GARDEN GROVE : Workers Help Pay for Man’s Homeland Trip

Because of generosity of his friends and co-workers, Vinh Nguyen will soon see his family in Vietnam for the first time in 19 years.

Nguyen, 25, a custodian at Walton Intermediate School, recently received a $1,100 check from colleagues to help pay for his trip. The employees collected the money after he mentioned to a co-worker that he was saving up for a trip to visit his family, which includes five younger brothers he has never met.

“I was really numb. I just can’t believe that they did this,” Nguyen said during an interview on Tuesday at the school.

“I just mentioned this to a co-worker and then all this was happening,” Nguyen added with a smile and a laugh.

Nguyen’s two-week visit home will begin on June 23, and he plans for it to be a surprise for his family, who lives near Dong Nai.

“I’ll just go into the house and say, ‘It’s me!’ and see what happens then,” he said.

When he was 6, Nguyen fled the county with his grandmother and grew up here, eventually graduating from Bolsa Grande High School.

Last year, his fellow custodian Ron Smith decided to try and help Nguyen pay for the trip by passing along word to other workers on the campus. Smith, a Vietnam veteran, said he felt a kinship with Nguyen because of his own experience in the country and with its people.

Little happened until this May when Smith asked librarian Kathy Lasseter to make an announcement during a staff meeting announcing a drive to help Nguyen.

“I envisioned us getting him a piece of luggage or something, but Ron said, ‘I think he needs money,’ ” Lasseter said.

The day after the announcement, they were astonished to have collected $500.

“We couldn’t believe it. People came in with checks between $10 and $100. People just kind of did it anonymously. I had no idea people would be so generous,” she said.

Dozens of students also chipped in $1 bills on their own to support Nguyen.

The trip is expected to cost about $3,000.

Explaining why he pitched in, Raul Velazquez, 13, said, “He hasn’t seen his parents (in years) and I can’t imagine that. It makes me feel better to help someone in need.”

Nguyen’s visit home is still a few weeks away, but he’s already eagerly anticipating seeing his family.

“I just want to see what kind of people they are, and what kind of lifestyle they’re living. I want to see what they’re like,” he said.”

He added, “I’m losing sleep over this. I can’t wait for the day.”