HOUSTON – If you’ve driven across Bellaire Boulevard, you’ve probably come across the Vietnam War Memorial located inside the Universal Shopping Center.
There’s a statue depicting two soldiers with the American flag, the South Vietnamese flag, and the Texas flag right behind it.
On the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon or the end of the Vietnam War, many came to pay their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
This includes Hung Hua, who was one of about a dozen veterans who took part in a small ceremony at the memorial on Wednesday.
“Our enemy, North Vietnam, never surrendered and never gave up,” said Hua.
Etienne Nguyen, a refugee, also visited the memorial site and recalled his path to freedom.
“I escaped the communists of Vietnam by boat," said Nguyen. "I was on the boat with 116 strangers. Life started here at first, very, very difficult, because I don’t have family here."
Nguyen said he was just 13 years old when he was on the boat with his older sister and older brother.
He said his father perished in the war, and his mother and two younger siblings escaped to the U.S. later.
“We didn’t lose the war,” said Nguyen. “Because you see millions of Vietnamese abroad live all over the world.”
The greater Houston area currently has the second-largest Vietnamese population in the country.
Nguyen calls himself a devout Catholic and said his faith is what has got him through hardships.
He is the president of the Federation of Asian American Voters and ran for Houston Mayor in 2015.
