May Truong

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May Truong

Dear Mẹ,

While I was young, I never truly understood any of the hardships you had to endure with the dream of giving me a better life. I would idly listen when you told me stories in bits and pieces of your life during your time in refugee camps, the struggle to get to America, and the hard time you had adjusting to this new world. I saw a pain that I could not fathom as a child and  usually these stories were accompanied with a “see how lucky your life is”, so I unconsciously stopped listening out of annoyance. I have grown up just a little bit now and enduring my own set of hardships, I finally now understand your perspective, and I want to finally thank you. Thank you for being so brave and strong. Thank you for surviving and escaping to America. Thank you for giving me a better life.

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Van Nguyen

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Van Nguyen

Dear Mom and Dad,

Do you remember when Linh and I were so young that we couldn’t yet stay at home by ourselves, so you had to drive us everywhere you went? The exciting part was and still is that whenever one of us went anywhere, all of us went along, too. That meant every single parent-teacher conference, where I would force Linh to wait outside when my teachers were talking about me. That meant every single late-night karaoke party, where I occasionally had to find a quiet corner somewhere to do my homework in while everyone else was singing downstairs. Most importantly, that meant every single visit to the voting booths, where Linh and I couldn’t see what you were doing behind those separators but could tell from your expressions that you were serious. As we left the booths, you always gave us your “Tôi đã bỏ phiếu” or “I voted” stickers before explaining that one day, we’d be getting those stickers for ourselves. For leading by example each and every year, thank you.

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Kat Phan

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Kat Phan

Dear Dad,

When I tell other people how much you love to read and that your bedroom is filled to the brim with history books, they usually laugh and say that it's no surprise that I'm also such a bookworm. Since before I even made it to preschool, you've always stressed the importance higher education and its abilities to open up doors to opportunities previously unthought of. Even though you came to America without a US education, you persevered through years of studying, saving, and surviving in this nation--for that, I am forever grateful…

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Cat Uong

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Cat Uong

Dear Mom,

Each time I hear you talk about the youthful dreams you had before they were crushed bit by bit each of the fourteen years you were in Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon, my heart fills with sorrow, gratitude and love. I admire how much courage you’ve had in this life throughout all of the challenges you and your family faced after the war, both in Vietnam and in America. As each of your brothers tried to escape by boat, one by one, you were their rock of hope and encouragement. It took them 14 years to find their way in America and wait for the sponsorship to come through for you. You never thought that day would come. And yet, you never lost faith in a better future and I cannot thank you enough for taking the risk nearly 30 years ago to move to an entirely foreign country halfway across the world…

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Dang Tran

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Dang Tran

Dear Bo (dad) and Me (mom),

I know a lot goes unspoken between us but I want to thank you for taking a risk 27 years ago to move to America, with not much else other than the promise of a better life for your family. Growing up in the States, we believed that obtaining a good education was the foundation for a stable and successful future so it was always a top priority…

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