Arlene Huynh and Vincent Le can be described as an all-American family.
Their journey to this country was a hard one filled with danger.
Today, they consider themselves a living example of the American dream.
“I don’t think a lot of people here understand how good they have it, how lucky they are to be Americans,” Vincent said to the Albany Herald.
Vincent’s father was a high ranking South Vietnamese politician who was imprisoned when his country fell and died in prison after 9 years behind bars.
“Because of my father’s (political) record, we were not allowed to leave,” he said. “I came as an exchange student, and with the fall of Vietnam I was not allowed to return.”
Arlene’s father escaped a Viet Cong prison and risked his life coming to the United States as one of the “boat people” escaping political persecution.
Arlene was eventually brought to America by her father along with her mother and brother when she was 14.
“I remember coming to Los Angeles and seeing all those cars. I didn’t know a word of English, and I’d never even ridden in a car before. As much as I wanted to be with my father, I remember telling my mother, ‘We’ve seen dad now; can we move back?'”
You can read Arlene & Vincent’s story and how they met and were able to build a successful life in this country in the Albany Herald.
