In order to comprehend the aspiration of any group of citizens, one needs to learn the cause of their flight. The Vietnamese boat people’s tragedy and triumph are legendary, and their extreme sufferings and subsequent successes have carved many historic imprints: (i) their exodus was a profound ordeal of biblical proportions originated from their unqualified objection to the communist oppressive policies and Hanoi’s expulsion scheme, an inhumane ploy that appeared for the first time in the history of Vietnam; (ii) their inconceivable sufferings evoked the dreadful ‘holocaust’ memories in the mind of most observers, who unhesitatingly invented the term ‘Asian holocaust’ to describe the boat people’s unimaginable anguish at sea; (iii) their massive departure instituted two largest-ever international conferences on refugees attended by ministerial delegates from both the communist camp and the free world; (iv) their courageous escape signalized the worst policy ever undertaken by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) since its inception in 1930 because Hanoi’s expulsion policy backfired as many pro-Democracy dissidents now living overseas could effectively counteract the CPV’s oppressive initiatives; and (v) their historic journey led to the establishment of a dynamic overseas Vietnamese community of over two million members, who successfully rebuilt their lives and began to assert their influence in the gradual democratization of Vietnam.

Over the last quarter of the 20^th Century, nearly two million Vietnamese asylum-seekers risked their lives to flee communist persecution and search for liberty and democracy elsewhere. Many ill-fated victims were robed, raped, kidnapped, murdered and died without any trace in the Gulf of Thailand or the South China Sea; and three-quarters of a million refugees were fortunate to reach safety in various countries of final asylum across the world. The boat people’s tragedy was exceedingly horrific, but their subsequent triumph could be characterized as incredibly impressive. Contrary to Hanoi’s defamatory portray of Vietnamese refugees as social outcasts, the boat people’s spectacular professional and vocational successes in final-asylum countries demonstrate unequivocally that they are dedicated individuals with highly-prided work ethics and can make significant contributions to any society that values the free exchange of ideas and encourages autonomous efforts. The boat people’s successes, which are remarkable in light of their past horrifying experience and recent arrival in final-asylum countries, depend almost completely on the strength of their family life and cultural values with a special emphasis on family cohesiveness, spirituality, education, humanism and achievement. 

At no time did the boat people intend to craft history; but their tragic struggle and unfailing hopes have engraved astonishing marks on the memorable course of human affairs.  The history of mankind will undoubtedly record many more magnificent imprints of Vietnamese refugees, whose exodus only ends where liberty and democracy triumph. A comprehensive record of the boat people’s complete history would perhaps contain many volumes and take years to assemble, and this book does not endeavor to accomplish that ambitious goal. The Boat People: Imprints on History strives to attain a rather modest objective: to feature the most extraordinary highlights of the boat people’s tragedy and triumph over the past quarter of a century. The book tries to depict a realistic picture of factual despairs, courageous hopes and incredible compassion which every Vietnamese refugee, his or her relatives and generous benefactors would recognize their reflection.

            The Boat People: Imprints on History could never be completed timely without the invaluable assistance of various acquaintances and friends, whose precious support in many ways have proven to be indispensable, and I hereby wish to express my deep appreciation for their special contributions: Mr. Bern McDougall, a kindhearted Australian journalist whom I first met in the Gulf of Thailand during one of the most dangerous moments in life; Mr. Nguyễn Ngọc Liêm of the Association des Jeunes Vietnamiens de France in Paris;  Ms. Anne Frank of the Southeast Asian Archives at the University of California - Irvine; UNHCR staff in Geneva, particularly Ms. Anneliese Hollmann, Ms. Anne Kellner and Ertan Corlulu;  Ms. Hồ H. Thanh Nguyên of Ottawa for her photographs;  Ms. Nicole Nga Nguyễn, last Chairperson of Project Ngọc; all my friends who have shared with me their life experience; and last but not least, my beloved wife Lý Ngọc Liễu Anh for her insightful wisdom, objective and enchanting critiques as well as her kind and patient sacrifice because each page of this book ‘liberated’ at least three to five hours from our scarce family time.

In spite of the aforementioned invaluable assistance, this book undoubtedly contains mistakes that are solely mine and mine alone. Scrambled for limited time between professional duties and social obligations, I quickly learned that time constraint could jeopardize any opportunity for crafting perfect compositions and therefore earnestly beg the readers for forgiveness over any literary shortcomings.

 
Lloyd Duong  

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