Hien Nghiem– San Diego, California - USA

During my senior year at Gia Long highschool, I left Viet Nam. From Saigon I went on a trip to Chau Doc, a border town at Vietnam- Cambodia border and stayed there for a few days to meet up with the rest of the group (17 of us) led by a Cambodian woman. One night we boarded a river panga and lived on it for a week waiting for the right time to go up the Mekong to Phnom Penh, Cambodia capital. After one week staying at a private residence in Phnom Penh, we left by hiding in a UNHCR semi truck transporting rice to Battambang. After 2 day driving across Cambodia, the truck dropped us off at a village, where we rode an ox cart for another 2 days to a remote area near Thailand-Cambodia border. From there we walked a few miles in the Cambodian jungle to the border. We stayed on the Cambodian land because Thai didn’t take us as official refugees until we went through all investigation and paperwork processes. Six months and two refugee camps later (Nong Chan camp and North-West 9 camp, featured in “The Killing Field” movie) I was permitted to transfer to Chonburi, a Transit Holding Center 2 hour away from Bangkok. At Chonburi, I stayed for 5 months, then left for Bangkok. I arrived in San Diego on a plane from Bangkok –

Tokyo – San Francisco – San Diego.

Here is my mugshot at Chonburi refugee camp – Thailand.