Thu Nguyen grew up in Vietnam, growing up as a series of wars raged around him and his family. He recalls that he was not too impacted by the war in the early years, but with 1968 and the Tet Offensive, he and his family were on the move, staying ahead of the NVA and the type of massacres that occurred in Hue. They made the decision to leave, boarding a Vietnamese naval ship and heading to Subic Bay in the Philippines before going to the US and ultimately Canada. The family made the decision to settle in Quebec, where their French language skills would be an asset. Thu and his wife started a family there, and with a career well in hand, they moved to Ontario.
Thu Nguyen has been an active member of the Vietnamese community in Toronto for many years; he came to Crestwood courtesy of Kien Le and the Vietnamese Canadian Federation, where he spoke to Mr. Hawkins’ class.
