Uyen Truong’s ‘Half Life’ is Better Here Than Younger Years in Vietnam

Uyen Truong was 8 years old when her father left Vietnam in search of a better life for his family. He arrived in America in 1975, but she says it wasn’t until 1979 that the government began letting refugees sponsor families left behind.

After the paperwork and finances were in order, it was a 22-year-old Truong who finally boarded a plane bound for Houston.

“It was very happy—I didn’t see my dad for a long time,” Truong, 44, said of the tearful reunion.

But an adjustment period was needed, too.

“It’s hard,” said the La Mesa resident, who has lived near Helix Charter High School since 2006. “In the Vietnam culture, kids obey parents. It’s hard to get along like when you haven’t seen your dad.”

After a series of connecting flights which took them through Thailand, Japan, San Francisco and Denver, Truong, her twin sister Oanh and brother Luu arrived safely and began to plan their lives.

Her father’s friend owned a nail salon in Los Angeles, and Truong decided to pursue the profession. She followed that company to San Diego, where she met and married her husband and opened her own salon in Point Loma.

Though she likes to go back to Vietnam to visit, Truong says she wouldn’t change a thing about her life.

“I happy to be here,” Truong said. “I feel like there’s more opportunity when I live here. I have half life in Vietnam and half life here and it keeps going.”