VHM_0017

Aluminum trunk used as travel luggage. The side of the trunk shows the name of the owner, Nguyễn Thị Trang, and her destination address. 

This trunk belonged to Nguyễn Thị Trang, a Vietnamese refugee who was resettled to the US after the introduction of the "Humanitarian Operation" (HO) category in the Orderly Departure Program (ODP), designed in 1989 for refugees who had spent more than 3 years in re-education prison camps. Eligible individuals and their family members were permitted to immigrate to the US through interviews with US representatives in Saigon and were added to the official HO list. 

During the third wave of Vietnamese refugees who immigrated to the United States, aluminum trunks were often used by those under the HO category. The rectangular trunks had lids with rings for locks, rolled on four wheels, and were airline-approved. They were painted in either red or black with the names of the refugees and their sponsor's addresses on three sides. The HO number would also often be included.