Liberal Party’s first Vietnamese MP shares story of perilous boat journey

Trung Luu doesn’t have the typical backstory of a Liberal Party politician, but as the party’s first Vietnamese-Australian MP, his journey to Australia will sound familiar to many refugees.

In March 1979, Luu’s parents, Tieu and Ngoc Thanh, woke their son, then aged five, in the middle of the night and clambered onto a boat together in the harbour of Cà Mau, in southern Vietnam, searching for a better life.

Liberal MP Trung Luu in Vietnam as a baby. The photo is one of just two that survived when his family fled Vietnam after the war.

After the fall of Saigon, Luu’s father, who fought for the South Vietnamese army, was sent to a re-education camp. His release was the trigger for the family – Luu, his parents, cousins, uncles and aunts – to flee war-ravaged Vietnam on an overcrowded boat at the mercy of the sea.

After days of floating around the Gulf of Thailand, fresh water was running low. Pirates had repeatedly robbed the 200 refugees on board, stealing the few possessions they had taken with them from home.

All Luu’s family were left with were the clothes they wore and two photos. But the dangerously low supply of fresh water was their greatest threat.

Luu, who was recently elected to the upper house for the Western Metropolitan Region, says he doesn’t remember much of that perilous boat trip, but he recalls the rain.

Trung Luu, who fled Vietnam with his parents as a child, is the first Vietnamese-Australian Liberal MP.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui

“There was no water, but I remember when it began to rain. We were all catching water to drink,” he told The Age.

The trip from Vietnam on an overloaded and unseaworthy boat ended after seven days in Malaysia when those on board deliberately sunk the vessel after the Malaysian coastguard denied them entry and towed the boat back out to sea. Luu clung to his father’s back as they swam to the shore.

“Dad had his wallet and two photos,” he says.

Last week, he shared his story with parliament’s upper house during his maiden speech: “Some say it is the challenges in your life that shape who you are. I believe it is the love of family and those around you because I am blessed with two loving parents who sacrificed their lives so I could have a brighter future.”

From a refugee camp in Malaysia, Luu and his family were eventually granted refuge in Australia at the end of 1979. After chasing work in Sydney and Adelaide, Luu’s father, an artist turned soldier, found work at Holeproof factory in Box Hill, prompting the family to settle in Melbourne’s east.

Taunted as a “nip” at school and unable to speak fluent English, Luu said he grew up believing jobs like law, journalism and politics were out of reach for people like him. Instead, he focused on maths and science, and spent his days playing soccer and cricket in an attempt to fit in.

“It’s not right, but that’s the way it was at the time. There was a lack of understanding, of education, and time. You have to adapt, and defend yourself and speak up ... they are survival skills.”

Trung Luu will represent the Western Metropolitan Region in state parliament.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui

Luu graduated from Blackburn High School and studied civil engineering at RMIT, before defying his parents and joining Victoria Police.

He spent 28 years in the force, serving in various roles including as a forensic investigation crime scene officer and Vietnamese-community liaison officer. He also spent 19 years in the Army Reserve and more recently, time as a Brimbank councillor.

Luu said his experiences have shaped his approach to policy. Within the Liberal Party, he is considered a social conservative.

But he believes Australia is a large enough country to consider boosting the number of refugees it accepts, although he supports strict border measures.

“Our country has plenty of room, but there has to be a process,” he said.

“We don’t want to encourage people to risk their lives and do anything to encourage people smugglers.”

Luu’s recent election win comes as the number of state MPs from Asian and Middle Eastern backgrounds fell after the November poll. According to the latest census data, Asian-born Australians accounted for more than 10 per cent of the total population, but Luu is the first MP of Vietnamese descent to represent the Liberal Party in state or federal parliament.

His victory is a rare bright spot for the Liberal Party, which is facing pressure to urgently diversify after its recent election review into the 2022 federal election loss described the need for more diverse candidates and members as an “electoral imperative”.

Luu, who was appointed as the Coalition’s multicultural affairs spokesman, is critical of his own party’s failure to recruit MPs from Australia’s thriving multicultural communities, but he is confident times are changing.

“It’s slowly changing, but you need to be in the seat to drive the bus. There is no use people being a backseat driver,” Luu said.

“People like me are speaking up. You need people who represent the community.”

But the father of five doesn’t want special treatment.

“If we are seeking equality, it is equal opportunity for all. No individual and no group or race should have more privilege, resources or rights over another, regardless of their status,” he told parliament.

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.