The Conversation

A Vietnamese family's story of pride and finding identity in a new country

Hawaiʻi Public Radio | By Catherine Cruz

Published November 13, 2025 at 2:59 PM HST

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Nowhere to go and nothing to do, South Vietnamese refugees from Hue and the northern provinces pause on the dock waiting for the government to relocate them to the central coastal area at Da Nang in Vietnam, March 28, 1975. (AP Photo/Dang Van Phuoc) — Nowhere to go and nothing to do, South Vietnamese refugees from Hue and the northern provinces pause on the dock waiting for the government to relocate them to the central coastal area at Da Nang in Vietnam, March 28, 1975.

This week, The Conversation has been taking a look back at the stories of wartime. Monday, HPR highlighted a Marine colonel who was taken prisoner of war when Guam was invaded by the Japanese during WWII. And on Wednesday, HPR learned about Operation Babylift, hearing from one of the orphans who was adopted by a family on Kauaʻi 50 years ago.

The Conversation spoke to a University of Hawaiʻi educator who previously received a community leadership award from the FBI. Her name is Thanh Trúc Nguyen, and she reflected on the Fall of Saigon in April of 1975.

HPR's Catherine Cruz with Thanh Trúc Nguyen.

This story aired on The Conversation on Nov. 13, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.