HOF102: Le Tuyet

Leaving Vietnam in 1980 on a boat with 24 passengers,17-year-old Le Tuyet, her sister and their niece narrowly escaped capture in their first encounter with Thai fishermen. They were saved by a second Thai fishing boat that crossed their paths. This latter group helped direct the refugees to the shores of a Thai island. They gave them instructions on how to seek help at the closest police station without being turned away.

Sponsored by the Canadian government to St. John’s, Le found it difficult at first to find work or get support to further her schooling. She was allowed to register for the Adult Education Program to complete a high school diploma by making a vigorous case to her government settlement worker. She explained that although others before her had failed, she was determined to graduate and deserved a chance to get an education. 

 
 

Note to Researchers

A consent form was signed by each of the interviewees whose videos are posted here on the website. They have each consented to making the video available to the public and they have consented to the use of the contents of their videos by the Hearts of Freedom project researchers. Consent is not available to external researchers to quote or publish from it. Researchers interested in the subject have the opportunity to view a documentary film, Passage to Freedom which has been completed and is available through a distributor https://www.mcintyre.ca/ Researchers from the project are in the process of completing a full length book based on the interviews. Once this book is available researchers will have the opportunity to review it and to refer to it for research purposes.