Aftermath of War: Navigating the Vietnamese Refugee Crisis

Vietnamese refugees
35 Vietnamese refugees wait to be taken aboard the amphibious command ship USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC-19). They are being rescued from a 35 foot fishing boat 350 miles northeast of Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, after spending eight days at sea.
Credit: Phil Eggman, Wikimedia Commons

In this episode, we learn about the refugee crisis that came after the end of the Vietnam War by exploring numerous perspectives and modern-day implications.

Sources

Camp Pendleton Vietnam Refugees 1995.” CBS 8 San Diego, June 3, 2020.

Eric. “Exploring The Meaning Behind Jimi Hendrix’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’.” Fuel Rocks, January 31 2023, Accessed December 4, 2023.

“Helicopter Passby Sound Effect.” Pixabay. Accessed December 5, 2023. 

Hendrix, Jimi. “All Along the Watchtower.” Electric Ladyland, Track Records, 1968.

Ho Chi Minh.” Britannica. Accessed October 3, 2023.

Lipman, Jana K. In Camps: Vietnamese Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Repatriates. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 2020.

Ly, Khanh. “Biography,” Official Website. Accessed December 3, 2023.

Ly, Khanh. “Một Chút Quà Cho Quê Hương,” YouTube, Accessed December 4, 2023.

National Geographic. “Resettling Vietnamese Refugees in the United States.” September 27, 2022, Accessed October 9, 2023.

Operation “Baby Lift” Concludes after Flying 2,600 South Vietnamese Orphans to the U.S.” HISTORY.com. Accessed October 9, 2023.

Roos, Dave. “How the End of the Vietnam War Led to a Refugee Crisis.” History.com. August 29, 2023. Accessed December 4, 2023.

Sachs, Dana. The Life We Were Given: Operation Babylift, International Adoption, and the Children of War in Vietnam. Boston: Beacon Press, 2010.

10 Facts about Vietnamese Boat People.” The Borgen Project. October 6, 2019. Accessed October 9, 2023.

United States Army, Headquarters 46th Support Group. Operation New Arrivals: Fort Indiantown Gap, Volume 2, Section 1, May 20–November 25, 1975.

United States Army, John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. “Civil Affairs Participation in Operation New Arrivals (1975 Indo-China Refugee Resettlement).”

Việt Dzũng. “Song of refugees #1 – Một Chút Quà Cho Quê Hương (A Few Gifts for the Homeland).” Available at Tuannyriver.com. Accessed October 9, 2023.

Vietnamese Heritage Museum. “Re-education Camps.” Accessed December 4, 2023.

Vietnam War.” Britannica. Accessed October 3, 2023.

Yates, Ronald. “Vietnam Refugees: The War is History, Unemployment is Hell.” Chicago Tribune, October 27, 1976.

For Further Reading

Brigham, Robert K. ARVN: Life and Death in the South Vietnamese Army. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2006.

Nguyen, Marguerite and Catherine Fung. “Editor’s Introduction: Refugee Cultures: Forty Years after the Vietnam War.” MELUS 41, no. 3 (2016): 1–7.

Lawrence, Mark Atwood. “Studying the Vietnam War: How the Scholarship Has Changed.” The National Endowment for the Humanities, 38, no. 4 (2017).  

Whitcomb, Darrel. By Honor Bound: Two Navy SEALS, the Medal of Honor, and a Story of Extraordinary Courage. Rockville: Air Force Historical Foundation, 2016.

William. “What Do Vietnamese Think about America?Vietnam Daily, January 27, 2022. Accessed September 11, 2023.

About our Guests

Dr. Johnny Nhan is a professor of Criminology and Associate Dean at TCU. Dr. Nhan earned a Ph.D. in Criminology at the University of California at Irvine.  He is a recipient of the Michael R. Ferrari Award and has started a branch of Operation Progress in Fort Worth. 

Dr. Ron Milam served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army during the Vietnam War between the years 1970 and 71. Dr. Milam earned a Ph.D. at the University of Houston and is now a United States military and Vietnam War history professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. 

Hunter Jenkins

Hunter Jenkins

Hunter Jenkins is a senior who is passionate about Military History. He thoroughly enjoyed researching an interesting part of America’s history and changing his perspective on history.

Sana Khoury

Sana Khoury

Sana Khoury is a sophomore and has valued the entire podcast project, appreciating the opportunity it provided to deepen her understanding of a historical period she finds value in through interactive engagement.