Pham Thien Khoc served in the South Vietnamese Army from 1967 to the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, then spent a year in a brutal reeducation camp until his health broke and he was unable to work in the camp. He was then released, but was constantly harassed by authorities. In 1978 he decided to change his identity and move the family. Knowing they were constantly at risk, he fled Vietnam in 1989 with his oldest son, and finally made it to a refugee camp in Thailand. In 1996, faced with no good options, he returned to Vietnam with the understanding that American embassy workers would help him leave Vietnam. He and the family were finally able to come to America in 1998.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Paris Peace Accord
Abstract
Interview Session 01 (Audio)
Experiences in Vietnamese Army (ARVN) and in Reeducation Camp
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
Hiding from the authorities, escape from Vietnam and emigration to the U.S
Related Materials
See Also
The interview with Patrick Lam in the 'Veterans Remember-Vietnam' project. Mr. Lam served as the interpreter for the interview
Videos
Photos
Caption
Lieutenant Pham married Nguyen Thin Goc Ouy in 1969 while he was stationed in Quang Tri Province. This photo was taken in 1965 while Miss Nguyen was living in Hue.
Where:
Hue
When:
1965
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Engineer Lieutenant Pham is in the background on the right and partly obscured in this photo, taken while he was stationed in Tam Ke province, near Da Nang.
Where:
Tam Ke province, near Da Nang
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Pham and his mother, Nguyen Thi Liem on the occasion of his graduation from a South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) military academy in 1967 in Saigon, South Vietnam.
Where:
Saigon, South Vietnam
When:
1967
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Mr. Pham kept this military order announcing his graduation from the Engineer Officer Advance Course located in Saigon in 1974. He hid the order, along with the release from Reeducation Camp, for many years after he changed his identity.
Where:
Saigon
When:
1974
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
The reverse side of Mr. Pham’s release papers from the reeducation camp in 1976. The document provided detailed instructions for Pham, including his requirement to keep the authorities posted on his whereabouts at all times.
Where:
Saigon
When:
1976
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
This is the document that Mr. Pham received from the authorities when he was released from the reeducation camp in Binh Thuan province in 1976.
Where:
Binh Thuan province
When:
1976
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain
Caption
Pham’s family in 1990 while they still lived in Vietnam. By this time Pham and his oldest son were living in a refugee camp in Thailand.
Where:
Thailand
When:
1990
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Pham’s son, Pham Ngoc Huy, and a group of his friends in the Thai refugee camp in the early 1990s. Pham is on the left in the back.
Where:
Thai refugee camp
When:
Early 1990s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
A picture of Mr. Pham and some friends in the Thai refugee camp in the early 1990s.
Where:
Thai refugee camp
When:
Early 1990s.
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Pham (on the right) and his son Pham Ngoc Huy (on the left) while the two lived in a refugee camp in Thailand, circa 1991-92.
Where:
Thailand
When:
Circa 1991-92
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
This is a photo of Pham (on the right) and his son Pham Ngoc Huy (on the left) while in a refuge camp in Thailand, circa 1991-92.
Where:
Thailand
When:
Circa 1991-92
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Pham’s daughter, Corie, stands in front of a Christmas tree at a local church near Saigon in 1993. Corie was born in 1988, shortly before Pham and his son fled the country.
Where:
Saigon
When:
1993
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Mr. Pham’s son with two Swiss foreign students after their return to Vietnam, circa 1997-98.
Where:
Vietnam
When:
Circa 1997-98
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo