From 1975 to 1995 millions Vietnamese left Vietnam by boats to nearby countries seeking asylums. The journey in South China Sea was perilous and filled with dangers; storms, drownings , pirates and being lost at sea. Those who made it to land endured harsh treatments by natives and local governments. Once admitted to refugee camps, they must face tough screenings to be recognized as bona fide refugees for resettlement. These three films, documented in the span over 10 years, reveal the challenges met by Vietnamese refugees seeking freedom in third asylum countries. Many waited for a quarter century to find their promise land.
This film follows Tung Trinh, a Vietnamese boat refugee survivor, as she retells her horrific journey of being lost 37 days at sea. During her journey, her boat encountered the U.S. Navy amphibious ship, the USS Dubuque, but they were not rescued. Days later, many survivors consumed the flesh of their companions to survive. In the end, they were rescued by Filipino fishermen to a town called Bolinao. Out of 110 original passenger, only 52 survived.
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This film tells the story of a group of Vietnamese refugees who failed the asylum screenings in 1990s' and found themselves living in the shadow of the Philippines society for over 16 years undocumented. In 2005, with the lobbying efforts by the Vietnamese overseas community, the U.S. officials returned to Manila to review their cases. Interviews with the refugees showed the anxiety as well as emotional toll of being displaced for many years. In the end, a character in the film acquired his citizenship in the United States.
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In Thailand, approximately 100 forgotten Vietnamese have lived in a foreign land illegally since the refugee camps there closed in 1990s'. In 2014, the Canadian government agreed to accept them resettle in Canada under the newly formed Community Sponsorship Program. While anxiously waiting for their dream to come true, the political turmoil in Thailand by a coup d'tat threatened their chance of leaving the country.
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