Up Close and Personal with Dr. Dung Ngo

 The angry sea churned and thrashed pushing 14-year-old Dung Ngo towards the brink of death. Lightning etched the sky and the fierce wind howled. The only hope for escaping the deserted island he had been stranded on was to swim out to a Malaysian fishing vessel that the survivors had spotted. Dung (sounds like "yoom") Ngo, now a 44-year-old Vietnamese psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, can still taste the salt water in his mouth and hear the wind whistle in his ears when he closes his eyes. He is reminded daily of the remarkable journey that has made him into the person he is today.

Most people had dreams of becoming firefighters or doctors as children. Dung had no dreams or goals. He was pulled from school in third grade to help his family farm their South Vietnam fields. Realizing that this was his bland fate, he did not ponder the future and obediently obeyed what his parents told him to do. "I assumed that I would be poor and work the fields the rest of my life as my family had," said Dung as he shuffles his feet. "It's not as if I had a choice."

By 1979, four years after the Vietnam War, communism had spread throughout the region. Vietnam had attacked Cambodia in its quest for power, resulting in a new war. The living conditions in South Vietnam were described by Dung as "unbearable" and "filthy." In fear that he would be drafted in the new war and seeking new opportunities, Dung fled Vietnam in a small boat with 48 other people including four members of his family. 

"Another war would be suicide," Dung said as his eyes grew wide. Their goal was to reach Singapore where there was a transitional camp for refugees to stay until further living conditions could be arranged. Dung can only describe the series of events that happened next as the "defining moment" in his life.

One week into the sea voyage they had run out of food and water. "We began to boil seawater to separate the salt and make it drinkable to stay alive. Everyone was very frightened because we knew Singapore was still weeks away."

Dung recalled being attacked by pirates from Thailand three times throughout the journey. Pirates targeted refugee boats because they knew the boats were vulnerable and contained valuables. "They stole anything valuable-gold, silver, jewelry-one man refused to give up his wedding ring, his throat was slit and he was tossed off the boat without a second thought." His eyes had gazed off in the distance as if envisioning the tragic event unfolding again.

Near the coast of Singapore their engine stalled and they began to drift back the way they came. They arrived on a deserted island extremely malnourished and exhausted. "We made tents from branches and leaves and ate anything we could find-fruits, leaves, insects, jellyfish, and oysters-16 people starved to death soon after our arrival including three of my family members leaving me alone with my uncle."

When asked whether the recently deceased had been considered an option on the menu Dung smirked and replied "no, there really wasn't much left to eat from them anyway".

After three months on the deserted island during an intense storm, some of the survivors spotted a light off the coast, a small shimmer of hope that could be their ticket off the island. Dung and his uncle eagerly decided to swim out into the dark sea against the current in hopes of communicating with the boat. Two hours later they came to a Malaysian fishing vessel with several men aboard. They graciously took them aboard but explained that the Malaysian government prohibited the rescue of Vietnamese refugees. However, they allowed them to spend the night on their small craft and offered to take them back to the island in the morning. The fishermen informed Dung and his uncle that they would notify the United Nations of their whereabouts. A week later the Red Cross arrived and transported the remaining 31 survivors to a refugee camp in Malaysia called Paulo bidong. After six months at the camp, the Vietnamese survivors were told they would be transported to the United States through a program called the Orderly Departure Program run by the UNHCR.

Dung grinned as he described his arrival to the US as "a culture shock." "Everything about America was big: big buildings, big cars, the whole country was just huge." 

Dung had never spoken English and found it difficult to learn, but this did not hinder his progress for understanding the world around him. "I started learning 20 vocabulary words a day. After six months I could understand the language and communicate. After one year I could read and write." 

Although it was a challenge to learn English, Dung regarded his education as "relatively simple" in comparison to Vietnam's system.