My Vietnamese friends.

This is a open forum so I would say something about some real friends I have/had.
I told a story about some the issues they had when they first came here.  A LOT of people really did not like them and they took a lot of grief.   My friends were not Saints, far from it.  Some drank too much, Some had a  lot of anger at a government that failed them and caused them to be refugees and settle in another country.  I have had bad dealing with some of them  Once I got into a fight over a deal that went bad. But those were rare occasions, we are all human.   We can learn from them.  I like to remember the fun times and some of the silly things they did.

On Sept 12, after 9/11, They did not show up for work.  Every one thought the worse and really started cursing and calling them Chicken Sh.t because some folks thought we were really under attack.   About 2pm they all came to work.  The Boss was vivid."Where in the hell have you guys been?"  One guy had worked for the Red Cross and a perfect command of English.  He told the the Boss "We need to talk in private"  We found out later that had a big meeting and had worked out a plan for most of them to go fight if we were at War.  They told the Boss they were ready to go fight if the country needed them. 

More to come.  I wanted to write a book called "Your neighbours you dont really know"  But I never did. Not yet anyways.......

Thank you for sharing that, HG.

I hope you write that book someday... I would like to read it. In the meantime I hope you continue to share your experiences with your friends and neighbors with us.

XO

riceme wrote:

Thank you for sharing that, HG.

I hope you write that book someday... I would like to read it. In the meantime I hope you continue to share your experiences with your friends and neighbors with us.

XO

They are some very good folks. I got to know a few of them after the mess we called the Vietnam war....Hard working, smart and once you get to know them a great sense of humor....one of the best meals I ever ate was with my friend Hung <--his name, he took me to a restaurant serving Thai food and ordered for me in their language....I don't know what it was but it was delicious....he came to work with me in Mississippi and I took him to Tupelo for some gator...he seemed to like it...

I guess it is a Asian thing because I saw them do this  in Korea.  That was how they raised cash.  For example they would take 12 people, one for each month.  Every one would put in, say 100 dollars.  First guy on the list gets the 1200 cash.  Of course he still has to pay a a 100 a month for the rest of the year but he has 1200 cash in hand.  Next month #2 guy gets the money and so on down the line. No Banks, no credit checks, no interest or handing charges and no traces of the deal if you choose to do so.
Many different variations  on the theme but that is basily how it works.  Smart Folks.

One of my favorite people I ever worked with is a Vietnamese Mechanical Engineer... he is very smart and hard working, and funnier than hell... a GREAT sense of humor. A lot of people did not like working with him mostly I think because they could not understand him. He had learned to speak English in Vietnam by watching old cowboy movies (so just try to imagine what his English sounds like ), and the three people who liked him a lot AND loved to work with him were myself, my husband and our best friend... We were also the only three people who could understand him (I always thought because we liked him and didn't get impatient with him), so the three of us got a LOT of calls requesting "Winglish to English translation"... his first name is Win, haha. I sure do miss ole Win. I think I'll give him a call...

Great story....glad you posted it.

As you know, HMG, I have met several of the Vietnamese people of whom you speak. They have my utmost respect. I am not surprised by what they did that morning. 

I'm bursting at the seams to tell the story of a grand adventure that included several of these same people, but I can't.

As a Health Inspector, I used to get complaints about Vietnamese folks drying fish on their rooftops.  It was at an apartment building where neighbors lived close together.

They would put spices on fish and set pans on the roof for them to dry... and the flies to crawl all over 'em... Yuk!

Well, by the time I got there (the day after the complaint was called in), the fish had been eaten. 

Case closed.  (No nuisance to verify.)

Well, Eric, all I can say is I'll never let any of the Vietnamese people I met visit my house. Arghhhhh! I would be so ashamed, because my housekeeping skills are sadly lacking.

Over the course of a few months, I had the opportunity to visit the homes of some local Vietnamese families. We took off our shoes outside. The homes were all neat, clean, uncluttered and organized, with not a speck of dust to be found.

When I used to work in a local ER, we had an elderly Vietnamese lady as a patient. When the time came for her to be discharged, she carefully made up the bed in which she had been lying. .

For awhile I tired to learn a Vietnamese word a day,  But I failed miserly.  My foreign  language skills are poor and I confuse all the Japanese, Korean, and Spanish words that I know into one big jumble.
I can still say a few simple words. Thanks you , Good morning ETc and count to ten.  It was a fun game that we all enjoyed. It was good  to watch them smile when you yelled "chào buổi sáng" (chow-buoy-sang) Good Morning.  Funny how little things can make people smile and  change the course of the day.  They always, still do. get a kick when I try to say something. I think I gained their respect by attempting to learn a few words. It was more fun for me than them
But like Rice and PB said it dosent take long for people to learn to communicate.  Many of the older Vietnamese have either retired or passed away so I guess "Shipyardense" is almost gone. 
My Friend Mr Suols wife passed away a few months ago and I went by to pay my respects.  His daughter is a Fashion Designer in Miami.. We chattered for a few minutes and his daughter was trying hard not to laugh.   She said "I almost forgot about how you guys talked at the yard."   

I dont know if this has changed or was just a isolated case  But one of the guys got hurt had had to be hospitalised. This was way back in the Early 80s. He was not doing very well and would not eat.  I was visiting when they brought him his meal.  Turkey/Gravy, mashed potatoes, corn and beans.  He just looked at it and closed his eyes.  The nurse asked "What is the matter with the food"  I said "He dosent eat this stuff.  I bet he has no idea what it is.  He is old school, he needs rice and greens and such.  I was very surprised that this happened.  They worked out a deal where his family could bring him food and he got better.  Just a oversight but one that could have been very detrimental to his recovery.

In my opinion and observations it was the Vietnamese women who saved the day and created a environment for their people to succeed.  They are the ones who went to school and first learned English, kept the house and were the brains behind many of their successful business ventures.  They used to sew and make clothes.  Good stuff, that sold at some of the high end stores.  It seems they all had industrial sewing machines set up in their house and they would sew for hours and hours. They would get the cloth pre cut and they would just turn out the finished product.  The women were the real backbone of their society.   
I saw one of my friends not long ago and I asked about his wife.  He said" Oh we got divorced a few years ago and she married a white guy like you"  LOL So much for Political correctness.

HMG, I wish I remembered a few names so I could ask you how they are doing. I can only remember one. We were at his home briefly one morning, and his wife gave me a cup of instant coffee. It was the best instant I've ever had. Strong and very sweet. We pick some up now and again at one of the Vietnamese grocery stores on West Cervantes - it comes packaged in individual packets.

There was an elderly gentleman, a former colonel or something in the south Vietnamese army,  who traveled with my husband and me to Laurel, Mississippi one day. I can't recall his name. I was wondering if he may be the person who passed away.

I've learned a lot about the Vietnamese culture since my husband and I met. My husband is a Vietnam veteran, and he, too greatly respects their culture.

When the Boss went on his "Vacation "  Trey quit and moved to Laurel.  He opened a big convenience store/Deli.  He Father is a very successful  businessman up there.  I know his dad was in the Army but not sure of his rank. Trey moved back and was here for Ivan.  I let him and his crew stay in my house of Chaseville for a couple of years.   The Husband of "Rosies" Tailor shop on Cervantes was also a big player.  I went with Trey to Laurel and he went by to see his  ex wife.  Damn!!!  She owns a 300,000  house in a semi gated community.  She and her daughter are big in the Finger nail business. 
I guess you know James Parker died of a heart attack a couple of years ago.  Damn good man.  He will be missed.  Larry Pathain(sp?) and "Buster" Grosso are also gone.

It was Suols wife who passed away.  He now lives on Government street. He was a farmer and the VC cut off his Index finger so it would be harder for him to fire a weapon and as a reminder of what they would do if they came back.

hallmarkgrad wrote:

For awhile I tired to learn a Vietnamese word a day,  But I failed miserly.  My foreign  language skills are poor and I confuse all the Japanese, Korean, and Spanish words that I know into one big jumble.
I can still say a few simple words. Thanks you , Good morning ETc and count to ten.  It was a fun game that we all enjoyed. It was good  to watch them smile when you yelled "chào buổi sáng" (chow-buoy-sang) Good Morning.  Funny how little things can make people smile and  change the course of the day.  They always, still do. get a kick when I try to say something. I think I gained their respect by attempting to learn a few words. It was more fun for me than them
But like Rice and PB said it dosent take long for people to learn to communicate.  Many of the older Vietnamese have either retired or passed away so I guess "Shipyardense" is almost gone. 
My Friend Mr Suols wife passed away a few months ago and I went by to pay my respects.  His daughter is a Fashion Designer in Miami.. We chattered for a few minutes and his daughter was trying hard not to laugh.   She said "I almost forgot about how you guys talked at the yard."   

Yes HG, my foreign language skills are terrible too, . My experience has been that people appreciate just the simple effort to learn even the most basic words or phrases in their language and they care very little when we screw it up and take it with good humor, like you said.

One of the groups of guys I worked with in the past always embarrassed me when we traveled abroad... they were the very definition of "Ugly Americans," extremely rude. I always made an effort to learn to say please, thank you, good morning, good night, etc. and basic phrases in the native language wherever we were traveling. It always served me well professionally, particularly with the Danes and Dutch because their languages are so very difficult to speak, I think. The Danes disliked the rest of the guys on my team and would never return their phone calls or emails, so the guys would come to me to make calls or email a question for them. It was very frustrating and I told them that aside from the fact that I was not their damned secretary, if they hadn't acted like Ugly American Jackasses when we were in their country they likely would not have to come to me.

Seeing "Shipyardese" cracked me up... I joke that I speak Wind Turbinese, Germglish, Danglish, RiceDutch because of my own *personal* (read: "WRONG") pronunciation of the language, haha... it is SO DIFFICULT, Winglish (in reference to my Vietnamese friend) and of course Spanglish, as do nearly all Californians. In truth the only words I can read, speak or understand in any foreign language are relative to wind turbines, aside from pleases and thank yous, etc.

hallmarkgrad wrote:

When the Boss went on his "Vacation "  Trey quit and moved to Laurel.  He opened a big convenience store/Deli.  He Father is a very successful  businessman up there.  I know his dad was in the Army but not sure of his rank. Trey moved back and was here for Ivan.  I let him and his crew stay in my house of Chaseville for a couple of years.   The Husband of "Rosies" Tailor shop on Cervantes was also a big player.  I went with Trey to Laurel and he went by to see his  ex wife.  Damn!!!  She owns a 300,000  house in a semi gated community.  She and her daughter are big in the Finger nail business. 
I guess you know James Parker died of a heart attack a couple of years ago.  Damn good man.  He will be missed.  Larry Pathain(sp?) and "Buster" Grosso are also gone.

My husband remembers Buster and Larry well. He is sorry to hear they have passed.

When we went to Laurel that day, we visited one of the businesses owned by Trey's relatives. If I'm not mistaken, they owned several businesses nearby.

Oh, what a week that was.....it is one I shall never forget! All I can say is it felt fantastic to be able to stand up for the rights of those Vietnamese workers. I'm just gonna go ahead and tell the story.

My husband and I, along with about 30 Vietnamese men, were in Moss Hill, Mississippi one of those days, trying to get the workers paid for work they had done installing blue roofs. My husband had to be elsewhere for about thirty minutes, and I stayed with the group. Most of the workers couldn't speak English, although one spoke very broken English. The SOB who was supposed to pay those guys tried to run them off the property after my husband had to leave. He called law enforcement to try and make that happen. I'm sure he assumed that because none of them spoke English, he could get by without honoring his agreement or respecting their rights.

He forgot about me.

When LEO got there, they did try to force us to leave. At first, the officers wouldn't listen to me. After I finally got their attention (and thankfully, not being arrested for same), the officers understood. In fact, they stayed with us until my husband returned.

We were able to discover the primary contractor who sub-contracted with the man who was refusing to pay the men. It turned out the primary contractor was the designated local Army Corps of Engineers contractor, or something like that.

Anyhow, we all drove to his office caravan-style. The workers had their headlights on, so we put ours on, too. We were lead car.

My husband met with the Corps of Engineers contractor and the sub for several minutes, then my husband came outside to ask if I would join the discussion. My husband knows me all too well. The men waited outside. All of them.

I don't know any more delicate way to put it, HMG, except to say I busted that sub-contractor's balls. The SOB actually cried. I am not as congenial as my husband, especially if I see anyone being abused or used. The SOB got what he deserved. And the workers got paid.

Those times when we know we made a difference are all too rare. I knew I had made a difference that day, and it remains one of the most fulfilling experiences  of my life.

Thank you very much for the story.  You and your Husband are good people.  It is rare when we get a chance to stand in the shoes of those who are being mistreated and abused.  Even rarer when we have a chance to actually do something about it.  Thanks....................

Once we built a boat called the "Kiyi"  It is a research vessel for the Government.  It is in Duluth Mn. About a year after we delivered it, they said they had a issue with the white topside paint.  It was "Chalking".  It was really a very minor issue but they were very picky and to be truthful, not very knowledgeable about boats.   Big boss was still in Texas but he said to make it good and keep them happy
So My son and I and another Patti( A cousin) and 5 Vietnamese loaded up a 15 passenger van with all our tools, paints Etc and took off to Duluth to repaint the Topsides.  What an adventure.  Van load of Rednecks and Asians.  First thing we figured out that they did not eat what we liked to eat and there is not many Chinese on the way to Deluth. So we made a deal.  We would fast food it for breakfast and lunch the one night eat American and the next night Chinese or Asian.
We stopped in some place in Missouri at a McDonalds.  They had a hard time reading the Menu and trying to figure out what they wanted, so I had the job of  expanding the menu.   It was like the Monkey and a football. LOL  Some of the locals failed to se the humor in all this and started ragging them.  They thought they were "Mexicans"  It is a long story but things got worse before they got better.  And that was just day one of our 10 day adventure.  It was a very long and hard trip but we never had a big arguments or trouble with each other.  I will expound more later........
Photo of the 'KiYi"

Plus no one ever thought how foggy and wet it is in Duluth.  We fought the weather the entire time and only had 3 good days to paint.  But we did it!!!! Thanks to some super human effort on everyone's part.  My son was with me and I dont think I have ever been as proud of him, working and making the project a success........
Todays Web cam shot of the Duluth harbour.  I linked to the web cam  Looks like it lost the pic  Oh well  I tried

Sounds like one heck of a trip, HMG! How long did it take you guys to get to Duluth? That's way up there! I've never heard of the KiYi....what an odd name. What does it mean?

I can't even imagine the fun it must have been to try to explain a McDonald's menu. Oh, dear!!!!

I'll have to ask my husband what eating arrangements were made for the workers over in Mississippi. I never even thought about that. I do know the housing arrangements weren't made as promised, and my husband had to rent a church hall for all of them to camp out in for a night or two.

Some kind of a fish.  It is a research vessel.  They ride around and makes trawls with little nets, collect water samples and such.  Their stuff looks like a "try" net, little stuff but they have freezers and places to work.  

LOVE this thread, Hallmark!  Thank you, and PB too, for the stories.

Thank you  Nekochan  Sometime I dont know if I am just boring everyone with my rants.  But they are true and it is fun for me to go back and rethink the past. I am a very lucky person>  I have had some very bad times but on the other side, I have had some life experiences that read like a novel.
It aint over yet. LOL  Still a few more pages to read.................Many thanks to all of your for listening................

I was on Okinawa and the PI in 73 and treated quite a few of the refugees that were there getting medically cleared before going to the states..  Some were very poor people that thanked us for everything, even a bandaid but there were a few that escapped with luggage full of cash and things that thought they were above everybody else and thought we were there as their slaves.  The average ones were great people, but like all groups, there are good and bad..