Tang, Can

Can Tang worked with the United States CIA during the Vietnam War. Postwar, he was imprisoned in a reeducation camp by the new communist government until his family bribed an official to release him in 1983. He escaped Vietnam in a small boat from My Tho in April of 1983 with 112 people aboard. He describes how he lost hope as multiple ships, including American boats, passed them by and would not rescue them. They were in international waters when they were robbed by Thai pirates. His daughter and other young girls were abducted. On the fourth day, their boat ended up in refugee camps in Malaysia and then they were moved to the Philippines, where he volunteered to translate and represent Indochinese refugees to the broader public. Over thirty years later, he speaks emotionally about his continuing grief at the loss of his daughter and his continuing efforts to locate her.

2012-10-28

Interviewer: Nancy Bui

Video and Audio Recorder: Nghia Tran