William G. Enloe High School

Viren: Hello, my name is Viren Patel, and I have interviewed Mrs. Ut Le, a Vietnam refugee, and with me here today is Ms. Rosemary Le, who will be translating her [Mrs. Ut Le’s] responses. Thank you for coming today. I would like to ask you a few questions concerning your past.

Rosemary: Ok.

Viren: Um, how long have you been living in the United States?

Rosemary: I’ve been living in the United States for 24 years.

Viren: When did you first move here?

Rosemary: In 1980.

Viren: How long were you in Vietnam?

Rosemary: I lived in Vietnam for 26 years.

Viren: Where in Vietnam did you live?

Rosemary: I grew up in the countryside, and after the communists came in, I moved to Saigon City.

Viren: Can you tell me about your daily life as a child if you remember?

Rosemary: It was a typical life of an American child. I did my homework, went to school, I obey my parents, I would play games with my friends.

Viren: So the Vietnam War must have affected you greatly and all your friends. What is the first memory you have concerning any hostile situations?

Rosemary: I remember being in school and having to hide under the desk to avoid the gunfire. It was a time of sadness and frustration.

Viren: Did you notice any changes in lifestyle as the war hit and progressed?

Rosemary: Yes, there was a lot of fear of the Communists, and everyone else felt that too. We had to work very hard and we were afraid to sleep at night because Communists could just come to your house and take you away and you will never be seen again.
Viren: Could you tell me about your experiences in Vietnam and leaving the country?

Rosemary: Life was very difficult; we faced death daily. Leaving the country was a hard decision because no one wanted to leave their family behind, but we couldn’t live with Communists.

Viren: How did you leave Vietnam?

Rosemary: We would sneak out during the night, but we had to be careful for being caught by the Communists. We left by boat.

Viren: Is there anything that happened on the boat?

Rosemary: We were at sea for maybe a week. There was no food or water for three days and people were getting sea sick, and there was no water but they had pills and we had to swallow the pills without water. We were also robbed by pirates, they took my watch. And when we got to port, in Singapore or Thailand, we were so thankful. The food tasted really good.

Viren: So what first experience you had with any Americans?

Rosemary: We met our church sponsors who greeted us with hospitality and welcomed each of us into their family and their children were like our friends and siblings, and we wouldn’t have been able to find jobs or better our lives. We still keep in contact with them.

Viren: Where do they live now?

Rosemary: They live in Oregon.

Viren: So how did people feel about this entire conflict?

Rosemary: People just thought that it was stupid, just like anybody else would feel about having somebody take away their freedom.

Viren: What kind of impressions did this entire experience have on you?

Rosemary: It made me value life more and value freedom and democracy and that war is not worth all the death.

Viren: Are there any specific memories that you have that you would not mind sharing?

Rosemary: No.

Viren: Do you think this experience changed how you view your life now?

Rosemary: Well of course it would. It just reminds me of the war in Iraq currently.
Viren: Yes, there are a lot of connections. How did you first feel when you heard about the fall of Saigon?

Rosemary: I felt sad and angry, and I felt betrayed.

Viren: Is there anything else you wouldn’t mind sharing with your experience?

Rosemary: Well we couldn’t live any day without facing problems. I remember my brother telling me a story about this woman in the neighborhood who thought she heard planes flying over so everybody jumped into the river…but it turned out to be just a flock of birds. So the current was so strong that my brother and mother could have been swept away.

Viren: Are there any questions you would like ask me?

Rosemary: What are your expectations for the trip?

Viren: I really don’t know what to expect right now. We did some research on China and their culture, but nothing will be able to prepare me for when I go there. I know I am still going to have culture shock. Even though I’ve been to Asia a few times, it will still be very different to me.

Rosemary: What do you expect to gain and hope to gain from this experience?

Viren: I hope to gain a lot actually. I’m really excited about going and I really want to do study abroad during college and I hope that this will open new doors for further travels abroad and simply make new friends half way around the world.

Viren: Thank you very much.

Rosemary: You’re welcome.

Total time: 5:10

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