David was born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam in the midst of the Vietnam War. All of David's family members were able to flee Saigon to the US before it fell to the communists. He was left behind with his mother and brother. David shared the struggles of living under communist rule in Saigon, the journey on canoes to escape, torture on Thai boats, refugee camps in Malaysia, and eventually arriving in the US.

What helped him feel grounded is staying true to his core value even when trying to fit in to local society. David's advice for immigrants and refugees is to be kinder to themselves and emphasize the importance of talking about mental health.  

#Vietnamwar #fallofsaigon #vietnameserefugees #refugeecamps #refugeesinmalaysia #communistvietnam #refugeementalhealth #immigrantmentalhealth