Mr. Tuan Tran is a Vietnamese-American shrimper living in Biloxi, Mississippi. Tran was born on July 28, 1963, one of seven children, in Nha Trang, South Vietnam. Mr. Tran’s father died in battle, serving in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, when Mr. Tran was twelve years of age. Upon his father’s death, Mr. Tran quit school to help his mother make a living to support selling produce and other goods in the market. In 1986 Mr. Tran was out fishing when he made a sudden decision to escape Vietnam when approached by others who were escaping. After a treacherous journey of fifteen days, he arrived in the Philippines where he stayed for one year before landing in Austin, Minnesota. In 1988, Mr. Tran moved to Biloxi and began working for a family on their boat in Louisiana waters. He saved enough money to purchase his own boat, Sweet Mary, in 1993. At the time of the interview, Mr. Tran was living on his boat but finding little shrimp in the Mississippi Sound after the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster of 2010. He supports his wife, Thao Phan; son, Quoc Huy Tran; and daughter, Thanh Nga Tran, all of whom still live in Vietnam. His son is a fisherman in Vietnam.

Scope and Content Note:
He discusses life and fishing in Nha Trang, Vietnam; father's death on battlefield as ARVN soldier and difficulties afterwards; going with mother to identify body (burial custom for soldiers); mother sold fruit in market and he started own shop; seven children in family; love for reading; reminiscing with old friends on return trips to Vietnam; brother, wife and 2 children living in Nha Trang; shrimping in MS to support family in Vietnam; son is fisherman in Vietnam; effort to bring them to U.S.; desire for U.S. citizenship; daughter's talents; description of Tet celebration in Vietnam; decision to escape while shrimping in Vietnam; dangerous journey and fishing to survive; route to U.S. through Philippines (one year) and correspondence with family; unfair treatment by Communists after war; pride as fisherman; attachment to Sweet Mary boat where he lives; feels he has been blessed, lucky; adjusting to life in U.S. (Minnesota); confusion with food stamps; impressions of America and Americans; learning English and quitting school to shrimp in Biloxi; daughter's illness; comparing fishing in Vietnam to U.S.; surviving Hurricane Katrina on boat in Industrial Canal; faith and God; personal and community impact of BP oil spill; lack of shrimp and work; uncertainty of livelihood post-oil spill; closing advice to his children.