Tu Cam (Nguyen) Anderson

Tu Cam Nguyen Anderson was born in Saigon, Vietnam. She was of Vietnamese descent. Her father’s and mother’s names are Jim Trung Nguyen and Nguyen Thi Trung, both of whom passed before her, her father in 1975, and her mother in 2001. During her time in Saigon, she completed 12 years of formal education, earning her High School diploma. She was known to have a particular fondness for studying the French language ever since she was a young child. After the fall of Saigon, many tragedies befell her. Although she was able to hide out until the beginning of 1976, unfortunately, that is when true tragedy struck. She served a lengthy sentence of 5 years in a communist prison due to having a South Vietnamese husband, Cường, a man with a military background in the ARVN. He lost his life in the city of Hue, leaving her widowed, an experience that left her with a broken heart. After her release from prison, she fled Vietnam immediately due to fears of continued persecution and fears of being sent to the New Economic Zone. She escaped Vietnam by boat, making her way to a refugee camp in Hong Kong, and then eventually being sponsored as a refugee by The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a Buddhist temple in Talmage, California. She arrived in California in June of 1981. Tu adjusted to life in America, re-marrying and holding several domestic type jobs while raising her 4 children. In later years, Tu worked for the Marriott Hotel in Riverside, California. Tu was fluent in Vietnamese, French, Chinese, and English. She had beautiful penmanship. Chronic health issues cut her life short: she passed at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, Los Angeles County, California, surrounded by family and friends. She was 51 years old.