New Jersey Multi-Ethnic Oral History Project Interview with Mrs. Vo thi Thu Lan. 2002. New Jersey State Archives. RUcore:https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3XP76H7
DescriptionThis interview was conducted as part of the New Jersey Historical Commission Grant-funded Multi-Ethnic Oral History Project. The interviewee is Mrs. Vo thi Thu Lan, a Vietnamese American, who came to the United States as a refugee in 1980. In 1975 her husband left for Guam, leaving her eight months pregnant with four children. Her husband returned, but was sent to prison. It was not until 1979 that she decided to leave Vietnam so her children could have a better life. She went from a Phillipine refugee camp directly to New Jersey, where she encountered many difficulties, particularly with the English language and with her time-consuming job. Mrs. Lan also discusses the cultural differences between Vietnamese and American children. At the time of the interview, her husband was still in a Vietnamese prison.