Thu Van Nguyen

You don’t know how lucky you are to live in a free country. Try to study very hard and get a good education. Give back to your country. Give back to your parents. You have a bright future.

Thu Van Nguyen

My name is Thu Van Nguyen. I was born on February 13, 1946 in Vietnam. I come from a large extended family, most of whom still reside there. I live in Chanhassen with my wife. We have four children.

I will begin my story as an 18-year-old. I was called by the government to fight in the war. I did not have a choice. They sent me off for training and stationed me in a city called Camranh. I fought in the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). In 1975, the communists took over so we were moved to Vungtau. Later we were sent to the Philippines and then to Guam Later we were sent to the Philippines and then to Guam.

I stayed in Guam for six months but longed to be with my family. I made the decision to return to Vietnam, even though it entailed being sent to a reeducaiton camp, a horrible prison. It was the only path I could take that held the hope of reuniting (me) with loved ones. I felt it was better to die with my family than to die alone.

I had no idea that my journey home would take five grueling years. I traveled by boat along with 1,632 others. When we were finally allowed to port, the communist government stripped us of everything we had. They loaded us into buses, windows closed and blocked. The bus led us to the jungles of Vietnam where we would have no contact with the outside world. Many died. Their families never even knew they were there. Reading the Bible was my only nourishment. My faith in God is the only explanation I have for my survival.

In 1980, five years after I had arrived, my prayers were answered. I “graduated” from camp. The government still followed me, watched me, and studied me. They told me I had to farm, though I did not know how. But I was finally back with family. That was all that mattered.

Then I got a job at Cedar Ridge that had health benefits. I have been working there since 1997. My life is good now. My son attends the University of Minnesota. He is studying to be a designer of houses. My oldest son has a family. My youngest son and daughter go to school in Chaska. My wife works for Eden Prairie Schools as well.