50 years after Vietnam War, the Nguyen family open up about their terrifying escape and new SA life

Phan Nguyen became the youngest clinical professor in his community through hard work and sacrifice, but says it pales in comparison to what his parents endured to escape Vietnam when he was a child.

Phi Nguyen, Kendrick Nguyen, 3, Phan Nguyen, Clara Huynh, Elizabeth Nguyen, Huong Nguyen, Catherine Nguyen, 14, Phung Nguyen, Bao Anh Nguyen, Chau Duong, Paxton Nguyen, 8 months, Ty Gaston, Phong Nguyen in the family home in Newton, 3 generations later after the Nguyen family escaped Vietnam by boat 45 years ago. Picture: Matt Loxton

Phan Nguyen leads the Thoracic Medicine Department at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and is the youngest clinical professor in the Vietnamese community.

The 47-year-old is working with the state government to introduce a national lung cancer screening program.

But he says his achievements and sacrifices are nothing compared to what his parents went through to get from a communist Vietnam to a better life in Australia more than 40 years ago.

“I work in what people would describe as a stressful job, but what I do is nothing compared to what my parents did or what many refugee families went through,” Phan said.

“It helps me with resilience, with persistence … it has a big impact on how I approach everything in life.”

Phan’s father Phung was a 28-year-old teacher and his mother Huong was 24 when they escaped Vietnam on a riverboat disguised as rice sellers with their infant daughter, Anh, and son, Phan.

Huong Nguyen, Phung Nguyen, cousin, Cu Nguyen, Phan Nguyen and Bao Anh Nguyen in Pu Lau Bidong refugee camp in Malaysia. Picture: Supplied

The Nguyen family of four escaped Vietnam in 1980 on a river boat as refugees before settling down in South Australia a year later. Picture: Supplied

The family was among many who left the country after the fall of Vietnam to communist forces on April 30 1975, with a lot of those people finding new lives in South Australia.

After 1975, the Nguyen family had endured relentless harassment and religious persecution.

Phung was catholic and was arrested multiple times.

“Every year (the officials) would go around town and take all the men,” Phung recalled.

“They always asked, ‘are you Catholic?’ We never said no. We always said we’re Catholic.

“That’s why we had to make a decision,“ his wife added.

“We couldn’t live like that anymore.”

On their second attempt to flee, the family boarded a riverboat disguised as rice sellers, carrying only the clothes on their backs and a framed picture of Mary, mother of Jesus.

The Nguyen family escaped Vietnam in 1980 on a river boat as refugees before settling down in South Australia a year later. Picture: Supplied

Telling no one of their plans, they spent four harrowing days at sea before reaching Malaysia, where they waited another seven months in a refugee camp for visas.

“When we were safe in our destination for freedom, we were really happy,“ Huong said.

“We had no money and were not worried at all. We were so happy because we could escape, and our escape was a success.”

In 1981, a year after fleeing Vietnam, they arrived in South Australia.

But rebuilding their lives was far from easy.

The couple took on labour-intensive jobs working long hours in factories, delivering mail and cleaning, while also learning English.

Phung attended night classes and eventually returned to teaching, a career he continued until retiring in 2018, while Huong worked in childcare and now serves as a librarian.

The Nguyen family of four escaped Vietnam in 1980 on a river boat as refugees before settling down in South Australia a year later. Picture: Supplied

The Nguyen family escaped Vietnam in 1980 on a river boat as refugees before settling down in South Australia a year later. Picture: Supplied

The family of 14 now boasts three generations with five grandchildren and family dinners are a priority every weekend – a tradition they’ve followed for the longest time.

As Australia marks more than 50 years of Vietnamese migration, Phung and Huong view the milestone with mixed emotions.

“We call it a commemoration, not a celebration. We commemorate the loss of many lives,” Phung said.

The Nguyen family escaped Vietnam in 1980 on a river boat as refugees before settling down in South Australia a year later. Picture: Supplied

“We still call it the lost Vietnam … the day we lost our country. We still feel the same every year on the 30th of April.“

Despite the painful memories, the Newton-based family are full of gratitude for the life they built.

“We really thank God every year on the day we arrive in Australia,” Huong said.

Originally published as 50 years after Vietnam War, the Nguyen family open up about their terrifying escape and new SA life