Fleeing Communist Vietnam for Canada: True Story of Finding 🏠.

A modified version of this column first appeared in The Orca, September 11, 2020. (Last names initialized for their protection.) The path to owning a modest home in Surrey for Nhon L. and his wife, Hoa, came following a dangerous ocean crossing several decades ago from Vietnam, each separately fleeing a country ravaged by years of war and an oppressive Communist dictatorship.

Hoa and her husband gardening in their modest back yard.

As a young teen, Hoa was especially fearful for her future in her home country after her father was falsely accused of spying for Western countries and imprisoned for six years—four of those in brutal solitary confinement, where he was routinely tortured. “He went gray overnight and had lifelong respiratory health issues as a result of the cold, damp conditions and malnourishment he endured,” she recalled. Others, like him, were executed or faced life imprisonment. “We had no human rights in Vietnam,” said Hoa.

Others, like him, were executed or faced life imprisonment. “We had no human rights in Vietnam,” said Hoa who fled the communist country in the 1980s.

Under cover of darkness, both Nhon and Hoa left behind family and friends, not knowing if they would survive the treacherous journey, be caught by Vietnamese police, or be jailed, robbed, raped, or killed by Thai sea pirates. Many boats sank.

Hundreds of thousands drowned, as these boats often capsized in rough seas. Just 19 years old at the time, Hoa recalls seeing a person’s body—the same person she had shared her one cup of rice a day with in the windowless, rat-infested, rickety wooden boat hold—later thrown overboard like kitchen scraps to the waiting sharks, consigned to a watery grave in the South China Sea.

Hoa shudders as she resurrects memories she normally avoids discussing. “We were hungry and thirsty all the time,” she recalls of that seven-day journey with 50 others fleeing the country. “Even though I feared for my life, it was scarier to think of living in Vietnam. I wanted an escape to a country with freedom.”

She eventually landed in Indonesia, grateful to be alive, spending six months in a refugee camp where conditions were not much better than the boat crossing.

In the Indonesian camp, her weekly meal rations consisted of only 200 grams of sugar, 200 grams of flour, 200 grams of mung beans (small green beans), some salted dried fish, and rice. (That flour ration makes about half a loaf of bread.) She traded some of her meagre allocations for scarce vegetables when available. During that half-year stay in camp barracks—long wooden sheds shared with strangers—she contracted malaria and was very sick for two months. Ever an optimist, she recounts: “I was lucky to spend only six months there. Some people spent five years.”

Nhon, who had not yet met his future wife, travelled six days by ocean from Vietnam, then spent one and a half years in a similar refugee camp in the Philippines.

Homeowners Are Not Lottery Winners

From such traumatic beginnings, they are now parents of an adult son and mortgaged Surrey homeowners. Being accused of “winning the lottery” for owning a home—and targeted for more home taxes by a UBC academic or the federal government—is punishing people for their hard work, she says.

Recalling their arrival to Canada in Winnipeg—Nhon in 1982 and Hoa in 1984—Hoa emphasized: “Each of us had nothing: no money, no job, no family, no friends. Language was also a great barrier. We couldn’t understand when people talked.” Hoa does acknowledge she received initial help from the Canadian government, which loaned her funds for an airline ticket from the refugee camp to Winnipeg—money she later repaid. Her future husband, Nhon, was sponsored by a Canadian church.

They both learned English and eventually settled in Ontario, where they met, married, and had a child. “My husband worked two jobs to support us and his parents in Vietnam. I worked part-time, paid for daycare for my young son, and went to school full-time, graduating from a three-year college IT program, followed by accounting and payroll certifications.”

Feeling indebted to her new home country, Hoa seized opportunities to give back. “I volunteered at the church and helped at the Salvation Army soup kitchen for the homeless.” Eventually, her husband’s and son’s asthma and other health challenges forced them to move from Ontario to the milder climate of Metro Vancouver, where they rented an apartment. Even then, the cost of living in B.C. was very high, a province where some quip BC stands for “Bring Cash.”

Even then, the cost of living in B.C. was very high—the province where some quip BC stands for “Bring Cash.”

“We tried to save money by buying sale-priced food, seldom eating out, and relying on homemade meals. We didn’t travel much—we just went camping. I cut my husband’s and son’s hair. We rented movies instead of going to theatres,” says Hoa.

After 12 years of renting in Canada, they saved enough for a down payment on a small, older two-bedroom condo in Surrey.

$20K Leaky Condo Repair Cost Added to Mortgage

During their 17 years in the condo, they also endured the leaky condo crisis of the late 1990s. A poorly designed and legislated B.C. Building Code—modelled on a drier, California-style climate—led to widespread construction defects, with the Lower Mainland’s rain and moisture causing mold and significant water damage in condo walls.

Like many others affected, this family had to borrow an additional $20,000 on top of their existing mortgage to cover repair costs required to meet new building standards. As they struggled with these unexpected expenses, they also raised their son and paid for his post-secondary accounting education. To help offset costs, their son secured a part-time job.

Hard Work to Proud Homeowners

After years of frugal living—paying condo insurance, mortgage debt, property taxes, and maintenance costs—they were eventually able to sell their condo and trade up. They used that equity to purchase a modest single-family home in Surrey, with a small yard and vegetable garden they tend regularly, helping reduce grocery bills during the growing season.

Solving the Housing Crisis

Having been both renters and homeowners, they understand the frustration of those who cannot yet afford to buy their first home. However, they question why governments, instead of solving the problem, make it worse by adding more costs to homeownership through taxes.

Federal Government (CMHC) Funds Research into Annual "Equity Taxes" on Homeowners

A recent federal government plan funding research into a potential tax on home equity in principal residences is a development they find alarming.

“Forcing us to take on more debt to pay taxes doesn’t help housing affordability or enable first-time buyers to save for a down payment. Why not encourage more rent-to-own options? Or remove some of the government taxes and regulations that add up to $644K in a single-family home price in Vancouver?” Coming from Vietnam—a country where more people share smaller spaces—Hoa and Nhon also question why governments do not allow more housing options on scarce land.

“If we could build a duplex or a couple of townhomes on our single-family lot, that would help my son and his future family live near us. Then we could assist with childcare.”

At a time when the global pandemic has reduced incomes and investments, and governments seek new tax revenue, Hoa worries homeowners are convenient targets. She says she is now on the “‘Freedom 95’ program. I’ll likely be working into my 90s to pay all the growing taxes. All our lives, we have been fiscally responsible. We don’t spend money we don’t have or rely on credit card debt. Homeowners should not be treated as bank machines to fund excessive government spending.”

I’ll likely be working into my 90s to pay all the growing taxes. All our lives, we have been fiscally responsible. We don’t spend money we don’t have or rely on credit card debt. Homeowners should not be treated as bank machines to fund excessive government spending.”

She cautions against assumptions: “Don’t assume you’re wealthy just because you own a home. We came here without money—not a dime. We worked very hard and saved for a down payment. My husband’s health has declined, so he can’t work anymore. I’m still working two jobs to pay our mortgage, take care of our son, and plan for our future.”

Ironically, the single-family home they purchased a few years ago was built in 1982—the same year Hoa’s future husband arrived in Winnipeg with a dream of freedom in a country that once encouraged homeownership as a path to financial security. New housing taxes now put that hard-earned dream in peril. We welcome your thoughts. Please take our poll!

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