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Vietnamese Refugee narratives #1
Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War
Tuyet used to dream of being adopted. But the Saigon orphanage is full of perfect babies and toddlers. Who would ever want an older girl with a club foot? Tuyet is resigned to caring for the babies, hoping that she will be allowed to stay if she continues to make herself useful. But then, in the closing days of the Vietnam War, the city is invaded and no one is safe. Tuyet and fifty-six other orphans are put on an airplane bound for North America. Tuyet is thrilled to find a new friend in Linh, another refugee on the flight, but her happiness is short-lived. Once they arrive in their new country, the babies, the younger children and finally Linh are adopted, leaving Tuyet alone and terrified. If no one claims her, will she at least be allowed to earn her keep caring for other people's children? Or will she be returned to Vietnam and a life of peril? A true story based on personal interviews and enhanced with archive photos, Last Airlift is an emotional and suspenseful journey brought to life by the award-winning children's author, Marsha Skrypuch.
120 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2011
23 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
33 books911 followersMarsha Skrypuch is an internationally bestselling children’s author whose books span a century of wars from a kid’s view, concentrating on those stories that have been erased by oppressive regimes. Her best-known book is Making Bombs for Hitler. Her most recent is the Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy. She has received death threats and honors for her writing. Marsha lives in Brantford, Ontario, Canada and you can visit her online at calla.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
January 20, 2013
Hey, it's a kids book, right? But it has an impressive nomination in the author's home province as a Red Maple nomination. An enjoyable read: she had me at Chapter One: "Tuyet could not remember a time before the orphanage" Chapter Ten I was wiping away tears. 'Nuff said.
December 31, 2011
What I love about Marsha Skrypuch’s writing is how she explores stories often considered too complex, too controversial or too emotionally-charged for a book. Then she addresses these stories to children – delivering them openly with respect and candor and with their deepest humanity intact so that each reader, child or grown-up, can access them at a level appropriate to her own understanding.
In Last Airlift, Skrypuch tells the true story of Son Thi Anh Tuyet, one of the orphans airlifted from South Vietnam to Canada before the fall of Saigon in 1975. Having lived her entire life in war-torn Vietnam, Tuyet has no recollection of life outside the orphanage and, indeed, has never seen the sky. She is packaged into a van and then an airplane bound for Toronto, not knowing where she is going or even why. This young girl is a strong, admirable character, determined to prove herself in an unfamiliar and frightening situation.
Finding the voice of eight-year-old Tuyet, Skrypuch writes in a manner that speaks directly to young audiences. She includes details that help readers see things from Tuyet’s perspective, like her confusion about how to use toothpaste or how to play on a swing. The material, however, is something that most adults could learn something by reading as well. Like Stolen Child, another favourite of mine by this author, Last Airlift left me deeply moved and enlightened.
In Last Airlift, Skrypuch tells the true story of Son Thi Anh Tuyet, one of the orphans airlifted from South Vietnam to Canada before the fall of Saigon in 1975. Having lived her entire life in war-torn Vietnam, Tuyet has no recollection of life outside the orphanage and, indeed, has never seen the sky. She is packaged into a van and then an airplane bound for Toronto, not knowing where she is going or even why. This young girl is a strong, admirable character, determined to prove herself in an unfamiliar and frightening situation.
Finding the voice of eight-year-old Tuyet, Skrypuch writes in a manner that speaks directly to young audiences. She includes details that help readers see things from Tuyet’s perspective, like her confusion about how to use toothpaste or how to play on a swing. The material, however, is something that most adults could learn something by reading as well. Like Stolen Child, another favourite of mine by this author, Last Airlift left me deeply moved and enlightened.
December 7, 2021
I learned so much about life for Vietnamese refugees from this book. The inclusion of photos brings the story to life and makes it that much more tangible.
December 27, 2022
A short and uplifting story that gives you a glimpse into a life of a young girl. A real life rescue with a happy ending.
April 20, 2021
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is an incredible author who has written books about World War 2 and the events that happened after. I love reading her books, whether they are about the Vietnamese orphans or children who get left behind during or after the war or the European children who are stuck in concentration camps.
The Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War focuses on a young orphan girl named Tuyet, who gets chosen to come to Canada and flee the tragedies of the upcoming Vietnam War. Tuyet faces challenges including polio and grief due towards all the friends she left behind in the convent. This true story sparked a deep amount of courage in me. How was Tuyet so brave to become a helper in the face of adversity? Her childlike innocence and even ignorance of Canadian customs such as toothbrushes and kernels of corn amused me.
Tuyet has become a recent hero of mine. But her story, is one of the few happy endings after the events of the Vietnam War. I am sorry to say that many children were killed or severely harmed during the events of this time, most of them were left behind in Vietnam.
The plane that Tuyet mentions in the book was most likely the plane that was supposed to accomplish "Operation Babylift". Unfortunately, this plane crashed before takeoff (like the one Tuyet mentions in the book, and the one Marsha mentions in the Historical Note). Many of the orphans and care workers died on this flight.
But Tuyet's story reminds me and others that read this amazing book that their are happy endings in the most terrible of times. Tuyet's courage, and the Morris's (the family that adopted Tuyet) are so inspiring, and I hope that you get the same good feeling I did when you read this incredible story.
If you do enjoy this book, I recommend reading Too Young To Escape, which is about a Vietnamese toddler that gets left behind due to the fact that she is too young to travel with her family by boat and Making Bombs for Hitler which is about a girl who gets sent to work for Nazis at a concentration camp. Both of these books are by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch.
The Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War focuses on a young orphan girl named Tuyet, who gets chosen to come to Canada and flee the tragedies of the upcoming Vietnam War. Tuyet faces challenges including polio and grief due towards all the friends she left behind in the convent. This true story sparked a deep amount of courage in me. How was Tuyet so brave to become a helper in the face of adversity? Her childlike innocence and even ignorance of Canadian customs such as toothbrushes and kernels of corn amused me.
Tuyet has become a recent hero of mine. But her story, is one of the few happy endings after the events of the Vietnam War. I am sorry to say that many children were killed or severely harmed during the events of this time, most of them were left behind in Vietnam.
The plane that Tuyet mentions in the book was most likely the plane that was supposed to accomplish "Operation Babylift". Unfortunately, this plane crashed before takeoff (like the one Tuyet mentions in the book, and the one Marsha mentions in the Historical Note). Many of the orphans and care workers died on this flight.
But Tuyet's story reminds me and others that read this amazing book that their are happy endings in the most terrible of times. Tuyet's courage, and the Morris's (the family that adopted Tuyet) are so inspiring, and I hope that you get the same good feeling I did when you read this incredible story.
If you do enjoy this book, I recommend reading Too Young To Escape, which is about a Vietnamese toddler that gets left behind due to the fact that she is too young to travel with her family by boat and Making Bombs for Hitler which is about a girl who gets sent to work for Nazis at a concentration camp. Both of these books are by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2013
April 1975: Saignon, the capital city of South Vietnam is in an awful situation. First of all, it's about to be overtaken by North Vietnam. And there are many children without parents. Like Tuyet, who resides at an orphanage in Saignon. Her 'job' is to look after the babies, and make herself useful. But will she ever get adopted, and have a real and loving family? It's unlikely, because she's not that young, and she has a weak leg. Fortunately, the last airlift mission from Canada will transport 57 lucky orphans to a safe country without constant battles. Tuyet is one of those orphans. Was it mere luck, or is her future set to exist in Canada? And will she ever have a family?
Tuyet is completely alone now, her 'special boy' has stayed back at the orphanage. But she meets a new friend, Linh, who is also a refugee on the flight. When they safely get to Canada, the children are sent to the Surrey Place, with many babies and kids of different ages. But will Tuyet ever be adopted, or will she always be helping around the helpless babies?
This non-fiction novel has a zealous and impassioned plot, with inspirational characters and a wonderful historical touch. I would recommend this book to anyone who admires heroes, and cares about the past. I think that a lot of people (especially who lived during the war) would be able to connect to their own life and also other texts because this book has simple language and emotional context.
Tuyet is completely alone now, her 'special boy' has stayed back at the orphanage. But she meets a new friend, Linh, who is also a refugee on the flight. When they safely get to Canada, the children are sent to the Surrey Place, with many babies and kids of different ages. But will Tuyet ever be adopted, or will she always be helping around the helpless babies?
This non-fiction novel has a zealous and impassioned plot, with inspirational characters and a wonderful historical touch. I would recommend this book to anyone who admires heroes, and cares about the past. I think that a lot of people (especially who lived during the war) would be able to connect to their own life and also other texts because this book has simple language and emotional context.
November 11, 2011
Marsha Skrypuch's novels never disappoint, and the same can be said for this, her first work of non-fiction. Last Airlift acquaints the reader with the young Tuyet, an eight-year-old living in a Vietnamese orphanage in 1975. Tuyet has a damaged leg, and has given up on being chosen for adoption. When the war threatens the safety of the orphans, they are transported to a new world, and this is where Skrypuch's prose shines brightest. One can feel the nervousness, the excitement, the wonder and the fears of leaving behind all that is familiar and going to a land where the future is unknown. Tuyet hopes for the best, but she does not hope too hard. Life has shown her that this can only lead to disappointment - but things are about to change for this courageous child. I recommend this book for children and adults alike - it is a lovely story, told with simple grace
November 24, 2014
Encouraging story of one older girl who was airlifted out of Vietnam just before Saigon fell during the Vietnam War. She was taken to Canada and adopted by a loving family. The story begins during her last day at the orphanage and continues through the first few weeks of her time in Canada after she was adopted.
February 6, 2013
I thought this book was very warming. It started off as a sad story about this little girl to an overwhelming story of how this little girl is able to have a normal and safe life because of these men and wemon who have saved her from this dark and scary place.
August 22, 2021
This is a wonderful book, inspiring and heartwarming, a great read for everyone but especially upper elementary grades and English language learners.
Read
May 1, 2019Last airlift written by marsha forckuk skrypuch
As Saigon was falling to the North Vietnamese in April 1975, those who were caring for babies and children orphaned by the war worried about the fate of their charges. A series of evacuation flights called “Operation Babylift” carried several thousand young children to other countries around the world.
the author tells the story of the last Canadian airlift through the memories of one child, Son Thi Anh Tuyet. Nearly 8 years old, the sad-eyed girl on the cover had lived nearly all her life in a Catholic orphanage. With no warning, she and a number of the institution babies were taken away, placed on an airplane and flown to a new world. Tuyet’s memories provide poignant, specific details. The nuns expected her to be useful; she helped with the babies. Naturally, she assumed that John and Dorothy Morris had chosen her to help with their three children; instead, she had acquired a family. In an afterword, the author describes her research, including personal interviews and newspaper accounts from the time. But Tuyet’s experience is her focus. It personalizes the babylift without sensationalizing it. The author has researched carefully and reported accurately, except where South Vietnam’s soldiers are called Viet Cong.
As Saigon was falling to the North Vietnamese in April 1975, those who were caring for babies and children orphaned by the war worried about the fate of their charges. A series of evacuation flights called “Operation Babylift” carried several thousand young children to other countries around the world.
the author tells the story of the last Canadian airlift through the memories of one child, Son Thi Anh Tuyet. Nearly 8 years old, the sad-eyed girl on the cover had lived nearly all her life in a Catholic orphanage. With no warning, she and a number of the institution babies were taken away, placed on an airplane and flown to a new world. Tuyet’s memories provide poignant, specific details. The nuns expected her to be useful; she helped with the babies. Naturally, she assumed that John and Dorothy Morris had chosen her to help with their three children; instead, she had acquired a family. In an afterword, the author describes her research, including personal interviews and newspaper accounts from the time. But Tuyet’s experience is her focus. It personalizes the babylift without sensationalizing it. The author has researched carefully and reported accurately, except where South Vietnam’s soldiers are called Viet Cong.
December 10, 2017
Excellent book to read out loud to grades 3 and up. Makes you appreciate what you have.
June 10, 2018
Excellent for the school library. It would be a good read aloud for 4th grade.
October 17, 2016
Worldview: Universally Acceptable
Age:
Read Aloud - 8 yrs +
Independent Reader - 10 yrs +
Setting:
Location - Saigon, South Vietnam, Brantford, Ontario
Time Period - 1975
Review:
Tuyet, an 8-year-old girl growing up in an orphanage in Saigon, South Vietnam, has
never seen the stars. She lives indoors in overcrowded and under supplied conditions, never
going out. She has no memory before the orphanage, only scars that remind her to be afraid.
With no warning many babies are quickly placed in boxes and loaded into a van.
Despite being older, Tuyet is loaded with the babies. Together with fifty-seven babies and
children she is taken onto a cargo plane and transported to Canada.
Tuyet’s leg is deformed from polio and painful, but she is determined to be useful. Afraid
of what will become of her if she cannot work, she helps care for the babies. After medical
attention in a Canadian hospital, the children are adopted one by one. When a family comes for
her, Tuyet must overcome her fear of abandonment and realize that her new family want her as
their child, not their servant. She experiences a whole new world she never knew existed.
Teacher Application:
This is a wonderful opportunity to look at Canada in a more global light. Canada has played
an important humanitarian roll in much of modern history.
Refugees and their desperate need for asylum are subjects each Canadian should
understand. In light of current events this book would be a timely way to discuss this subject. It
is important to balance this book by emphasizing the importance of having a safe place for
arriving refugees. Children need to understand that there is a process which must take place
to ensure every refugee who arrives in Canada can have basic needs met.
For more information on Canada’s role in the Vietnam war, see:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/rewind/the-vi...
Parental Warning:
This is the story of a child from a war torn country. The story itself is not graphic, but it is
unsettling subject matter.
The Historical Note explains the reason an older child like Tuyet was rescued was that the
South was on the brink of falling to the Communist North. All Vietnamese-American children
as well as any ill or deformed children were being executed by the North.
In the story Tuyet sees a crashed plane as she boards the Hercules. The Historical Note
explains that this plane was the first Operation Babylift plane. It crashed shortly after takeoff
killing 78 children and 35 aide workers.
Age:
Read Aloud - 8 yrs +
Independent Reader - 10 yrs +
Setting:
Location - Saigon, South Vietnam, Brantford, Ontario
Time Period - 1975
Review:
Tuyet, an 8-year-old girl growing up in an orphanage in Saigon, South Vietnam, has
never seen the stars. She lives indoors in overcrowded and under supplied conditions, never
going out. She has no memory before the orphanage, only scars that remind her to be afraid.
With no warning many babies are quickly placed in boxes and loaded into a van.
Despite being older, Tuyet is loaded with the babies. Together with fifty-seven babies and
children she is taken onto a cargo plane and transported to Canada.
Tuyet’s leg is deformed from polio and painful, but she is determined to be useful. Afraid
of what will become of her if she cannot work, she helps care for the babies. After medical
attention in a Canadian hospital, the children are adopted one by one. When a family comes for
her, Tuyet must overcome her fear of abandonment and realize that her new family want her as
their child, not their servant. She experiences a whole new world she never knew existed.
Teacher Application:
This is a wonderful opportunity to look at Canada in a more global light. Canada has played
an important humanitarian roll in much of modern history.
Refugees and their desperate need for asylum are subjects each Canadian should
understand. In light of current events this book would be a timely way to discuss this subject. It
is important to balance this book by emphasizing the importance of having a safe place for
arriving refugees. Children need to understand that there is a process which must take place
to ensure every refugee who arrives in Canada can have basic needs met.
For more information on Canada’s role in the Vietnam war, see:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/rewind/the-vi...
Parental Warning:
This is the story of a child from a war torn country. The story itself is not graphic, but it is
unsettling subject matter.
The Historical Note explains the reason an older child like Tuyet was rescued was that the
South was on the brink of falling to the Communist North. All Vietnamese-American children
as well as any ill or deformed children were being executed by the North.
In the story Tuyet sees a crashed plane as she boards the Hercules. The Historical Note
explains that this plane was the first Operation Babylift plane. It crashed shortly after takeoff
killing 78 children and 35 aide workers.
May 22, 2017
Marsha Skrypuch has written a book about a young Vietnamese girl, Tuyet, who was orphaned as a result of the Viet Nam war. Her true story is told through the memories and stories she has shared with the author.
Her tragic story has a happy ending as she was airlifted with a group of other orphans and brought to Canada where she was adopted by a caring and loving family. Tuyet had to adjust to her role as 'child' in the family and not 'helper' as was her role in the orphanage.
The book is a quick read and similar in story to the book by Thanh Campbell's book "Orphan 32".
Her tragic story has a happy ending as she was airlifted with a group of other orphans and brought to Canada where she was adopted by a caring and loving family. Tuyet had to adjust to her role as 'child' in the family and not 'helper' as was her role in the orphanage.
The book is a quick read and similar in story to the book by Thanh Campbell's book "Orphan 32".
October 17, 2011
Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan’s Rescue from War by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
In Last Airlift, Marsha Skrypuch gives a voice to the experience of Vietnamese orphan Son Thi Anh Tuyet. Tuyet was one of 57 babies and children awaiting adoption in an orphanage in the closing days of the Vietnam War. At eight, Tuyet is older than the other orphans; she’s a girl; and she limps due to a bout with polio. It is the latter that makes Tuyet certain that she will be left behind when a transport arrives to airlift the orphans to safety as the enemy captures Saigon.
But Tuyet is not left behind and she is not taken onboard to mind the babies, as she thinks. Life has a great surprise in store for her — the warm and loving Morris family. The Morris’s have already adopted two other children as well as giving birth to one of their own. One gets the sense that the entire family has a heart the size of the great outdoors. Their generosity makes the difference between a joy-filled life and a sorrowful one for young Tuyet, and for the adult who now lives in the author’s hometown of Brantford, Ontario.
Skrypuch’s prose is intimate and compelling, the many personal touches make the story come alive. It takes a while for Tuyet to get her head around the fact that she belongs to a family now and it is no longer her job to take care of the others. When she first arrives, she sleeps on the floor because she isn’t used to sleeping in her own room on her very own bed. The younger children in the family invite her into their room and into their lives, in the same way as their parents, Dorothy and John Morris.
Last Airlift is based on personal interviews conducted by the author with Tuyet. Both dialogue and many wonderful photographs enliven the story. Young readers will find Last Airlift suspenseful and interesting. It will take them to a time and place they may not have heard of, but which will resonate for them through Tuyet’s longing for a family to call her own.
In Last Airlift, Marsha Skrypuch gives a voice to the experience of Vietnamese orphan Son Thi Anh Tuyet. Tuyet was one of 57 babies and children awaiting adoption in an orphanage in the closing days of the Vietnam War. At eight, Tuyet is older than the other orphans; she’s a girl; and she limps due to a bout with polio. It is the latter that makes Tuyet certain that she will be left behind when a transport arrives to airlift the orphans to safety as the enemy captures Saigon.
But Tuyet is not left behind and she is not taken onboard to mind the babies, as she thinks. Life has a great surprise in store for her — the warm and loving Morris family. The Morris’s have already adopted two other children as well as giving birth to one of their own. One gets the sense that the entire family has a heart the size of the great outdoors. Their generosity makes the difference between a joy-filled life and a sorrowful one for young Tuyet, and for the adult who now lives in the author’s hometown of Brantford, Ontario.
Skrypuch’s prose is intimate and compelling, the many personal touches make the story come alive. It takes a while for Tuyet to get her head around the fact that she belongs to a family now and it is no longer her job to take care of the others. When she first arrives, she sleeps on the floor because she isn’t used to sleeping in her own room on her very own bed. The younger children in the family invite her into their room and into their lives, in the same way as their parents, Dorothy and John Morris.
Last Airlift is based on personal interviews conducted by the author with Tuyet. Both dialogue and many wonderful photographs enliven the story. Young readers will find Last Airlift suspenseful and interesting. It will take them to a time and place they may not have heard of, but which will resonate for them through Tuyet’s longing for a family to call her own.
September 20, 2020
Tuyet is among the oldest children in a Saigon orphanage during the Vietnam War and is, miraculously, among the 57 children who make it onto a plane headed for Canada as the city fell into North Vietnamese hands. Because she has a physical handicap and is so much older than the cute and cuddly toddlers and infants, Tuyet is sure that she will spend her years in just another orphanage, albeit one without fighting and bombs all around her. Skrypuch's story of this young girl is based on interviews with her as well as documents and photos from her life, which are included throughout the book. My 5th grade library patrons can't get enough of this author's WWII historical fiction and I maintain a waiting list on most of them. Her books about Armenian refugee, Aram, however, do not get the same attention. I am hopeful that Tuyet's story will have the appeal that Making Bombs for Hitler, Stolen Girl, and War Below do. With its raw emotion, uplifting and encouraging message of "A Home for Everyone," and the primary sources pictured, it absolutely should be well circulated. And to encourage that, this librarian, who usually is very meticulous about cataloguing and shelving books strictly by their Dewey classification, may actually shelf it with Skrypuch's historical fiction offerings to ensure that it is noticed more often!!! Libraries with patrons who flock to Skrypuch's books, who need more resources on the conflicts in Vietnam, or examples of primary sources should consider finding this book. Given its 2011 copyright date, the usual book venders for libraries may not have it, but there are many used copies available through that a variety of online retailers.
Note: See below for author Marsha F Skrypuch’s note about this book’s re-release.
Note: See below for author Marsha F Skrypuch’s note about this book’s re-release.
December 31, 2011
What I love about Marsha Skrypuch’s writing is how she explores stories often considered too complex, too controversial or too emotionally-charged for a book. Then she addresses these stories to children – delivering them openly with respect and candor and with their deepest humanity intact so that each reader, child or grown-up, can access them at a level appropriate to her own understanding.
In Last Airlift, Skrypuch tells the true story of Son Thi Anh Tuyet, one of the orphans airlifted from South Vietnam to Canada before the fall of Saigon in 1975. Having lived her entire life in war-torn Vietnam, Tuyet has no recollection of life outside the orphanage and, indeed, has never seen the sky. She is packaged into a van and then an airplane bound for Toronto, not knowing where she is going or even why. This young girl is a strong, admirable character, determined to prove herself in an unfamiliar and frightening situation.
Finding the voice of eight-year-old Tuyet, Skrypuch writes in a manner that speaks directly to young audiences. She includes details that help readers see things from Tuyet’s perspective, like her confusion about how to use toothpaste or how to play on a swing. The material, however, is something that most adults could learn something by reading as well. Like Stolen Child, another favourite of mine by this author, Last Airlift left me deeply moved and enlightened.
In Last Airlift, Skrypuch tells the true story of Son Thi Anh Tuyet, one of the orphans airlifted from South Vietnam to Canada before the fall of Saigon in 1975. Having lived her entire life in war-torn Vietnam, Tuyet has no recollection of life outside the orphanage and, indeed, has never seen the sky. She is packaged into a van and then an airplane bound for Toronto, not knowing where she is going or even why. This young girl is a strong, admirable character, determined to prove herself in an unfamiliar and frightening situation.
Finding the voice of eight-year-old Tuyet, Skrypuch writes in a manner that speaks directly to young audiences. She includes details that help readers see things from Tuyet’s perspective, like her confusion about how to use toothpaste or how to play on a swing. The material, however, is something that most adults could learn something by reading as well. Like Stolen Child, another favourite of mine by this author, Last Airlift left me deeply moved and enlightened.
June 29, 2012
This slim (99-page) volume was recommended in one review for ages 10-15 years. I don't know if teens would read it (although I'm in my mid-fifties and I liked it a lot). The story, about the last Canadian airlift out of Saigon when the city is crumbling, can hardly NOT be exciting, but its language and the treatment of its subject matter is gentle, which makes it a great read for the higher elementary grades and middle school but teens might find it a bit "young."
It's a really great story about 8-year-old, Tuyet, who is scarred, missing a finger, and has a twisted foot. She had polio very young. She remembers nothing of her life before the orphanage. She was visited, for awhile, by a woman and young boy, but has no idea who they were. Tuyet has suppressed virtually all memories of her childhood prior to the airlift so a detailed story could not be written. Precious few photos of her at that time exist but three or four are included in the book along with some general pics of the airlift.
It is so very interesting to see Western life, and even its environment, through Tuyet's eyes. The things that confuse and surprise her were charming.
Airlifting orphans from a war-ravaged country aside, this is an uplifting and loving book and recommended reading.
It's a really great story about 8-year-old, Tuyet, who is scarred, missing a finger, and has a twisted foot. She had polio very young. She remembers nothing of her life before the orphanage. She was visited, for awhile, by a woman and young boy, but has no idea who they were. Tuyet has suppressed virtually all memories of her childhood prior to the airlift so a detailed story could not be written. Precious few photos of her at that time exist but three or four are included in the book along with some general pics of the airlift.
It is so very interesting to see Western life, and even its environment, through Tuyet's eyes. The things that confuse and surprise her were charming.
Airlifting orphans from a war-ravaged country aside, this is an uplifting and loving book and recommended reading.
May 6, 2013
If you love history, or like to read about true life stories, you’re going to love this book.
This is Tuyet. She is 8 years old, and she is an orphan. She knows nothing outside the walls of her orphanage in the Vietnamese city of Saigon (now the city of Ho Chi Minh), and she has never looked up to see the sky over her head. (Map showing how far Saigon is from United States on Powerpoint) Though Tuyet suffers from polio, a disease that makes it hard for her to walk, she helps around the orphanage as much as she can, playing with toddlers and putting babies to sleep. The sounds of war raging around her are nothing new.
Tuyet’s real-life adventure truly starts on April 11th, 1975, when American soldiers whisk her and 56 other orphans away from the only home they have ever known to live a new life in Canada. A life far away from the Vietnam War and all of its suffering. But Tuyet’s troubles are only just beginning. What will happen to her in this new land? Will she be all alone in a strange place? Who would want an older girl with a limp when they could have a perfectly healthy baby? Will she ever find a place that feels like home?
8,651 Miles from Toronto to Ho Chi Minh
8,748 Miles from Chicago to Ho Chi Minh
This is Tuyet. She is 8 years old, and she is an orphan. She knows nothing outside the walls of her orphanage in the Vietnamese city of Saigon (now the city of Ho Chi Minh), and she has never looked up to see the sky over her head. (Map showing how far Saigon is from United States on Powerpoint) Though Tuyet suffers from polio, a disease that makes it hard for her to walk, she helps around the orphanage as much as she can, playing with toddlers and putting babies to sleep. The sounds of war raging around her are nothing new.
Tuyet’s real-life adventure truly starts on April 11th, 1975, when American soldiers whisk her and 56 other orphans away from the only home they have ever known to live a new life in Canada. A life far away from the Vietnam War and all of its suffering. But Tuyet’s troubles are only just beginning. What will happen to her in this new land? Will she be all alone in a strange place? Who would want an older girl with a limp when they could have a perfectly healthy baby? Will she ever find a place that feels like home?
8,651 Miles from Toronto to Ho Chi Minh
8,748 Miles from Chicago to Ho Chi Minh
June 10, 2014
This is a nonfiction book that tells Tuyet’s story. She was one of the many orphan’s living with missionaries in South Vietnam. Due to the fact that she had a disability, her and the babies living in the orphanage were boxed and flown out of Vietnam to Canada for safety. The author describes in the historical note at the end of the book that North Vietnamese soldiers would kill any of the children who could not be given to families and brought up as Communists. She left on the last refugee flight out of South Vietnam. Tuyet was adopted by a Canadian family, who had two other adopted children and another child of their own. The story describes the unbelievable kindness of the family, and Tuyet’s journey of trying to adapt to this new life of being a child. This book also includes lots of photographs and other resources for teachers to find more information about the Vietnam babylift.
April 6, 2012
A well written account of 8 year old Tuyet’s flight from Vietnam in the midst of the war. Because she had polio she was destined to be euthanized along with other sick orphans, but instead it was arranged that she would take the last of the famous babylift flights to Canada. Shortly after arriving in Toronto she was adopted by a family who already had 2 adopted children. The photographs throughout the text really help the story to come alive, but the language is quite easy to read - you could probably finish this book in an hour. I really enjoyed the Canadian content of this book, as well as viewing something as well known as the Vietnam War through the first accounts of a child.
August 28, 2012
I found this first-person account of the Baby Airlift from Saigon in 1975 quite fascinating. I learned from the Author's Note that Tuyet recalled things as she worked with the author on this book, and I marveled at the author's ability to capture the feelings that 8-year-old Tuyet had during this difficult time in her life. Tuyet had no idea what was happening when she was singled out to leave the only home she could recall, a Catholic orphanage in Saigon. Her disability as a result of polio would have been cause for the invading Viet Cong to kill her, so she was sent to Toronto to give her a chance at life. Poignant photos accompany this biography.
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May 26, 2019This is a well-told story of a time that many of us don't know about. Even though it is told in the third person, the author did a great job of conveying the emotions and drawing the reader into Tuyet's story. The photographs and document clips are well placed and help break up the chapters well. This has some potential as a high interest / low readability book.
Children ages 10 to 13 will find this piece of history both poignant and compelling in this thin, fast read.
Children ages 10 to 13 will find this piece of history both poignant and compelling in this thin, fast read.
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July 23, 2015Yet another piece of history I had heard of but did not know a lot about! In 1975, Saignon, the capital city of South Vietnama was in a horrible situation, about to be overtaken by North Vietnam. There were many children who were orphans, including a girl by the name of Tuyet. She would help at the orphanage she was at, taking care of babies, and eventually became one of the 57 babies and children that was airlifted to Canada for adoption.
The story goes through Tuyet's life, and how she had polio. She was adopted by a Canadian family, where everything was a delight in Tuyet's eyes. The grass, the bed, the food!
If you have a 4-6th grader I would recommend this story!
The story goes through Tuyet's life, and how she had polio. She was adopted by a Canadian family, where everything was a delight in Tuyet's eyes. The grass, the bed, the food!
If you have a 4-6th grader I would recommend this story!
June 19, 2014
We are always looking for more memoirs for our fourth and fifth grade students to choose from during their memoir/biography unit. This one is very accessible and is not long. It is also about a time that doesn't often get focused on for the younger age. The book was written by someone else, but the story is from Tuyet, the girl who was airlifted out of Vietnam. It gives an up close look at what it was like for her to live in a war zone and also some of the difficulties around moving to another country.
This would be a good book to pair with Inside Out and Back Again.
This would be a good book to pair with Inside Out and Back Again.
March 27, 2013
Written from a child's perspective, and in a child's words. The photos and documents accompanying the text emphasize the fact that the story is real, and the historical note at the end puts events into context. The only thing that young readers might be wondering about is whether Tuyet was later on able to use her left leg - one would assume that she must have had reconstructive surgery after coming to Canada. A well written and moving account of a different side of the Vietnam war...
May 18, 2013
A brief but thoughtful look at a girl who was airlifted out of Vietnam at the end of the war, and adopted by a family in Canada. Told in third person but from Tuyet's perspective, this has emotional resonance without feeling manipulative. Photos are included, which help the reader keep the various people clear in his or her mind. A very important part of our history that is not looked at as often as it should be.
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November 4, 2019Well written, impeccably researched book about one young girl's experience in Operation Babylift. I was very touched by the compassion and dignity with which the story was written. I appreciated that the story revolved around the child, not just the aid workers or the adoptive parents.
This is a good book for upper elementary age/middle school readers, too.
This is a good book for upper elementary age/middle school readers, too.
January 4, 2013
Last Airlift is a lovely window on a dark time. Skrypuch's laser-like focus on one orphan's story -- Tuyet's -- gives readers a pure and simple report that is moving and informative. Don't miss the Historical Note and Author's Note at the end of the book.
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