An Honest Conversation with Nam Nguyen

Meet My Very Good Friend Nam Nguyen.

Andrew:  Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen!  I'm sitting here with Nam Nguyen, who is one of the active participants in our PFAC Palawan 2015 Grand Reunion.  When exactly did you leave the VRC or PFAC?

Nam:  I left the camp in October 1987.  Yeah, 1987, I remember. I'm getting old.

Andrew:  Nam, it's been a long time since you left the camp.  What inspired you to come back to Palawan and be with us today?

Nam: In this reunion, well, after thirty years you see a lot of old faces again.  It's really important to rediscover the legacy that we've left in this camp.  It's always good to see people after so many years and to renew the friendships that bound us in the past.  But more importantly, we're here to show our appreciation and gestures to the local community who supported us during our time in the camp. I strongly believe that without their support we would not have gotten to where we are today.

Andrew:  That is an amazing validation, Nam.  Please tell us three positive things that you remember about your life in the camp.

Nam:  First, the degree of freedom that we had in the refugee camp, first asylum camp, or whatever you want to call it, was truly remarkable.  The Vietnamese refugees were free to mobilize, do business, go to the cinema downtown Puerto Princesa, interact with the Filipinos... So even though it was called a refugee camp or a first asylum camp, I would call it a community.  After I immigrated to Australia, I decided to work as a volunteer in Hong Kong.  My work in the refugee camp in Hong Kong gave me the opportunity to experience how different it was from the living conditions that we had in PFAC Palawan, and I can confidently say that PFAC was the best refugee camp in the world.

Andrew:  I couldn't agree with you more.  Nam, are there people in the camp that you are grateful to?  Do you want to take advantage of this moment to express your gratitude to those who have touched your life during your stay in the camp?

Nam:  Yeah... I feel that the generosities of the local Filipinos, the PFAC administration, the Philippine government, the UNHCR... They have made a lot of impact on my life during my stay in the camp.  I learned a lot from them as I did my daily routine in PFAC.  I think what I am today is the result of everything that I received from them. 

Andrew:  So would you say that the camp and the volunteers in the camp actually gave you the foundation that helped empower you when you resettled in Australia?

Nam:  Definitely!  I learned a lot of things. If there was anything that I learned besides my academic education in Australia, then I must say that most of the things that I learned that helped me mature and become who I am today, I learned most of them in the camp. 

Andrew:  Absolutely amazing.  Do you by any chance speak any Filipino language?  Can you share with us three words or expressions that you remember?

Nam:  I can say the popular expressions that people used to say here in Palawan like Iniibig kita. Mahal kita.  Mahal mo ba ako? Maraming salamat po.

Andrew:  That's incredible.  Any message that you want to convey to the former refugees that maybe will inspire them to join our future PFAC Palawan reunions?

Nam:  You folks out there... I understand that we are all very busy with our lives, our children, jobs... but bear in mind that it is important to look back and reflect on ourselves so that we can determine what we want to be or where we want to go in the future. Coming back here to Palawan is a great opportunity for all of us to do some charity work and to show gestures of gratefulness to the people and to the land that used to be a part of your lives.  Without that support from them in the past you and your family wouldn't have been where you are at right now.  So I will strongly recommend to everyone to make an effort to join reunions like this and you will surely enjoy and have that feeling of satisfaction.

Andrew:  Well said, Nam and we are exceedingly proud of you.  You are a very successful person.  You are the epitome of what is possible for refugees, former refugees... for immigrants when they believe in themselves and work hard to attain their goals.  I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for sharing your heart and your perspectives, and your love for the Vietnamese, Filipinos and international volunteers.  God bless you, my friend. God bless you.

Nam:  Thank you, Andy. I cherish our friendship and treasure it forever. Thank you for being a part of my life in PFAC, Palawan.

Andrew:  I will do it again in a heartbeat.  You're welcome.

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