Vietnamese Boat People

            Vietnamese boat people fled from Vietnam to escape the war, they hoped for the best; however they were oblivious to what they would encounter during their boat trip. The goal of the Vietnamese people was to start their lives over again while obtaining freedom. During their trip to a refugee camp, many people had to endure horrible situations.

            The people on this boat had little hand and leg space because there was not enough room for the abundance of people on the small boat. There was not an adequate amount of room to lie down or rest, nor was there enough food to feed on. Many people starved during this boat ride. Each person only received a little portion of food unless he or she brought his or her own food. Leaving Vietnam also had another disadvantage. One could not bring all of his or her stuff to the new destination because there was not enough space for big luggage on the boat.

            Disadvantage sprung up everywhere. The Vietnamese people had to use latrines in order to go to the bathroom. Latrines were health hazards because they were liable to spread diseases due to their lack of cleanliness. In addition, there was one major fear that inflicted most of the people on the boat, which were Pirates. They did not know if they would come across a Pirate or not, however they were still scared. Usually, if Pirates were existent, then they would steal everything they could. They sometimes even murdered people or kidnapped them. Pirate boats were most often found near the Thailand Gulf.

            For example, to illustrate the misfortunes think of this. In one boat, there were over one hundred Vietnamese people. They were traveling in October, 1989 and their destination was the Thailand Gulf. The boat came across many misfortunes. Children and adults were starving and feeling scared. When they were about to reach the Kokra Island in the Thailand Gulf, they came across ships filled with Pirates. The Pirates stole everything they could and killed everybody on the boat except one woman, who survived.

            After a long journey out on sea, Vietnamese boat people went to refugee camps. They stayed there until their family was sponsored by somebody. Refugee camps were horrible. Sometimes there was not enough food or water. Facilities were dirty and atrocious. A lot of people got sick or died because of the spread of disease. In some refugee camps there was not enough space for everybody. Everyone had to squeeze together. Leaving the camp took a long time. First the families had to be sponsored by another person, and then they were sent to another country, where they were interviewed by officials. If they were approved, then they could go and start their lives over again. A lot of people had to wait a long time before they were interviewed.

            Although there were so many disadvantages, there were also some advantages. Most of the time, the family was able to attain freedom. This allowed them to start a new life and make their own decisions. Therefore, in the end their dreams came true, even though they had endured so much to obtain them.

            As you, can see, this trip had many disadvantages and advantages. Throughout the years, more than a million people left their country on a small boat. Not only did the Vietnamese people try to escape by boat, but other countries did the same as well. Some of these countries were Cuba, Cambodia, and Korea.

Works Cited

“Boat People No Longer Vietnamese Canadians”, November 2, 1998. http://www.civilization/culture/Vietnam/viint00e.html, October 11, 2004

Vu, Kiem, “A Boat in the Quest for Freedom”. http://membrane.com/usa/boat.html,

            October 11, 2004