Summary

Photo taken by Cuc Lam in Can Tho, on her return to Vietnam in 1990. She took the photograph to show her children the type of boat she came to Australia in. This image features a small boat, which Cuc referred to as a 'taxi', it is similar to the one Cuc initially escaped on. She was then transferred to a larger boat which took them from Vietnam. She escaped from Vietnam in May 1978, with her husband, and spent time in a refugee camp in Malaysia before gaining a refugee visa for Australia.

Description of Content

Small boats on a river in front of buildings on rivers edge, with trees in the background.

Physical Description

Colour Photograph.

Significance

Statement of Historical Significance:
This collection demonstrates the risk and desperation involved in the refugee experience. It is extremely rare to acquire objects from refugees, as by the very nature of the experience, people carry little if anything with them, and what they do is usually lost or thrown away. It helps tell the story of Vietnamese immigration, which has played a significant part in the history of immigration to Australia, and assists in representing the period post 1975, when Australia's new political and social policies of multiculturalism were being implemented. This collection also provides further insights into life in one of Melbourne's principal migrant hostels - Midway in Maribyrnong. Finally the collection traces a life beyond the immediate refugee and settlement experience to demonstrate how migrants find their way in a new country, establish lives and assume leadership roles in their local communities.

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