On This 50-Year Anniversary, the Rescue and Relocation of a Vietnamese Family at the End of the War

Two years ago, I had the privilege of interviewing my friend and former colleague, Chinh Pham. At the time of our conversation, Chinh was President of the Boston Bar Association. As part of that interview, I asked Chinh about his and his family’s experience fleeing Vietnam and relocating to the United States in the final days of the Vietnam War, 50 years ago this week.

In this excerpt from our interview, Chinh describes that harrowing experience, as well as the lasting friendships he and his family have made with the American naval personnel who rescued them. The rest of our interview, tracing Chinh’s education and experience as an accomplished intellectual property lawyer, leader of a highly regarded bar association, and commitment to the next generation of lawyers, can be found here.