At 11 years old, K. Luan Tran boarded an overcrowded boat and fled Vietnam. It was 1981, and his father, a college professor educated in the U.S., was just released from the “re-education camp” run by the Vietnamese communist government.  

Lost while traversing the South China Sea, their small boat was facing a incoming storm and began to take on water but miraculously, a ship chartered by Doctors Without Borders alumni, the Port de Lumière, or “Port of Light,” rescued them. 

After one year in a refugee camp in the Philippines, Luan – as he has always been known – and his father were resettled in Canada.  

“It was like I had a new lease on life,” Luan said. But this new beginning came with a cost.  

The most difficult part of the journey, he said, was leaving his mother and sister behind. There was not enough space or resources for them to leave together, and safety concerns forced the family to make the painful decision to separate.  The family was eventually reunited in Canada after a four-year separation.   

“It’s easier for kids, I think; they can adapt more easily,” Luan said, reflecting on his transition into Canadian life. Though, he also admitted, he couldn’t imagine putting his teenage son, Tyler, in the same boat today. Luan eventually went to law schools in Canada and the U.S. and began practicing law in Los Angeles in 1997.  

Luan and Tyler found themselves in Washington, DC, this spring for college tours. Tyler attends high school in Massachusetts and, as a rising senior, is whittling down his list and preparing applications. 

Their visit coincided with JRS/USA’s 10th annual Advocacy Day, so the two stopped by the JRS/USA office to share their stories, participate in advocacy efforts by visiting the offices of members of Congress, and discuss how they could help JRS programs in Thailand – a place close to their hearts.   

Luan and JRS/USA President Kelly Ryan have known one another for more than 20 years. In the early 2000’s, they worked together, Kelly as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Luan as a volunteer attorney helping resettle some 3,000 stateless Vietnamese who had spent more than 10 years in a refugee camp in the Philippines. 

Luan described the moment when Kelly called into the camp with the news. Members of the community had gathered to spend the evening catching up and singing. “I will never forget,” he said.

Two summers ago, Luan and Tyler visited Bangkok. They met with and interviewed many refugees.

“What haunted me the most was the hopelessness,” Tyler remarked.  

Luan reflected on the sadness he saw in some children’s eyes. “At times, I would look at them and realize that it could have so easily been us in this same situation,” he said.    

Struck by what he saw and learned, Tyler was determined to return the following summer.  He got an internship with the JRS office in Bangkok. “My whole family were refugees once,” Tyler said, explaining his motivations, “and though [my father] did everything to make my childhood the opposite of his, this is still a major component of my story and how we got to where we are today.”  

Luan’s pride and love for his son shone through the conversation.  

“I’ve always known he was a compassionate person; it is something he was born with,” Luan said. “We try to teach him the right things, but seeing his work in Bangkok, his continued commitment to help people, and his compassion – that, as a father, is the proudest I can feel.”

Upon returning to the United States, Tyler started a nonprofit organization to accompany recently resettled refugees. The name of his organization, created through Welcome Corps, is Port of Light, after the ship that saved his father.  

“A lot of my friends will say their heroes and idols are people like Michael Jordan or Lebron James, but mine is truly my dad,” Tyler said. “He has taught me everything about perseverance and persistence. Because of him, I know how to keep going.” 

Focusing on the immediate future, this father-son duo is putting their energy into fundraising to help respond to the devastating cuts to US foreign assistance. Luan recently worked with Medical, Educational Missions and Outreach (MEMO), a non-profit organization comprising of Vietnamese-American college students and healthcare professionals, to raise $20,000 for JRS Thailand. Tyler has raised an additional $9,000.  

Long term, they are both hopeful that the global perception and discourse surrounding forcibly displaced people will become more accepting, understanding, and compassionate.  

“I am hopeful for the day when people stop scapegoating refugees,” Luan said.  

At his high school, in addition to fundraising, Tyler is raising awareness of the stories of refugees. He also plans to create a JRS Action Team to continue advocating nationally and serving locally. 

And to individuals now in the same shoes Luan once wore, Luan offered this message: 

“Never lose hope. Despite all the obstacles you’re facing, there are always good people out there. You have to maintain hope for yourself and for your children.”