1979 Vietnamese Boat People

Vietnamese Boat People Precious Blood Cathedral Sponsors.

Notes on family of Vol-long Phi and his wife Nguyen Thi Vang. [Kay Punch

When Monsignor Murphy announced the sponsorship of a Vietnamese family on August 12₉ 1979, Wilf and I talked over what we could do to help.

We decided that our donation could be temporary living quarters. We lived in a big old house in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. It had thirteen rooms on three floors. The third floor was a small apartment consisting of a living room and eating area, bedroom, and galley kitchen. There were two bathrooms, one on the first floor and one on the second. Our four children were married and in homes of their own, so we were the sole occupants. The third floor would be suitable for our Vietnamese family.

It was a dull, cold winter evening when the family moved in. Phi was excited and seemed quite sure of himself, but Yang was nervous and frightened. Our translators had failed to communicate with them because of the many dialects. Wilf and I welcomed them.. Handshakes were not part of their culture. Phi had a nail on his little finger that was at least six inches long. There was much smiling and nodding.

Members of the committee took them to their quarters and demonstrated the plumbing and kitchen appliances which were totally unfamiliar to them.

Vang would not let anyone help her with the baby. I am sure her fear was that he would be taken from her. Diapers were unknown to her. It was very difficult to pantomime diaper changing. Vang smiled and nodded, but clutched Kong to her. The committee's version of an Oriental meal was ready for them. They were served, and then left by themselves to absorb as much as they could of their new life.

Phi immediately enrolled in the English as a Second Language program. Vang went with him for the first few lessons, then remained at home. It was evident from the very first that the wife was only a compliment to the husband and Yang was quite aware of her place. Phi did not encourage her to learn English.

I spent my evenings with Phi, going over his English lessons with him. Yang often listened in and was learning quickly. When I tried to include her, Phi would look at her and she would disappear upstairs.

Phi told me of their trip from Vietnam. Phi was a fisherman with knowledge of the sea. He was hired by Yang's parents to make arrangements to take her and her two brothers, and their families to safety, away from Vietnam. He did not tell me their destination.

He did tell me that they were attacked by pirates, who took all their money (gold) and their other possessions. He motioned to my watch, and rings. All taken. They spent some months in a refugee camp somewhere in South East Asia. He did not name the place.

I do not know the circumstances of Phi's selection of Canada, or whether it was selected for him by the Canadian Immigration. Yang's brothers did not come to Canada. One went to Finland. The other to Australia. Yang was very lonesome for them.

Incidents in their life with us:One afternoon, a few weeks after her arrival, Yang went downtown without her guides.

I saw her come in. It was cold November. She wore light clothing, without her overcoat, and Kong was dressed only in his little T shirt and underpants. (Yang used very few diapers. Usually Kong did not even wear underpants). They were both very cold. I tried to explain that it would hurt both of them not to wear winter clothes, Yang smiled and nodded.The committee members took them to Macdonald's as a lesson in ordinary Canadian living. They did not know that the Vietnamese custom was to smack lips loudly when eating, as a way of demonstrating enjoyment of the meal. It was quite a public demonstration.

Yang was enthralled by our big department stores. When she began to travel a bit by herself, she spent much time in them. The committee did not understand that stealing was a way of life in refugee camps. Yang did not understand that boxes of chocolates and sundry other goodies displayed so openly had to be paid for always. Shop lifting was a no no. Both committee and Yang learned a lesson from the understanding Police Department.

Several other Vietnamese families were sponsored in November and December, 1979. The various sponsors decided to entertain them on their national holiday, Tet, in January, 1980. We had a party for them in one of the church meeting rooms: children, adults, sponsors, clergy, whoever.It became apparent in the midst of the festivities that one family was not taking part to the same extent as the other guests. They were quite isolated.When noted, and questioned, it was pointed out to us Canadians that they were Viet Cong: the enemy.A new country; old hatreds. Phi was very proud of Vietnam and its culture. We often sent plates up to their apartment to introduce Canadian food to them. One evening Phi came downstairs and presented me with a bowl of liquid with raw eggs floating in it. Proudly he handed me a spoon and stood to watch me enjoy it.It was cloyingly sweet, with strange ingredients and a strange taste. Fortunately Phi was called to the telephone for a long conversation, so I was saved. I lied to him when he asked me how I liked it.

Another evening he came down with Yang, who was carrying a cake tin with batter in it. They wanted to use our stove. It was a special cake for me.I put our oven on, and tried to find out what degree was needed. Yang smiled, gently pushed me out of the way, and put the cake in the oven before it warmed up. When Vang took it out of the oven later, it had not cooked properly and was a sad looking cake. Phi shouted at her and she scurried up the stairs.

Phi and Yang became close friends with two young men who were sponsored by the Immigration Department. They were educated, in their early twenties, and wanted to live in Canada to further their education. They were very ambitious, and were starving themselves

trying to save money so they could go to college.

Phi and Yang often had them for dinner. One evening, Wilf and I were eating our meal in our dining room on the first floor, when we heard shouts, and the thunderous noise of people running down the stairs. It was Phi, Yang, the baby, and their guests. We intercepted them before they went out the front door.

There was much frightened yelling and jumping up and down in our front hail before we understood the problem.

What had happened? Yang was cooking several things at one time in her tiny kitchen. We had forgotten to tell them about the smoke alarm. They were terrified when it went off and made a mad dash for safety. One day there was a letter for Phi. It was a flower printed, pink envelope. It was highly perfumed. When I handed it to Phi, he looked at it for a moment, then grinned. First wife, he said. What do you mean, first wife? I was astonished. You have another wife? Yes. Not come. He said matter-of-factly. First wife not want to come.Then Yang. What about Yang? (My stupid question.)Yang second wife, said Phi, over his shoulder as he went up the stairs. One afternoon I came home from shopping, having bought a macrame net to hold hanging plants. Phi looked at it and said: I make that.

You can make one? Yes. Need-- he pantomimed a long piece of string. He sat on the floor of our living room and took off his shoes and socks. He sat with his legs straight in front of him, and spread his toes as I would the fingers of a hand. He used them as poles around which he wound the string, and with swift motions of his hands, he wove a length of macrame into a flower pot holder. Fisherman, he said. Make nets. Catch fish.

Aino Laaksonen and I worked together at the Sault Ste Marie Public Library. Aino subscribed to a Finnish periodical. She was surprised to see an article on the Vietnamese family who, as refugees, had been sponsored to live in Finland: Yang's brother and his family. Yang was overjoyed and arrangements were made to have her contact them.(This family eventually left Finland and migrated to Australia)

Yang had their second child, Thuan Do, in April of 1980.. Wilf and. I baby-sat for Kong While she was in the hospital. Their third floor apartment was now too small for the family of four. The Committee worked very hard and finally found a larger apartment for them. They moved in June of 1980.Some of the Vietnamese families were not happy in the Sault. They really wanted to be in a place where there was a larger Vietnamese community. One family went to Montreal; one went to Toronto. Phi decided he would go to Winnipeg where there were families he knew or was related to. There would be more chance for employment. He was not having much luck for work in the Sault. After he moved we heard of him. through Monsignor Henry Murphy who kept in touch with him, and helped him financially with the balance of the Cathedral fund. Later, Phi passed through the Sault, on his way east to Toronto. He brought a picture of the Ave Maria to Wilf and me as a thank gift. It was large, made out of small pieces of light wood fitted together, intricately constructed, and elaborately inscribed. “Maria be with us" formed a halo around the head of Mary. The inscription read: "Vo's family souvenir. Wilfred 0. Punch & Punch Kay". Phi said he made it himself.He brought a similar one to Monsignor Murphy, who gave him $100.00.I just said "Thank you." It hangs in our family room. Little Thuan Do died in Winnipeg. Phi called me on the phone. He was crying. Very emotional! Very upset! Very hard to understand! There had been an accident. He said the word bathroom several times. He said he was so sorry. So sorry. Thuan Do had died. He was blaming himself. An accident! Very bad. His next communication was from Toronto. He phoned .me. He had a job in a plastics factory. I asked him about his English, because he was not fluent, at all, talking on the phone. "No", he said. "People speak Vietnamese."I sent him a Christmas card, and a note. I got another phone call. Obviously he couldn't reply in writing. He could have written to me in Vietnamese, but not in English.I didn't attempt to keep in touch after the card and the call. The phone calls were too costly for him.

Last winter (2000) I had been out for the evening. When I came home there was a message on my telephone. It was from the attendant at a gas station on the highway.There had been a man there, who had been looking for Punch, Wilf, and Punch, Kay.

It so happened that the attendant's father had been a friend of Wilf's, so she knew where to locate us. She would not give the man our address or phone number, but she took his phone number and when be had left, she called our number and left the message for me. I called her. She said he was in a car with his wife, and three or four children. Teens. They looked quite comfortable, and were warmly clothed. He was traveling back to Toronto from Winnipeg where he had been visiting relatives. He was very upset that he couldn't locate us, or Monsignor Murphy.1 phoned him the next day. It was Phi who answered. He said he had looked for us at our house, and for Monsignor Murphy. Nobody home.He was sad when I told him that we had moved many years ago, and that Wilf had died.He was sad to know that Monsignor Murphy was ill (Alzheimer's) and in the Davey Home.He is living in Brantford, Ontario. Three Sons and a daughter. Yang good."The children are in school", .1 said, hopefully."No, not school. Need money. Go to work."I could not understand what manner of work he is in, but he is working. His present address is,          Phi Hong Vo. 69 Somerset Road, Brantford, Ontario.August 27, 2001 2008     Winnipeg, Manitoba. ??????In the Summer of 2004.

I had a phone call from Kong, Phi's eldest son. He was in the Sault for a wedding, a friend was being married here. He told me that his name had been changed to an English name, Ken. He was up with his fiancé, a member of an. Italian family in the Sault. He said he was planning to be married here the next summer. Phi and Yang and daughter had moved back to Winnipeg. He ,Kong, was a computer technician and was working in Toronto. His brother was still going to college.I asked him to call me when he came the next summer. He said he would and sounded very happy.I have not heard from him. (2007)