Introduction:

At the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, more than 1.6 million Vietnamese sought political and social freedom as they fled the country in droves of wooden boats.  Placing their safety, dreams, and lives in boats no stronger than the war-ridden country they were leaving behind, those that survived landed on islands throughout the Asia-Pacific, barely improving their conditions of life.  While thousands were prevented from even entering the islands, hundreds of thousands were persecuted upon the islands, continuing their journey of hardship  

Nearly all of these boat people were later forced to resettle in other countries, with the United States, Canada, Australia, France, England, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the Philippines serving as the main sources of refuge.  However, the time the boat people spent on their respective islands, be it one month or three years, drastically changed the lives of these individuals as well as the story of Vietnamese culture. 

This site invites those who endured such hardship to share their stories, or the stories of their loved ones, in order to honor the struggle, gain understanding, and increase awareness of the Vietnamese boat people. 

Solidarity

This section is designed to allow individuals to share the stories of their journey to and on the various islands.  Through telling one's own story and reading about the experiences of others, this site hopes to create a forum of support that allows readers to identify with others and share the common understanding of the perils endured by the boat people.

Island Index

Here you will find information about each of the major islands that the Vietnamese boat people inhabited as they fled Vietnam.  Each description provides details of the conditions and populations of the island, while also exploring many of the cultural and political conflicts that occurred between the boat people and the island natives. 

Future

As the web 2.0 phenomenon increases, more and more people have begun to participate in social networking sites.  This site aims to draw upon this trend and offer a network of support and experience for the Vietnamese boat people.  Because the site relies primarily upon the contributions of the readers, it does not require constant updating.  I plan on updating the site as demand for new additions to the island index increases, based upon the readership and contribution.  I also plan on doing general maintenance and review/editing of the contributed stories each quarter, in order to maintain the quality and integrity of the contributed material.  In four or five years, if readership increases and the social networking phenomenon continues to grow, the model of this site may be modified in order to allow open chat and commenting upon the contributed stories.  However, at this point I plan on limiting the site to only the posting of material.

Also, as readership expands I would like to add a philanthropic aspect to the site, perhaps collecting donations in order to award scholarships to descendants of Vietnamese boat people.  In addition, if the web 2.0 trend continues and sites become more interactive I could begin to change the model of my site.  While there would already be a strong collection of contributed stories and experiences, I could augment the social aspect of the site through writing competitions or contests to further enhance interaction within the community of Vietnamese boat people.

This site will be free and open to all users as an outlet for emotional and social support.  Ideally I would like to find a sponsor, perhaps related to immigrants, poverty, peace, or anti-war sentiments in order to maintain the site.  As readership expands and functions of the website expand, sponsorship will become increasingly important.

Laura Chau

2008-04-11