boat and having to deal with sea sickness caused by the motion of the waves.
" Have fun. If you worry about the guns or everything, you die soon. If you feel like oh no problem, just make fun. You have to be happy to join the Navy. Fight the war happy" - Si Van Nguyen
Having to join the military at the young age of eighteen, leaving to a foreign country for three months, and constantly having mental battles during boat patrol. These are some of the challenges Si had to deal with as he had to grow up quick during the War.
April 30th 1975 & The Years After The War
"After the war I fight with all my will. I dont want to be rich, I only want Vietnam freedom. I learned the danger of the war. In my life I am on duty until Vietnamese War over."- Si Van Nguyen
The end of the Vietnam War brought a tale of mixed emotions depending on what side you were on. For Si, the end of the war made him feel as if he was useless. As if all the years he committed into the ARVN Navy were put to waste after the fall of Saigon. Staying in Vietnam after the war was terrible since the Communist were putting ARVN war generals in jail and any resistance resulted in an excecution. With the end of the war, the communist began to make changes. For starters, education and work opportunities were only in favor of people who believed in the communist party. Next, came the change of the capital city of The Republic of Vietnam from Saigon to Ho Chi Minh. Lastly, came the change of the Republic of Vietnam flag to the Vietnam flag of today. The end of the war left a bitter taste on Si and he hopes the Republic of Vietnam can be once again free.
Boat Escape
On September 1982, Si decided he had enough of the communist rule and took a gamble on fleeing the country via boat. Si left right after the Mid-Autumn Festival which must have been difficult, since this holiday is a family get together that celebrates the end of the Autumn harvest. In a small boat full of thirty one passangers, Si encountered many challenges like food shortage and having to deal with the choppy waters. As a navigator on the boat people exodus, Si was in charge of navigating through the waters and getting his small boat of thirty one people to the city of Singapore. Si was at risk of execution if caught but luckily was able to make it to his destination.
Life in The United States
Upon arrival to the United States, Si first stop was the city of Amarillo Texas. This is where Si would settle for around a year working at Levi's where he would earn a minimum wage of seven dollars an hour. After some time and money in his wallet, Si decided to venture out towards Minnesota because he wanted to give his friend a helping hand on his brand new resturant. In Minnesota, Si was introduced to cold weather and quickly realized he did not want to stay here for too long. After his short stint in Minnesota, Si decided he wanted to enjoy the fruits of his labor and decided to take a road trip all along the east coast. Some of his stops included New York City, New York and Orlando, Florida. His roadtrip lead him towards the west coast where he'd make stops in cities like Denver. Eventually, leading him to the placed he'd call home for more than fourty years, California.
Oral Interview of Si Van Nguyen
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JAvPXH3qQTOUAhsOplZs3-99GsqP2W_8/view?usp=sharing
Transcript
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G1QTcHjc6ob5YVIcnRwpjhNod7vNx5olbnv8SL_Dbkk/edit?usp=sharing
Field Notes
Abstract
Key Words
Communist- Refers to the Vietcong.
South Vietnam- The Republic of Vietnam.
Saigon- Once the capital of the Republic of Vietnam. Is now named Ho Chi Ming.
Flag Salute- A monthly ceramony that takes place on the first sunday of every month. Honors and remembers the Vietnam War and the Republic of Vietnam.
ARVN- The Army of the Republic of Vietnam.
Boat People- The term refers to the thousands of Vietnamese who fled their country by sea following the collapse of the South Vietnamese government.
Annotated Bibliography
Conte, Jeanne. “Vung Tau - Vietnam's Hottest R&R Destination.” HistoryNet. HistoryNet, June 21, 2016. https://www.historynet.com/vung-tau-vietnams-hottest-rr-destination.htm.
Duiker, William J. Sacred War: Nationalism and Revolution in a Divided Vietnam. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.
Hartman, Ellen R. “Vietnam and the Home Front: Ground Combat Training.” Accessed November 5, 2021. https://www.denix.osd.mil/legacy/cr-legacy-project-deliverables/fy2014/unassigned/legacy-14-727-fact-sheet1/14-727%20Vietnam%20Ground%20Combat%20-%20Factsheet%20(cleared)_508.pdf.
Jiang, Fercility. “Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam.” Têt Trung Thu: Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam: Celebration. Accessed November 5, 2021. https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/mid-autumn-festival-in-vietnam.htm.
“Read ‘Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure’ at Nap.edu.” National Academies Press: OpenBook. Accessed November 5, 2021. https://www.nap.edu/read/13026/chapter/4.
“Vietnam after the War.” Asia Pacific Curriculum. Accessed November 5, 2021. https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/vietnam-after-war.
“Vietnamese Boat People: Home: Stories of Vietnamese Refugees.” VietnameseBoatPeople. Accessed November 5, 2021. https://www.vietnameseboatpeople.org/.
Whiting, David. “Whiting: Vietnam Vets Gather for Nonexistent Day.” Orange County Register. Orange County Register, March 29, 2013. https://www.ocregister.com/2013/03/29/whiting-vietnam-vets-gather-for-nonexistent-day/.