VHM_0085

Mr. Trinh Hao Tam on commissioning the sewing of the flag in 1982: “Having just arrived in a foreign land after escaping the country, the Lunar New Year came, and my heart was filled with sadness and longing for home. The newly arrived students gathered to organize a cultural performance to celebrate the New Year and ease our sorrow. I was the oldest, so I was elected President of the Vietnamese Student Association; Dao Van Le was the Vice President, and Nguyen Thanh Hoang was in charge of the Cultural Committee.  At that time, we were very poor, studying while borrowing money and relying on subsidies. But in return, in our hearts was a silent joy: we had found freedom, we had escaped the darkness of communism. The cultural performance evoked memories of our beloved homeland that we left behind, causing many of our compatriots to shed tears.”