I was born in 1968 in Cu Chi. My mothers name is Nguyen Thi Ut. She is from Cu Chi also. Two or three days after I was born, my mother was forced to give me to a man named Vo Van Thanh, a truck driver who was still single. All of my uncles and aunts are VC, so they hate me because I am AmerAsian, and they wanted to kill me.

To save me from a tragic death, my mother had to give me to Vo Van Thanh. From that time on he became my foster father. Day and night my foster grand parents looked after me. When I was 13 years old, my foster father got married. Two years later my foster grand father died. Though my foster father still loved me, his wife ill treated me openly. Instead of going to school I had to stay home and do the housework. I also helped my foster grand mother in weaving grass carpets.

When I was 17, my foster grand mother died. As my foster father was usually absent from the home and my foster mother kept on ill treating me, I decided to leave home for good. I went around doing all sorts of manual work, including bringing bricks to the house builders on their scaffolds.

According to my foster father my mother was still living in Cu Chi, so I started looking for her. I went straight to when I had been born and finally found her. She was unmarried and living with her second sister. My mother let me in and I was so happy to be with her.

From that time I earned a living by cutting and threshing rice on the paddy fields. My work day began a 6:30 AM and I had a 2 hour break from 11 to 1 PM and then I resumed work until 5 PM

Later my mother got married to a Vietnamese man and moved Cay Gia, Tan Phu Village in Cu Chi.

When I was 20, I asked my mother to let me live with her again and she agreed, but her husband made my life miserable. I left them and became a servant. I received about 30 VND a month. At the end of each year I went to my mother's house and gave her everything I had saved.

When I was 23, I came home again and this time I met a nice girl who became my wife. Thanks to her I had the courage to bear the ill treatment of the people outside the house. It was impossible for me to get a job in any of the factories with my bad personal history. I had no father and my skin color revealed that I was AmerAsian and that was enough to keep me out. I kept on working as a hired hand, doing all sorts of chores. My daily income was about 30,000 VND, just enough to help me survive.

In 1990, my foster father asked me to come back and to apply for a visa. That same year I had an interview. Later I was interviewed the second time. As my foster father didn't have any documents stating that he was my foster father, he was sent back home. The American Official asked me to make a new application with my own mother as the only accompanying relative.

In 1993, my mother sent me to the local authorities to ask for a birth certificate and an ID Card. I also asked the local police to write my name in my mother's family book.

According to my aunt, my mother had been working at 25th Division base, in Cu Chi. Her task was very simple, to make sand bags for the Army. That is where she met my father. When he went back to America I was not born yet. My father asked my mother to go home with him, but my mother didn't dare to follow him because of the intimidations of her family.

After my father's departure, all of my mother's relatives asked my mother to get rid of me through an abortion. My mother resisted and sought refuge at her eighth aunt's place. As my uncle wanted to shoot me my mother had to abandon me by giving me to a good hearted truck driver.

In 1993 after getting the essential papers, I applied again for a visa to the US. This time my mother and my 2 younger sisters were listed in my application. I was rejected again for not having solid proof.

I got married at the age of 27. My wife was a teacher. She went to school every morning and was free all afternoons. She earned extra money by distilling alcohol. As for me I hired a tractor with a trailer hooked to it to carry construction materials.

My workday started at 6 AM and ended at 5 PM. I got free lunch at my employer's house. My salary was 900,000 VND per month. My job was tiresome but I felt calm when driving alone on country roads. I am often insulted like, "Son of American Imperialist, why are you still living here?" Right now we are living on a piece of land given by my father-in-law. My two younger sisters respect me and my step-father no longer says harsh words because he has gotten to old.

I never went to school and all I can do is sign my name. I do want to go to America to assure a better life for my children. I would also like to find my father. If I were permitted to immigrate to my father's land I would be very proud of my AmerAsian status.

In 1996 I applied for the visa once more but I haven't received any favorable consideration. I have always been honest and always used my real name. I don't want to go with a fake spouse because I love my wife and my children. I will always stand by their side to protect them, I swear.