'We Were Them:' Vietnamese Americans Help Afghan Refugees
2021-09-24
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1Thuy Do was reminded of her own family when she saw the images of Afghans at the airport in Kabul.
2She saw people desperate to flee their country after the Taliban takeover.
3Do remembers hearing how her parents tried to leave Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City, after Vietnam fell to communist rule in 1975.
4As in Kabul, the American military tried to bring out as many allies as they could from Vietnam by air.
5But many did not make it out before the American military left.
6It took Do's family many years and several failed attempts to finally get out of the country and make it to the United States.
7She was nine years old when they arrived.
8Her family had a combined $300.
9Each person had just two sets of clothes.
10Today, Do is a 39-year-old doctor living in Seattle, Washington.
11Because of her own family's experience, she decided to help Afghans facing a similar situation.
12"We were them 40 years ago," Do said.
13"With the fall of Saigon in 1975, this was us."
14Do and her husband decided to offer an empty house they own to refugee resettlement groups.
15The groups set up the house for newly arriving Afghans in need of a place to stay.
16Television images of Afghans seeking to leave on U.S. military flights out of Kabul brought back painful memories for many Vietnamese Americans.
17They remembered their own attempts to escape Saigon.
18The crisis has also led many Vietnamese Americans to give money to refugee resettlement groups.
19They are offering housing and legal assistance to arriving Afghans.
20Some have also said they want to offer guidance that refugees and new immigrants may need.
21This can include how to buy things at a food store, sign up children to go to school or how to drive a car in America.
22Since the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese have come to the United States.
23They have settled in communities from California to Virginia.
24Today, Vietnamese Americans are the sixth-largest immigrant group in the country.
25The U.S. had long announced plans to withdraw from Afghanistan after a 20-year war.
26But the military's final days in the country were much more dangerous than expected.
27More than 180 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were killed in an attack on the Kabul airport.
28In the last two weeks of August, the U.S. removed 31,000 people from Afghanistan.
29Most of them were Afghans who supported American military efforts.
30But many Afghan allies were left behind, with the country now under control of the Taliban militant group.
31In a similar way, many Vietnamese Americans remember how they could not get out before the fall of Saigon to communism.
32Some faced long periods in reeducation camps as a punishment for helping the Americans who had fought in their country.
33Once they got out of the camps, many tried to leave the country by boat.
34They took extremely dangerous trips across the sea in hopes of making it to neighboring countries.
35Thousands of people did not survive their escape.
36Afghans arriving in the United States may have a special status for those who supported U.S. military operations.
37Some may have been sponsored to come by family members already here.
38Others are expected to arrive as refugees or seek permission to travel to the U.S. under a process known as humanitarian parole.
39For parole, Afghans need the support of a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
40Some Vietnamese Americans have signed up to sponsor people they have never met, said Tuấn ĐinhJanelle.
41He is with the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center.
42Other efforts have centered on raising money for refugee resettlement groups.
43Vietnamese and Afghan American artists held a special music event this month in Southern California to raise money to help Afghan refugees.
44The Saigon Broadcasting Television Network said the event raised more than $160,000.
45The event also aired on Afghan American satellite television, said Bilal Askaryar.
46He is a spokesperson for the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign aimed at supporting asylum seekers.
47"They saw the need. They saw the parallels," Askaryar said.
48"It's really powerful to see that they saw that link of common humanity between the Afghan community and the Vietnamese community."
49Thi Do is another Vietnamese American who is doing what he can to help.
50Do is an immigration lawyer in California.
51He is helping newly arrived Afghans register petitions to have family members join them in the U.S.
52Do was a young boy when Saigon fell.
53His father, who served in the South Vietnamese army, was sent to a reeducation camp.
54When his father returned, the family left Vietnam by boat in hopes of reaching a country that would take them.
55Do remembers how the boat passed dead bodies floating on the water.
56He remembers how his father apologized for putting him and his brothers and sisters in danger.
57Do's family first reached Thailand and Malaysia.
58But both countries forced them back out to sea.
59The family later made it to Indonesia, where they were processed at a refugee camp.
60Do said, through his work, he has helped people fleeing persecution before.
61But until now, no situation has reminded him so much of Vietnam.
62Do said, "I see a lot of myself in those children who were running on the tarmac at the airport."
63I'm John Russell. And I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Thuy Do was reminded of her own family when she saw the images of Afghans at the airport in Kabul. She saw people desperate to flee their country after the Taliban takeover. 2Do remembers hearing how her parents tried to leave Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City, after Vietnam fell to communist rule in 1975. As in Kabul, the American military tried to bring out as many allies as they could from Vietnam by air. But many did not make it out before the American military left. 3It took Do's family many years and several failed attempts to finally get out of the country and make it to the United States. She was nine years old when they arrived. Her family had a combined $300. Each person had just two sets of clothes. 4Today, Do is a 39-year-old doctor living in Seattle, Washington. Because of her own family's experience, she decided to help Afghans facing a similar situation. 5"We were them 40 years ago," Do said. "With the fall of Saigon in 1975, this was us." 6Do and her husband decided to offer an empty house they own to refugee resettlement groups. The groups set up the house for newly arriving Afghans in need of a place to stay. 7Television images of Afghans seeking to leave on U.S. military flights out of Kabul brought back painful memories for many Vietnamese Americans. They remembered their own attempts to escape Saigon. 8The crisis has also led many Vietnamese Americans to give money to refugee resettlement groups. They are offering housing and legal assistance to arriving Afghans. 9Some have also said they want to offer guidance that refugees and new immigrants may need. This can include how to buy things at a food store, sign up children to go to school or how to drive a car in America. 10Since the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese have come to the United States. They have settled in communities from California to Virginia. Today, Vietnamese Americans are the sixth-largest immigrant group in the country. 11The U.S. had long announced plans to withdraw from Afghanistan after a 20-year war. But the military's final days in the country were much more dangerous than expected. More than 180 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were killed in an attack on the Kabul airport. 12In the last two weeks of August, the U.S. removed 31,000 people from Afghanistan. Most of them were Afghans who supported American military efforts. 13But many Afghan allies were left behind, with the country now under control of the Taliban militant group. 14In a similar way, many Vietnamese Americans remember how they could not get out before the fall of Saigon to communism. 15Some faced long periods in reeducation camps as a punishment for helping the Americans who had fought in their country. Once they got out of the camps, many tried to leave the country by boat. They took extremely dangerous trips across the sea in hopes of making it to neighboring countries. 16Thousands of people did not survive their escape. 17Afghans arriving in the United States may have a special status for those who supported U.S. military operations. Some may have been sponsored to come by family members already here. Others are expected to arrive as refugees or seek permission to travel to the U.S. under a process known as humanitarian parole. 18For parole, Afghans need the support of a U.S. citizen or legal resident. Some Vietnamese Americans have signed up to sponsor people they have never met, said Tuấn ĐinhJanelle. He is with the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. 19Other efforts have centered on raising money for refugee resettlement groups. Vietnamese and Afghan American artists held a special music event this month in Southern California to raise money to help Afghan refugees. The Saigon Broadcasting Television Network said the event raised more than $160,000. 20The event also aired on Afghan American satellite television, said Bilal Askaryar. He is a spokesperson for the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign aimed at supporting asylum seekers. 21"They saw the need. They saw the parallels," Askaryar said. "It's really powerful to see that they saw that link of common humanity between the Afghan community and the Vietnamese community." 22Thi Do is another Vietnamese American who is doing what he can to help. Do is an immigration lawyer in California. He is helping newly arrived Afghans register petitions to have family members join them in the U.S. 23Do was a young boy when Saigon fell. His father, who served in the South Vietnamese army, was sent to a reeducation camp. When his father returned, the family left Vietnam by boat in hopes of reaching a country that would take them. 24Do remembers how the boat passed dead bodies floating on the water. He remembers how his father apologized for putting him and his brothers and sisters in danger. 25Do's family first reached Thailand and Malaysia. But both countries forced them back out to sea. The family later made it to Indonesia, where they were processed at a refugee camp. 26Do said, through his work, he has helped people fleeing persecution before. But until now, no situation has reminded him so much of Vietnam. 27Do said, "I see a lot of myself in those children who were running on the tarmac at the airport." 28I'm John Russell. And I'm Ashley Thompson. 29The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 30_________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32desperate -adj. very sad or upset because of having little or not hope 33status -n. the official position of a person or thing according to the law 34sponsored -adj. to be supported or helped by a someone, called a sponsor, who takes responsibility for a person 35resident -n. someone who lives in a particular place 36parallel -n. a way in which things are similar 37petition -n. a formal written request made to an official person or organization 38persecution -n. to treat someone cruelly or unfairly especially because of race, religion or political beliefs 39tarmac -n. the area covered by pavement at an airport 40We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.