“That parallel is like there was an expectation and a hope, and then when that collapsed with the American withdrawal, a lot of people were left adrift. Even the imagery of how Kabul fell, the imagery of the fall of Saigon is very eerie, and in fact is something that is talked about in the Vietnamese-American community and in diaspora is very triggering for a lot of people because they’re like, “That’s exactly what it looked like. That’s what the fall of Saigon looked like.” Except it’s happening now in the past year.”

- Anh-Thu Nguyen

My name is Anh-Thu Nguyen. I’m one of the earliest volunteers for Team America Relief, a group of friends and like-minded individuals who joined together to provide support for Afghans requesting assistance to escape as Kabul fell. I’m the advocacy and legal lead for the organization. My involvement with Team America Relief is deeply informed by my family’s history and journey as Vietnamese refugees and ‘boat people’ after the fall of Saigon in 1975. By day, my career has encompassed international human rights law, labor and tenant organizing, and social enterprise, with a focus on serving migrant and marginalized communities.