My full name in Vietnam is
Lâm Thị Kim Hoàng

And I've owned this restaurant for more than 30 years now.

So you lived in Mỹ Tho before you immigrated to America. When did you move here?

I immigrated in 1980

How old were you when you first immigrated?

I was about
23-24 years old

Oh gosh... you were just about 3 years older than me now!

I went to school, but then I had to help
out the family so I stopped

I dropped out

Did you flee to America at 24 years old by yourself?

I went with my husband's family,
I had a husband in Vietnam

However, when we got to an island by boat, he got sick and passed away

So I just went on with his family. All of his family are here

So I just fled with them

I basically went by myself

Therefore, the church saw that I was by myself

So they adopted me
as one of their own

You were so brave then!
I cannot imagine...

So I cannot fathom

At 24 years old, you had to seek refuge by boat, and survive in America

Not knowing any English

I had no choice
but to try to survive

Living here, I couldn't understand anything around me