Following the Family's Footsteps:

An Oral History of Nguyen Van Si

Early Life in Viet Nam

Born in Long An, Viet Nam on April 10th, 1952, Si grew up and lived most of his teenage years in conflict. He describes life in Viet Nam as beautiful even though there was a war going on in the background. He is the seventh child of a total of ten siblings. Growing up in a military family, his father and his older brothers paved the way for Si to join the military. With his father being in the military, he spent most of his time traveling and resettling around the country. After growing up in Long An, he moved to three different provinces and states his favorite was Vung Tau, due to its beautiful beaches. Si loved school and his passion for education extended to learning the foreign language of English, which he is very fluent in. Si decided to put his education to the side because he felt that it was his duty to serve and protect the Republic of Viet Nam.

Nguyen Van Si with his Squadmates

Interviewee Si Van Nguyen in his ARVN Navy Uniform

ARVN Navy Seal Team LDNN Vietnam Patch

Si participating in Flag Salute ceremony (Center of the picture w/ white ARVN Navy uniform)

Active Duty in The Military

On March 3rd 1970, Si decided to put his education to the side and join the ARVN Navy. Si believed it was his duty to serve and protect his country. He embarked on his one month ARVN training in Vung Tau and described the training as grewling. There he learned how to use the jungles to their advantages, shot an M16, and different types of survival techniques.

"We crawled under machine gun fire. At the time we got scared, but you look at your friend, look at a friend and look at the instructor and you look at the messenger and you look at where you have to go over there, get over there and be like as long as you didn't get up, you were fine." - Si Van Nguyen

After finishing up his one month training in the Vung Tau base, he was sent to San Diego for a three month program in the San Diego Navy Training Center. In the training center, Si was a machinery repairman and his duty was to fix ships coming back from combat. After his three months were up, he returned to Vietnam and his duty on a patrol boat began. His duty revolved around patrolling the Vietnam Coast and providing artilary support to troops on the ground. Si described his duty as draining because of the long hours he spent on the boat and having to deal with sea sickness caused by the motion of the waves.

" Have fun. If you worry about the guns or everything, you die soon. If you feel like oh no problem, just make fun. You have to be happy to join the Navy. Fight the war happy" - Si Van Nguyen

Having to join the military at the young age of eighteen, leaving to a foreign country for three months, and constantly having mental battles during boat patrol. These are some of the challenges Si had to deal with as he had to grow up quick during the war.

Si Van Nguyen with interviewer Jorge Diaz Serrano

Si Van Nguyen with Interviewer Matthew Hudson Hicks

Map used during the interview to help identify locations.

April 30th 1975 & The Years After The War

"After the war I fight with all my will. I dont want to be rich, I only want Vietnam freedom. I learned the danger of the war. In my life I am on duty until Vietnamese War over."- Si Van Nguyen

The end of the Vietnam War brought a tale of mixed emotions depending on what side you were on. For Si, the end of the war made him feel as if he was useless. As if all the years he committed into the ARVN Navy were put to waste after the fall of Saigon. Staying in Vietnam after the war was terrible since the Communist were putting ARVN war generals in jail and any resistance resulted in an excecution. With the end of the war, the communist began to make changes. For starters, education and work opportunities were only in favor of people who believed in the communist party. Next, came the change of the capital city of The Republic of Vietnam from Saigon to Ho Chi Minh. Lastly, came the change of the Republic of Vietnam flag to the Vietnam flag of today. The end of the war left a bitter taste on Si and he hopes the Republic of Vietnam can be once again free.

Life in The United States

Upon arrival to the United States, Si first stop was the city of Amarillo Texas. This is where Si would settle for around a year working at Levi's where he would earn a minimum wage of seven dollars an hour. After some time and money in his wallet, Si decided to venture out towards Minnesota because he wanted to give his friend a helping hand on his brand new resturant. In Minnesota, Si was introduced to cold weather and quickly realized he did not want to stay here for too long. After his short stint in Minnesota, Si decided he wanted to enjoy the fruits of his labor and decided to take a road trip all along the east coast. Some of his stops included New York City, New York and Orlando, Florida. His roadtrip lead him towards the west coast where he'd make stops in cities like Denver. Eventually, leading him to the placed he'd call home for more than fourty years, California.

Oral Interview of Si Van Nguyen

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JAvPXH3qQTOUAhsOplZs3-99GsqP2W_8/view?usp=sharing

Transcript

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G1QTcHjc6ob5YVIcnRwpjhNod7vNx5olbnv8SL_Dbkk/edit?usp=sharing

Field Notes

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ic9HOgy0vgQJwaAiBMlU4UN2KMdxfZwx/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106254720927140190989&rtpof=true&sd=true

Abstract

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g000AgbK_x3z1k2I9uN4ZQ2CeDGKPCrp/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106254720927140190989&rtpof=true&sd=true

Key Words

The Republic of Vietnam; Sai Gon; Vung Tau; Navy; ARVN; Boat People

Title Following the Family Footsteps: An Oral History of Si Van Nguyen

Description

Born on April 10th, 1952 in Long-An, Republic of Vietnam, Si Van Nguyen was always surrounded by tension and conflict. His father being a military man meant having to daily hear and deal with the ongoing Vietnam War. He spent most of his early years moving to different provinces because of his father's duty and stationing throughout the Republic of Vietnam. As a teenager, Si loved school and was top of his class for four years. Unfortunately, the ongoing war made him put his books to the side, as he felt it was his duty to serve and protect his country fresh outta high school. In the ARVN Navy is where his movie-like story begins. Following his ARVN Navy training, he was sent to San Diego to get experience as a machinery repairman. This meant he was able to learn how to fix ships that were damaged from ongoing combat. After spending three months in the states, he returned to Vietnam to begin his duty as a boat patrol. Si's job was to patrol the coast of Vietnam while providing artillery support to troops on the ground. After the fall of Saigon, Si decided he had enough of the communist rule and took a risk in seek for a better life. Si was a part of the boat people exodus and a couple of weeks later found himself in the United States. Si's first stop was Amarillo, Texas where he spent around a year working at a Levis factory. After spending a couple of months in Minnesota but realized the cold weather wasn't his cup of tea. Eventually, he decided to take a road trip along the east coast and stopped in cities like New York and Orlando. Following his road trip, he made his way towards California. In Garden Grove, Si is now retired and spends the first Sunday of every month honoring the flag of the Republic of Vietnam.

Decade of Birth April 10th 1952

Interviewee Si Van Nguyen

Interviewer Jorge Diaz Serrano; Matthew Hudson Hicks

Date Created November 10th 2021

Duration 2:20:32

Language English

Type Oral History

Annotated Bibliography

Conte, Jeanne. “Vung Tau - Vietnam's Hottest R&R Destination.” HistoryNet. HistoryNet, June 21, 2016. https://www.historynet.com/vung-tau-vietnams-hottest-rr-destination.htm.

Duiker, William J. Sacred War: Nationalism and Revolution in a Divided Vietnam. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.

Hartman, Ellen R. “Vietnam and the Home Front: Ground Combat Training.” Accessed November 5, 2021. https://www.denix.osd.mil/legacy/cr-legacy-project-deliverables/fy2014/unassigned/legacy-14-727-fact-sheet1/14-727%20Vietnam%20Ground%20Combat%20-%20Factsheet%20(cleared)_508.pdf.

Jiang, Fercility. “Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam.” Têt Trung Thu: Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam: Celebration. Accessed November 5, 2021. https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/mid-autumn-festival-in-vietnam.htm.

“Read ‘Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure’ at Nap.edu.” National Academies Press: OpenBook. Accessed November 5, 2021. https://www.nap.edu/read/13026/chapter/4.

“Vietnam after the War.” Asia Pacific Curriculum. Accessed November 5, 2021. https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/vietnam-after-war.

“Vietnamese Boat People: Home: Stories of Vietnamese Refugees.” VietnameseBoatPeople. Accessed November 5, 2021. https://www.vietnameseboatpeople.org/.

Whiting, David. “Whiting: Vietnam Vets Gather for Nonexistent Day.” Orange County Register. Orange County Register, March 29, 2013. https://www.ocregister.com/2013/03/29/whiting-vietnam-vets-gather-for-nonexistent-day/.

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