Daughter Of Vietnamese Refugee Kidnapped By Pirates in 1984 Asks Facebook For Help Finding Her

December 6, 2017

A daughter of a Vietnamese refugee who tried to escape from Vietnam’s communist rule 33 years ago has made a plea on social media to find her mom.

In a post on Tuesday, Facebook user Amy Nguyen wrote that she is hoping to find her mom, Nguyen Thi Le Hoa, who was abducted by pirates along with other escapees as they were fleeing their country by boat over three decades ago.

Often referred to as “Vietnamese boat people,” about 2 million refugees fled Vietnam by boat soon after the Vietnam War, from 1978 until the early 1990s. The number of those who arrived safely in another country totaled to almost 800,000. Many of the refugees reportedly failed to survive the treacherous journey, due to the danger of weather, overcrowded boats and pirates.

Originally from Vĩnh Long Province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, Nguyen and her mom attempted their escape in 1984 at Ca Mau Vietnam. She was separated from her mom during their journey when pirates attacked their convoy and took all the adult female passengers.

Nguyen and her family Image via Facebook

In her post, Nguyen said that she was inspired to track her down after a medium told her that she may still be alive. She would be about 62 years old.

“I lost my mom in 1984 when pirates kidnapped all the women on the boat we escaped on from Communist Vietnam,” Nguyen wrote. “My mom’s name is Nguyen Thi Le Hoa, she was born in 1955 in Vinh Long Vietnam. We tried to escape from Vietnam in 1984 at Ca Mau Vietnam. I’ve had the negative thought that she’s up in heaven looking down on me. But recently a medium told me that she believes she’s alive. So I’m using social media to try to reach as many people in as many different countries as possible to find my mom. Please share so I can find my mom. This is the only picture I have of her. Thanks a million in advance for helping to find my mom.”

As of press time, her post has gathered messages of support and has been shared over 3,500 times.

“Hope you will find your mom soon, Good luck,” one commenter wrote.

“May a miracle happen to your family during this Christmas Eve,” another netizen remarked.

Feature image via Facebook/Amy Nguyen and Wikimedia Commons/PH2 Phil Eggman

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