The fall of Saigon 50 years ago marked the end of the Vietnam War, and for WCCO’s Pauleen Le, it marked the start of her family’s immigration story to America — one that resonates with so many Minnesotan families. Le shares her story below.
While decades have passed since the war’s end, the pain and courage from that time is still very fresh for my parents.
For my mom, her family’s journey to the U.S. started 10 days before the fall of Saigon in 1975, when they escaped on a massive C-130 cargo plane the Americans sent to help refugees escape.
All 10 of my mom’s brothers and sisters, along with Grandma and Grandpa, flew to Wake Island, which was used as an American processing center during the end of the war.
Pauleen Le
Each person was only allowed one personal bag and their birth certificates. There were also no goodbyes to loved ones they left behind, which included my mom, who was stuck in a small village with my great-grandmother.
My mom would stay for another six years before she’d make it to the U.S.; forced to work in the labor camps the communists set up for the country’s youth; watching as her beloved country changed and wondering if the government would figure out who she was; and whether she’d be punished since my grandfather worked for the American forces during the war as a translator and chauffeur.
Interactive map: The journey of my mom’s family
As for the rest of my mom’s family, they would spend three months at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas waiting for a sponsor. They had offers, but none were willing to take in a dozen people all at once, and they didn’t want to be separated, so they waited.
Then, First Baptist Church in Owego, New York, agreed to welcome all 12 in August 1975. It was big news for the small town. My grandpa and the family even made the local paper.
Pauleen Le 
Meanwhile, my dad fought alongside the Americans during the war in the South Vietnamese Navy. He was on his Navy ship at the time of the fall and his captain gave orders to sail out into the ocean for safety.
After they realized South Vietnam had fallen to the communists, they knew they couldn’t go back, even for just a brief moment, to say goodbye to family and friends. They just had to make a run for it.
They sailed to Subic Bay, a U.S. Navy base in the Philippines, where they’d switch to an American ship and set sail for Guam. They weren’t the only ones, as the front pages of the local newspapers captured the steady influx of refugees coming to the small island in the days and years following the fall.
My dad would stay in Guam for 25 days. From there, he’d fly to Pennsylvania’s Fort Indiantown Gap. A couple of weeks later, news arrived of a sponsor in Connecticut.
Interactive map: My dad’s journey
My dad was alone in a new land, unfamiliar with the culture, the language, and with barely any money to his name. He had to leave both of his parents and six brothers and sisters behind in Vietnam.
For four years, his family didn’t know if he was dead or alive. That’s how long it took for my dad to work up the courage to contact his family by mail. He was too afraid that his letters might get intercepted by the communist government and his family would pay the price for his escape.
About two months after his first letter, my grandfather died from a stroke. My dad wasn’t able to make it home to say goodbye for the funeral. It would be another decade before Vietnam would reopen for international travel.
This story is part of Pauleen Le’s documentary “Vietnam 50 Years Later: Reflection on a War that Changed Minnesota.”
Join WCCO on Wednesday, May 7 at 5 p.m. for a special screening at Concordia College in St. Paul — hosted by the Center for Hmong Studies:
- Buenger Education Center (BEC)
- 1282 Concordia Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104
- Attendees are encouraged to park in Lot A, Carroll Street or Syndicate Street
Watch the full documentary below, or on our YouTube channel.
