Travel Vietnam to my birthplace Vung Tau where my mum and dad met during the Vietnam war in 1966

Travel Vietnam to my birthplace Vung Tau, a beautiful seaside escape from the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City, this is the place where my father an Australian soldier deployed in February 1966 to Vietnam met my Vietnamese mother and fell in love. 💕

During the Vietnam War, Vung Tau was a city of both war and peace, serving as an important and active port and as a favourite R&R spot for American and Australian soldiers. My mother could not speak English and my father could not speak Vietnamese, somehow they new what they felt was real and true, from the moment my mum met my dad at the Army base a beautiful love story began. What is very funny is my dad is not a great eater, pretty much a steak and chips man. My mum worked serving the soldiers their meals on the base and my dad would often line up in my mum’s line to get seconds for anyone wanting more food, just so he could communicate with her. Not much happened other than a smile but it was enough to know there was something special.❤❤

Fast forward I was born in December 1966 at Le Loi Hospital in Vung Tau. My dad was sent back to Australia in April 1967, my mum tells me how sad she was however her biggest fear was losing me either through being kidnapped and sold or killed by the Viet Cong who would have seen my mother and myself as traitors. My mum would dress me in boys clothes and cover my blonde hair and fair skin to hide me keeping me safe.

My dad completed his tour and was back home in Sydney in Australia, his thoughts were constantly with his Vietnamese love and his daughter, he wanted to go back to Vietnam to marry my mum and bring us back to Australia. However, the Army would not give permission to my dad to go back to Vietnam as they knew he wanted to go back to marry my mum and bring us both out to Australia. The Army did not want complications with Australian Soldiers marrying Asian citizens and they bluntly said no to my dad’s continual requests over a 10 month period.

My Australian Grandmother who tired of this constant refusal made an appointment to visit the Victoria Barracks, she met with the Major Administration Officer, this was not acceptable, she said to him he wasn’t high enough in rank and she wanted to speak to the ‘boss’ who was a Brigadier. My Grandma said to him her son has requested for 10 months to go back to Vietnam and marry the mother of his child and bring them both back to Australia. In her words ……“If I’m not satisfied this afternoon, I will be going to my member of parliament and to the newspapers”. The Brigadier then replied to my grandma “Mrs Tattis your son will be posted back to Vietnam “Post Haste”….. and my dad was back in Vietnam in 10 days.

When my father returned back to Vietnam he was given permission to travel anywhere on RAAF service flights to organise the paperwork to marry my mum and bring us both back with him to Australia. My Mother had no idea my father was on his way back to her, can you imagine the surprise when my dad stood in front of the house in Vung Tau smiling at my mum. From that moment on her life would change forever. They married on the 26th August in 1968 in a local Vietnamese Registry office with a Salvation Army Padre as a witness.
My mother was the 5th Vietnamese citizen to marry and come abroad to Australia. She recalls on the flight to Australia how she was uncertain of the life she was about to embark in this foreign place. She barley spoke English and did not even know if there would be rice for her to eat. All she knew as that she was with the man she loved who came back for her and their child. In September 1969 they had a son born in Liverpool Sydney. It was 1971 when we received our Australian Citizenship. While the war was still continuing in Vietnam if my father had been posted back to serve in Vietnam and was killed, both my mum and myself would have been sent back to Vietnam leaving my younger brother born here to stay without us. My father wrote to Gaugh Whitlam expressing the unfairness of this situation and what could he do? That year Mr Whitlam granted us Australian Citizenship.

Last year in 2018 we celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary. In 1994, we travelled back to Vietnam, this was my first of 5 trips to date. I hope you have enjoyed our journey and I want to finish by giving gratitude for having such wonderful parents who have a love that is true to each other. My parents have shown me what love can do and how love finds it way, I am blessed….this video if for our wonderful parents and grandparents. We love you mum and dad, grandma and grandpa. 🙌💛💙💜

Recommended Playlist – Travel ✈

🔷 Watch the series of our trip on these links

▶ Hue Vlog #1

▶ Hue Vlog #2

▶ Vinh Loc Vlog #3

▶ Vinh Loc #4

▶ Vinh Loc By Motorbike #5

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