HOF108: Nguyen Tam

During the Vietnam War, a young Tam Duy Nguyen remembers stepping outside of his home and feeling the intense heat from the fires, the result of the ongoing battles in his village. His home was the sight of a drawn-out battle that lasted months.

He often experienced the brutalities and the casualties of war. As a witness to the cruelty, he chose to avoid military service. In time he met with some countrymen who planned their escape from their homeland. They boarded a boat that landed in Malaysia. He and his fellow travellers stayed in a refugee camp for some months. During his stay, he requested asylum in Canada and was accepted by Canadian immigration officials.

Once he settled in Canada, he eventually raised enough funds to open a tailor shop in Winnipeg. As a successful tailor, he has dedicated himself to philanthropic work with Vietnamese children and has provided free garment making training to refugees in Winnipeg.