59 Days of Shackles, 2 Spoons of Rice, 2 Spoons of Water at Prison Camp A20 - The Story of Mr. Pham Duc Nhi #VHM After April 30, 1975, former Lieutenant Pham Duc Nhi presented himself and was sent to Sub-camp E, "re-education" camp A20. He was the one who initiated the prisoners to sing the song "Vietnam, Proud Homeland" by the late musician Nguyen Duc Quang in front of the officers. Then he was put in a solitary cell because he was involved in the incident where a prisoner beat a security guard. Before shackling his legs, the guard forced him to take off all his clothes, leaving only a thin prison uniform. Then each meal was 2 spoons of rice, 2 spoons of water until he was released after 59 days, he could no longer stand and had to crawl out of the cell... Despite his poor health, on the Lunar New Year of 1982, he and some fellow prisoners organized the A20 Shining Voices performance to demonstrate their indomitable spirit and courageous will. Then poems were read to commemorate the prisoners who escaped but died. The songs composed in prison were secretly sung one by one, and the audience were the prisoners who silently attended, enjoyed them in their hearts and did not applaud, bypassing the notoriously cruel guards in this prison camp. In the prison camp, the Hop Doan No. 6 newspaper was exposed and he did not have time to chew and swallow it, and what happened to him? We invite you to watch the documentary of Mr. Pham Duc Nhi and the poems he composed and widely circulated in A20. History Through Storytelling is one of the projects of the Vietnamese Heritage Museum to preserve stories in memory, directly through the stories of those who participated or were witnesses to recent historical events. This project is a research project aimed at collecting, storing and explaining the history of Vietnamese refugees. Vietnamese refugees who survived need the opportunity to directly share specific and emotional experiences they have gone through, or witnessed historical events of the nation, on the path to freedom, as well as the initial difficulties of settling and making a living in a foreign land. This is an opportunity to sympathize and understand each other better among generations of refugees; at the same time, it also creates for future generations to understand, be proud of and be grateful for the sacrifices and courage of their ancestors. If you have any memorabilia or stories you would like to share, please contact us via: ➤ Email: [email protected] ➤ Phone: 714-846-8438 (714-VHM-VIET) ➤ Website: http://vietnamesemuseum.org ➤ Facebook: / vietnamesemuseum ➤ Mailing Box: PO BOX 27372, Santa Ana, CA 92799 --- Chained For 59 Days At Camp A20 With Food Rationed - The Story of Mr. Nhi Duc Pham VIETNAMESE HERITAGE MUSEUM ORAL HISTORY PROJECT: Through these oral history interviews, we will be able to learn and celebrate the personal experiences of notable Vietnamese-Americans, who offer their own accounts of history. These interviews document aspects of the historical experience of Vietnamese refugees, immigration, and settlement, which tend to be missing from most mainstream sources. These oral history documentaries will provide an avenue for both understanding and appreciating of the present and future generations of Vietnamese refugees throughout the world. #vietnameserefugee​​​​​ #reeducationcamp ​​​​#vietnameseheritagemuseum​​​​ #vietnamesemuseum​​​ #boatpeople​​​ #vhmusa