Chandler Museum collecting Vietnam War oral histories on Saigon anniversary
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Summary
On April 30, 2025, the Chandler Museum marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon by collecting oral histories from veterans and refugees. Interviewees described wartime violence, postwar hardship and migration to the U.S.; the museum is inviting more residents to participate.
On April 30, 2025, marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the Chandler Museum began collecting oral histories from veterans and refugees to preserve firsthand accounts of the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
Reporter Sarah Biggerstaff described the project’s purpose: “Oral histories are so important to, contributing to the official record because, you know, as they say, really, it's the victors that write history. So not everyone is a victor in every situation. So it's important that we hear all sides of the coin.”
One of the interviewees, Vietnam War refugee Jimmy Tran, recounted wartime and postwar hardship. He said he was eight years old when the war ended and that, during travel at that time, he “saw piles of dead bodies on the side of the road.” He told the reporters that after the war his father and brothers “had to go to reeducation camps because they had worked for the South,” and that his family faced food shortages and further prosecution by state police.
Tran said his father arranged for him to leave Vietnam; he later said, “I was 13 at that time. When I came, I was a wild eyed kid absorbing everything.” Reflecting on his life in the United States, Tran said, “I felt that America is indeed a land of opportunity…Despite the hardships, the language barrier, the discrimination, the bullying, sometimes, racism, I have experienced that. That whatever hardships endured here is better than where I came from.”
The Chandler Museum is soliciting additional oral-history contributions from residents; admission to related museum events is free. Reporter Lydia Curry closed the segment by directing listeners to the museum’s website for more information: “The Chandler Museum is always looking to collect oral histories from its residents. To learn more, visit their website or come on down here. Admission is free. For the city of Chandler, I'm Lydia Curry.”
The collected interviews are intended to add personal perspectives to the historical record and to provide material for the museum’s commemorative programming.