New book honors 50th anniversary of Southeast Asian refugees arriving in WA

Fifty years ago, Washington welcomed the first of thousands of Southeast Asian refugees fleeing war and conflict in their home countries.

A new book captures 15 stories of first-generation refugees and their descendants and how they rebuilt their lives in Washington state.

“New Land: Southeast Asian Refugees Finding Home in Washington” touches upon topics such as the challenges people faced fleeing war and oppression, the heartache of displacement, the process of building new lives in the state, and hopes for a more just and inclusive future.

It was written by John C. Hughes, chief historian for the Office of the Secretary of State, and Edward Echtle Jr., a historian for Legacy Washington.

“‘New Land’ provides a window into the origins of Washington’s diverse Southeast Asian communities through the stories of individuals,” Echtle said in a statement. “Arriving as refugees, many endured profound hardships as they started over.”

After the fall of Saigon, on April 30, 1975, at the end of the Vietnam War, the first 34 refugees arrived at Camp Murray, the National Guard Headquarters near Tacoma, on May 20, 1975.

By the end of that year, roughly 4,000 refugees had settled in Washington with the assistance of state agencies, community organizations, and churches.

Evans Nguyen was one of the 34 families who fled their home country “with only the clothes on their backs” and arrived in Washington on May 20, 1975.

He said his family, whose story is featured in the book, had to choose between leaving their home country behind or risking getting captured and being sent to a concentration camp. After deciding to flee, he describes how he still remembers the generosity he received from people in the state.

“I remember my mom and my dad, particularly we’re having difficulties setting up doctors’ appointments, getting jobs, buying houses, even grocery shopping,” Nguyen said. “There were people to help us.”

Nguyen is now an engineer who is working to help cure cancer. “If we didn’t escape back then, I really can’t imagine where we’d be,” he said.

Kayla Somvilay, originally from Laos, came to the U.S. in 1981 when she was 5 years old.

“As a child holding tightly to my family, as we left behind our homeland, seeking refuge from the war in hope of a better life,” Somvilay said. “Like so many Lao and Southeast Asian families, we arrived with almost nothing except the will to survive and the dream of the future.”

She said the extraordinary resilience her community has shown is living proof that out of displacement comes not only survival but also strength, unity, and leadership.

Savong Lam is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. She was 3 years old when she was carried to the Thai border by her aunt to flee.

To Lam, the book is more than just ink and paper but rather represents the memory, courage, and spirit of her community. She said the seeds of the Khmer heritage were “watered by tears, of loss, and nurtured by sunlight of hope.”

“Look all around you, see how those seeds have blossomed, how our communities have flourished,” Lam said.