HOF116: Manisorn Vong

In 1976, Manisorn Vong left Laos when she decided to accompany her brother. They found themselves in the Nong Khai camp in Thailand. Shortly after their arrival in the camp, they were offered a chance to go to France. During her stay there, she worked in a hotel. She met Vong Paspaporn, an acquaintance from her youth in Laos. The couple spent time together and chose to respond to a call from the Laotian government to return to their homeland. They returned but were concerned with the social and economic changes in Laos.  

The couple rode a bicycle to the Mekong River where they used a makeshift raft to reach the Thai shores. Once in Thailand, they applied for asylum in Canada. Their request for asylum was approved and they flew to Winnipeg where they settled and raised their family.