(Fox 5/kusi) – In the heart of the Little Saigon community in San Diego’s vibrant city highlands, extending along the six blocks of El Cajon Boulevard, nearly every store and business owner has a story about a second chance. The Tran family is no exception.
Brittany, Nicholas, Victoria, VU and San are siblings. Their family built the World Food Supermarket in Vienna after escaping after the end of the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon.
Nicholas Tran is only 4 years old. His memory is still vivid. “We didn’t choose to leave Vietnam. I’m emotional now, and that’s what I remember they had to do.”
On April 30, 1975, the fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War and the beginning of the massive outbreak of Vietnamese refugees.
Read more stories about 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War
“You have to walk through the swamp to get to the ocean. It’s so scary because it’s so dark, you’re walking in the mud, trying not to be discovered.”
Four children were towed – including a toddler and a 3-month-old child, the family left Vietnam in the middle of the night and hid on a small fishing boat.
Brittany Tran Olarsch is the eldest son of his siblings. She was only 6 years old when the family escaped. “We had no food at sea, no water for three days. I remember hearing the kids crying and begging for water. This was the most painful memory for my mom.”
“People are thirsty, they are drinking salt water, and a few of us are dead. Bodies, throw them overseas, and you keep moving forward.”
Read more stories about Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage
After the days of surviving at sea, the family spent more than a year in a refugee camp in Malaysia. Eventually, they were sponsored by the American Church and arrived in San Diego in March 1979, with no money and only shirts.
Nicholas Tran will never forget what his father has to say. “My mom cried and she asked my dad, ‘How are we going to survive?’ My dad said, ‘We didn’t go so much just to fail. ”
The family survived the donation and lived in a two-bedroom apartment with other refugees. Sen, their father, Vietnamese businessman, saw the demand.
Victoria Tran talked about her father’s desire to open a grocery store. “He missed home and we were always looking for our own food, so that’s why he opened a grocery store to help refugees get back to our homes.”
So from a small street market, Wayne East quickly grew into the cornerstone of the community. Originally a way to bring home not one, but two thriving shops in the city’s highlands.
“We’ve come a long way. Our parents have made a lot of sacrifices and don’t know what the outcome is. But they have opportunities, risks.”
From the fall of Saigon 50 years ago to the heart of San Diego today.
“The American dream is indeed that if you work hard for it, you can be everything you want. Even if you are willing to work hard and you are in the United States, it may be possible.”
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