Shirt – Brown, Vietnam, 1979

More Information

Donated from Mrs. Thu Nguyen, San Jose, CA on 2/7/2018
Vietnamese Heritage Museum Collections.

Cite this page

Vietnamese Heritage Museum Collections.

http://vhm.creativeexit.com/details/shirt-brown-vietnam-1979/

Summary

Collarless brown blouse worn by Thu Nguyen in December 1979 during her escape from Vietnam. Thu borrowed this sweater from her mother to disguise herself as a street seller during her escape. She said “Her blouse brought me warmth and enough strength to withstand the treacherous storm on the way to freedom.” She and her brother spent 3 months at Songkhla refugee camp in Thailand and settled at US in February 29, 1980.

Physical Description

Brown woman’s buttoned and collared blouse. The fabric has a pattern of swirls in white.

Article

English - My Mother’s Brown Blouse

Death or Freedom. Those were the choices I faced when I made the decision to step foot on that boat to leave our homeland, only to fail several times before finally succeeding. The unfortunate possibilities that came my way were countless: rape, pillaging, jail time, and even death. Even though I was imprisoned several times, the moment of I was released, the only thought on my mind was how to escape this war-torn place.
Every time I tried to escape, I utilized the routes under the guise of a merchant to avoid arousing suspicion from the communists. In order to slip underneath the communists’ ever watchful eye, I donned my mother’s oldest, plainest clothes. My final and only successful escape fell on the Christmas season of 1979. That final trip proved to be very dangerous. The small boat that carried us was over capacity, low on fuel, food, water, and other basic necessities. There was a big storm with high waves, and the small boat found itself tossed like a ragdoll in the unforgiving sea. The boat shook harder with each crash of the wave, and we were on the brink of sinking. Everyone thought that death was inevitable at this point. Fortunately, we were able to make it to the harbor. Upon arrival, everyone was completely drenched. We spent many nights on the sea, braving freezing temperatures so cold that our bones ached. I spent the nights shivering uncontrollably, but I fought to be strong, holding onto my only material possession, my mother’s tattered clothes. The brown shirt and black pants survived the storm and the perilous journey, and so had I.
Many years have gone by, and my mother has passed. However, I continue to hold onto her old, brown shirt, keeping it close to me. My mother’s shirt had protected me through my most harrowing moments in life. Her blouse brought me warmth and enough strength to withstand the treacherous storm on the way to freedom. Being alone in a foreign country for years on end, it was my mother’s brown blouse that has enveloped me in warmth and kept me from despair. Having her brown blouse is like having her here with me. My mom has always been there with me for every step of the way, and this blouse, no matter how plain, will forever be an heirloom to respect and appreciate.
Nguyễn Thị Thu

Translated by Thu Trang

Edited by Khanh Le