After the war broke out in the late 1970s, my family moved to Hon Gai (Ha Long Bay). I stayed for a year, then escaped by boat to Hong Kong with my mum one late night in early October.
One late night my mum piggybacked me onto a small fishing boat. With a handful of people hidden inside the fishing boat, we travelled from Hon Gai to a deserted island outside Binh Ngoc. A tiny three tones sailing boat was waiting for us inside the cove of a deserted island. The only way not to attract attention was to travel on a small light boat, even though we knew it would be dangerous to be on such a small boat on the high sea.
After everyone had transferred onto the sailing boat, the fishing boat moved away from the cove. A water police boat spotted the fishing boat just as the shipping boat exited the cove. The voices of the police officers echoed through the loudspeaker ordering the fishing boat to stop the engine. The captain knew the police officers and gave them a few packages of cigarettes so they won’t ask any more questions. After the police left with the cigarettes, the fishing boat slowly moved away from us. Everyone stayed hidden inside the little boat. Luckily the police officers only spotted the fishing boat, not the sailing boat parked in the cove. We would be imprisoned for a while if we got caught that night.
We set sail out into the sea. Even though no one on the boat was an experienced sailor, we managed to sail into the Chinese water by early morning. As the sun moved, slowing up from the sea, the shadow of sea rock slowly appeared from beneath. It was another lucky moment not to hit any semi-submerged sea rock.
We travelled for three months on the sea along the coastline of China (thank you to all those Chinese who helped us and gave us fresh food for our journey). A small sailing boat of 3 tons has carried 11 people through many treacherous and stormy weather of the South China Sea.
One of the two other boats we met along the way sank after we lost each other during one of the wild lousy weather. Luckily, a Chinese fishing boat picked them up, and later, the people on that boat met up with us in their new boat bought from the locals.
Meanwhile, struggling to stay alive in the storm, a seabird flew toward our boat and landed on the mast. Mariner myths and legends say this is a good sign, and it was fortunate for us. We slowly sailed out of the storm into a calm lagoon with beautiful golden sand.
I still remember the salty air I breathed for the whole three months. I remember the dizzy head whenever we started sailing out to the sea. I remember taking those clear yellow round pills to ease my dizziness. I still remember the high waves that were taller than the mast of our boat, blocking the view of other boats. It was a period no one could ever forget or want to relive.
Finally, we arrived in Hong Kong on New Year’s Eve of 1981. Entering the water of Hong Kong was a great relief for us. Yes! We have finally escaped from death!
The first thing I heard while sitting quietly on the boat was a Vietnamese voice echoing via a loudspeaker on an engine boat with bright light. The coastal guards greeted us and led us into the quarantine camp.