By the evening on April 30, 1975, thousands and thousands "boat people" - some La Salle Brothers and Sisters included - were "lifted" onto American ships which had been on the high seas several days previously with intention in rescuing the so-called political refugees. A few days afterwards they were landed in Guam, temporarily living in huge tents that American people had built up as part of the humane program for Vietnamese refugees on this occasion.

Each refugee had nothing in his/her mind but to be resettled as soon as possible in a country of dreams: the United States of America or any country where he/she would live a peaceful life. There were different application forms to be processed in one of three categories:

1. As individuals, for the refugees above twenty-one years old;
2. As a family, with parents and children;
3. As a "religious community," for religious men/women.

Because the District of Saigon didn’t have any formal plan in terms of fleeing overseas from Vietnam, and because there was no specific group leader assignment or specific guideline for such a situation, certain Brothers - especially young Brothers - had difficulty of deciding "where to go and how to apply for the refugee status". As for the La Salle Sisters and Postulants - even in the absence of their leader and founder, Brother Bernard Tam, they resolutely wanted to be "together" in any circumstance, regardless of where they would be resettled.

After more than two weeks in Guam, the La Salle Brothers and Sisters were divided into two groups:

1. A small group of about ten Brothers and a Sister under the leadership of Brother Mutien Ngoc, former director of the Petit-Novitiate at Mont La Salle in Nha Trang, decided themselves to ask for resettlement in Paris, France;
2. Another much bigger group of about thirty Brothers and twenty-one Sisters chose to be resettled in the United States of America.

The small group with the Paris destination was cordially welcomed by the Vietnamese Brothers who had been in Paris for their studies or assigned to different French schools more than a year earlier. Other Brothers from the Paris District and from different countries who were present in Paris at that time also welcomed and congratulated those "poor Vietnamese Lasallians" for their successful escape from so much suffering and anxieties during more than two months since leaving Vietnam.

The Vietnamese Brother refugees were resettled in the Angers Community with Brother Mutien Ngoc as director of the group. Younger Brothers had a hard time adapting to the occidental life-style, particularly in stabilizing both their psychological and spiritual behavior. Another duty not less important was their endeavor to learn the French language and get appropriate diplomas for their works in the future.

***

An American Brother from the District of San Francisco who had been classmate with Brother Theophane Ke during a session of CIL in Rome in the 60’s requested his Brother Visitor to sponsor Brother Theophane to be resettled in the San Francisco District. Brother Theophane was the luckiest Vietnamese Brother getting to leave Guam early, flying directly to Saint Mary’s College of California, and getting a job as teacher Latin language at this college.

On May 16, 1975, all other Brothers and twenty-one La Salle Sisters came to Fort Chaffee in the state of Arkansas. [From 1975 to 1976, Fort Chaffee was a processing center for refugees from Southeast Asia. The facility processed 50,809 refugees of the Vietnam War, giving them medical screenings, matching them with sponsors, and arranging for their residence in the United States. On May 6, 1980, Chaffee became a Cuban refugee resettlement center after the Cuban government allowed American boats to pick up refugees at the port of Mariel. Three weeks later, a number of refugees rioted at Chaffee and burned two buildings. State troopers and tear gas were used to break up the crowd, and eighty-four Cubans were jailed. In two years, Fort Chaffee processed 25,390 Cuban refugees.] Brother John Johnston, then Visitor of the district of Saint Louis, and many American Brothers from different Districts, e.g. New York, Baltimore, San Francisco, etc... came to visit, congratulate and welcome the Vietnamese Brothers and Sisters into the United States of America. Brother Michael Jacques, then Assistant to the Superior General for the region of Asia, also came to visit them.

Brother Michael Jacques recommended, even urged the Vietnamese Brothers to be together and to form a Vietnamese Brothers Community. However, the American Brothers suggested that they be spread by ones or twos and get along in the existing communities with American Brothers because, they argued, "Gathering all Vietnamese Brothers together would be sort of putting them into a ghetto." Brother Michael Jacques insisted that "gathering people of the same language, the same culture and tradition... would be better. They could assist and support each other from the very beginning of their new life-style in the United States. Thus, when they have gotten familiar with and adapted to the new cultural environment, they could work and develop apostolic works for their compatriots as it had been in their homeland before the events of 1975, and/or for apostolic works within the local districts where they live." It sounded reasonable and feasible to a big number of Brothers, especially to younger Brothers.

However, the decision that came from the meeting in Memphis reported that "each Vietnamese Brother can choose the District he would like to join in as its member." It was followed by kind of "propaganda" that some Brother Visitors or American Brothers present at the scene made in trying to "attract" as many Vietnamese Brothers as possible into their District.

Actually, a few Vietnamese Brothers could understand and speak English. Therefore, the results of such a "propaganda" depended not on the eloquent speech, but rather on the names more or less familiar of the cities and/or the states that the Vietnamese Brothers had known before in Vietnam, like: New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.

It would be interesting to note that the decision of that meeting might not reflect what most Vietnamese Brothers would have liked. And perhaps, such a decision hurt Brother Michael Jacques the most.

***

There were other Brothers who had fled overseas by boat immediately or a few days after the event of April 30, 1975 and reached the Thailand seashore. They were cordially welcomed by the Thai people. The Vietnamese Brothers who had been in Thailand as missionaries several years before were more than happy to welcome them, too.

On a night time of mid-May, 1975, Thai policemen escorted by many armed troops came to La Salle College in Bangkok, gathering all Vietnamese people - Brother Cosmas Tuan included, and forced them into a small room of the school. Policemen and troops searched every corner of the school without finding anything suspicious against the Thai government, or anything more or less relating to the Vietnamese communist system. Brother Cosmas Tuan and other Vietnamese people were strictly questioned about their curriculum vitae and work in Thailand. Their requisitioned legal papers were found to be in official conformity.

A few weeks later, the political and social matters suddenly changed: books and magazines about the Marxism and Leninism, i.e. about the communism, were displayed and to be sold at any markets... The Vietnamese Brothers, Vial Hueâ, Cosmas Tuaân, and Nicet Lieâm tried their best to look forward to applying the asylum as Vietnamese refugee status. Brother Vial and Nicet were accepted into Australia, while Brother Cosmas came to the United States of America.

***

Following a failed attempt at fleeing overseas from Nha Trang, Brother Cyprien Gaãm, first Visitor of the District of Saigon 1951-1960, was in jail for more than one year. He did attempt another fleeing overseas by boat, but his relatives stopped him. Still, he kept waiting and waiting for his former students in Paris to succeed in obtaining for him all necessary papers. Finally he was able to fly to - not to flee! - and to be resettled in Paris as a refugee by the end of 1976. It again happened the similar way for the Brothers who spoke French more fluently than Vietnamese(!): Brothers Pierre Nghieâm and Adrien Hoaù arrived to Paris by the beginning of 1977.

As for Brother Feùlicien Löông and the family of Brother Bellarmin Taâm who had been French citizens for long time, they returned to their "homeland" a few months after the events of 1975, and benefitted from everything a French citizen has.

During the several months or years following the event of 1975, the Brothers who failed in fleeing overseas - and there were many of them! - resigned themselves to stay in Vietnam "for good." However there were some Brothers who had been luckier in attempting many times to flee oversees and had finally succeeded, like

- Brother former Visitor Bernard, resettled in USA;
- Brother Alexandre AÙnh, resettled in France;
- Brother Deùsireù Nghieâm, resettled in France;
- Brother Anicet Taân, resettled in USA;
- etc.