“Leaving Vietnam: The True Story of Tuan Ngo”
by Sarah S. Kilborne, illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers, New York, 1990, 48 pages, Grades 3-5.
Refugees flee their homelands when war, famine and other horrors envelop their countries. Today we are seeing great amounts of refugees fleeing Syria and several African countries. The civil wars devastating these countries account for refugee flight.
There are many different issues involved in this dilemma. First, of course, are the desperate situations of the refugees. Usually, people don’t willingly leave their place of birth unless something terrible is happening there. Second, where do they go? Third, who is going to take care of the refugees? And finally, do the receiving countries have the material and moral qualities needed to cope with the issue?
Sarah Kilborne has written a poignant account of a father and son escaping from Communist Vietnam. In this biography of Tuan Ngo, we see all of the issues mentioned above. But above all, we see the courage and vulnerability of Tuan and his father.
It is late at night and Tuan Ngo and his father flee their village to leave the brutality of communism in Vietnam. They have some money and join about 30 other people to escape from Vietnam in a boat. After hours of walking in the dark, they arrive at the shore. In front of them is a rickety boat with an old engine. The frightened people climb into the ancient boat and the engine reluctantly starts. As they pull away from the shore, the Communist soldiers begin shooting at them. Luckily, they are not wounded.
After days of being at sea, the engine breaks down and the boat drifts. Unhappily, three boats of pirates capture their boat and rob the refugees of most of their belongings. But the pirates do help them fix the engine and soon the old vessel chugs away.
For days the trip continues. The refugees have little food and water, and some actually start losing their minds. Eventually they are rescued by a German freighter and dropped off at a refugee camp on an island. Since Tuan’s father had fought against the North Vietnamese alongside the Americans during the Vietnamese War, he wants to take his son to the United States. He hopes to save up enough money to pay for his family’s passage to America.
But the island is not even controlled by the American government. He must first pass a series of inspections to be transferred to an American base. Then he must convince the United States government to accept him as a refugee. So he and Tuan sit and wait. Months go by with no news. It is very hard not to give up hope. But finally something wonderful happens. His name is called and he and Tuan are told they will be transferred.
But where do they go? Do they get to the United States? How do they keep up their spirits during these difficult times? How does everything turn out? To discover the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this fine biography, “Leaving Vietnam: The True Story of Tuan Ngo,” by Sarah Kilborne.
It is important to remember that the Holy Family had to flee from Bethlehem to escape King Herod’s murderous wrath; they were refugees. Like the Ngo family in this story, the Holy Family had done nothing wrong. They were the victims, not the problem. As the world begins facing the massive refugee situations occurring today, let us keep that fact in mind and act with charity.
I hope you get a chance to encourage middle grade students in your family to read this clear and understandable refugee story. It will assist the young students in understanding some of the complex issues involved with refugees.
