Hope on the Horizon: The Resilience of Vietnam’s Modern-Day Boat People
More Than 40 Years After the Boat People Wave, Vietnamese Continue to Risk Their Lives in Arduous Journeys for Freedom
Over four decades after the first wave of boat people, Vietnamese are still risking their lives to cross borders in a perilous quest for freedom. The book Vietnam’s Modern-Day Boat People [1] by Australian-Jewish author Shira Sebban recounts heart-wrenching yet hopeful stories.
Following the Vietnam War's conclusion in April 1975, when Vietnam unified under communist rule, millions fled the country as refugees from 1975 to 1990, braving perilous seas in search of freedom. Small river boats, carrying fragile hopes amidst towering waves and pirates, symbolized resilience and the desire for a better life. This exodus introduced the term “boat people” to the English language.
But no one could have imagined that, more than three decades later, Vietnamese refugees continue to risk everything to escape, facing journeys often more perilous than those of the earlier boat people. Today’s refugees confront not only treacherous seas but also asylum claim rejections or being turned away by third countries, even when recognized as refugees. They rely on the empathy of predecessors who endured similar hardships and understand displacement’s pain. Shira Sebban’s Vietnam’s Modern-Day Boat People, which I discovered at its poignant launch at the Vietnamese Community Activity Center in Sydney, deeply resonates with me. As a boat person resettled in Australia in 1982, I see this book as a vital link between my past and the painful yet hopeful stories of today’s refugees.
Shira Sebban, an Australian of Jewish descent, begins her book with a poignant and inspiring tale. In 2015, 20 Vietnamese from Bình Thuận province, led by three mothers and their 12 children, fled religious persecution and government property seizures on a small, poorly equipped boat, seeking freedom in Australia. Their dreams were crushed when the Australian Navy intercepted them in Australian waters, and a controversial screening process led to their return to Vietnam. The journey’s organizers, including Hồ Trung Lợi, were arrested upon return and sentenced to two years in prison. His wife, Trần Thị Thanh Loan, narrowly avoided a three-year sentence due to a last-minute amnesty, leaving her to care for their four children, aged 4 to 16.
The ordeal continued for these families. In 2017, they attempted another escape, but their small boat capsized off Indonesia after striking a coral reef. Rescued but stranded in Indonesia for 5 years, they endured harsh conditions in an immigration detention center, where women and children were confined in windowless rooms, sleeping on floor mattresses and hanging clothes on ropes. Their children were denied schooling due to their lack of legal status. In 2022, through the persistent advocacy of Shira Sebban, the Vietnamese community in Queensland, Vietnamese-Canadian Senator Ngô Thanh Hải, and Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, the group was granted asylum in Canada, where they received housing, job opportunities, and education for the children.
Shira Sebban learned of the Vietnamese families’ plight through an Australian newspaper. Moved by their story, she contacted lawyer Võ An Đôn in Vietnam to offer support. Sebban began by raising funds to prevent Trần Thị Thanh Loan’s children from being sent to an orphanage, later expanding her efforts through three community fundraising campaigns to assist five families in similar situations. Her book chronicles the refugees’ struggles and highlights the solidarity of activists, including collaborations with UNHCR and VOICE Canada, as well as compassionate acts like purchasing a computer for a child or covering school fees for a girl in Indonesia. Sebban’s visits to the families in 2018 and 2022, and her presence at a supported young man’s graduation, reflect her deep commitment. Her gesture of gifting English-Vietnamese dictionaries to the families upon their gaining permanent residency in Canada poignantly symbolizes companionship and hope for their new future.
Bringing Shira Sebban’s book to readers was a challenging yet inspiring journey. Australian publishers rejected the manuscript, deeming refugee stories 'outdated' and unappealing. However, Sebban’s passion and the story’s profound humanity captivated McFarland Publishers in the US, who embraced its emotional depth. To reach Vietnamese readers, translator Hồ Trọng Hiệp in Australia meticulously translated the book into Vietnamese, published by Quill Hawk Publishing in the US The success was driven by Amy M. Le, Quill Hawk’s CEO and a former boat person from Trà Vinh who fled Vietnam as a child after 1975. Having left a high-tech career, Amy Le dedicated herself to literature as a writer, speaker, and publisher, amplifying Asian-American voices globally. Sebban fondly refers to Amy as her 'wonderful midwife,' who helped her work flourish.
As a former boat person who faced the terrors of the sea, I was profoundly touched by the struggles of these families. Trần Thị Thanh Loan’s anguish as her children were labeled 'traitors' during school flag ceremonies, the harassment at her fruit stall, and the stark image of children confined in a prison-like detention center evoke memories of a grim era. Yet, Sebban’s book powerfully underscores that even the faintest hope can illuminate the darkest paths. Loan’s defiant words, 'If you want to deport us, shoot us all,' embody not just resistance but an unbreakable spirit, a beacon of resilience guiding us through hardship.
Vietnam’s Modern-Day Boat People imparts profound lessons. It demonstrates that compassion can transform lives, as seen in Sebban’s and activists’ efforts—from preventing family separation to securing a new life in Canada—showing that individuals and small communities can achieve miracles. Acts like providing a computer or funding school fees are more than material aid; they ignite hope and faith. The book powerfully advocates for justice, critiquing Australia’s harsh immigration policies that overlook human rights, while urging reforms to protect vulnerable refugees. The contrast between Australia’s strict border controls and Canada’s humanitarian approach prompts reflection on the duties of civilized nations. Ultimately, the book celebrates perseverance and determination. Despite imprisonment, detention, and danger, these families clung to their dream of freedom, proving that hope fuels resilience and courage crafts stories with hopeful endings.
Vietnam’s Modern-Day Boat People is a must-read, not only for activists, refugee scholars, or those engaged with immigration policy, but for anyone who values human resilience amid hardship. For readers, it serves as more than a tale of daring change; it’s a mirror reflecting personal histories and a reminder that the pursuit of freedom requires courage and solidarity. Sebban’s work transcends storytelling, acting as a call to action to amplify silenced voices and advocate for a just future. This book is not merely to be read but to be felt and acted upon, inviting each of us to contribute to the narrative of hope and freedom.
[1] Vietnam’s Modern-Day Boat People: Bridging Borders for Freedom by Shira Sebban, translated by Hồ Trọng Hiệp from the original English edition published by McFarland in 2024 (236 pages). The Vietnamese edition was published by Quill Hawk in 2025.
Thank you for writing this poignant newsletter spotlighting the work of Shira Sebban and the plight of the Vietnamese boat people.