Out of the Tiger’s Den

Via John

The North Vietnamese took over Saigon in April 1975. As usually happens after a war, they imprisoned all South Viet Nam’s government officials and military, including Brother The, the president of our branch, and all my brothers, a son, and a son-in-law. At the end of 1975, they confiscated my property. They also wanted to put me in jail because of my past contact with Americans.

A Vietnamese convert spent years hiding in an abandoned animal den, dreaming of the temple across the sea.

Time goes by—fourteen years have passed since the day LDS branches in Viet Nam were dissolved and I began my long struggle to leave my beloved homeland.

I was born 27 December 1923 in Hue, the ancient capital and royal city of Viet Nam. My family lived in a large palace, like those in Beijing. That is because I am descended from the royal Vietnamese family. My ancestors ruled Viet Nam for about three hundred years.