Atrium Gallery at Cal State Fullerton

The Long Journey of Courage

prev  |  9 of 15  |  next

Concentration Camp Drawing, Mother and Child

Food Supply (Tham nuoi)

Most of the former high ranking officers and officials who were detained in concentration camps would suffer without the care of their families on the outside. A family visit usually meant great sacrifices. Each time their wives brought them supplies, their wives and children would have to live on limited food themselves for months in order to buy some kilos of rice, mung beans, medication, sugar and salt, and used clothes. Once the wives gathered the items their husbands requested, they began an adventure. First, they would travel by train for several days, transfer to a truck or bus, ride in a sampan on the river, then climb on a back of buffalo or a bike, followed by walking for hours. The wives went through this difficult trip in order to meet their husbands for a maximum time of one hour. No emotional exchanges or physical contact was allowed during the visit.

return to introduction