My Old Man and Me: A story of escape, sacrifice and survival
HarperCollins, 2026
Forty years after Thiet Huynh smuggled his family out of Vietnam, he faces a final challenge: to be cared for by those he once protected. With courage, ingenuity and humour, Thiet and the Huynhs set off on a journey to remake their lives together.
'I have to live,' Dad kept saying to me. And I had to help him.
In 2021 a massive stroke left Thiet in need of constant care and upended life for him and his family, especially for his son Kim.
As Kim washed, transported, medicated, monitored, and fumed at Thiet, he forged a profound connection with the man who had risked everything for them to escape Vietnam and start a new life in Australia.
Together they looked back at how, after their boat crashed, Thiet tried to save Kim's life by giving him up to a stranger. How he was responsible for providing electricity to both South Vietnam and South Canberra. How he taught Kim to run a bakery, ride a bike, and turn defeat into triumph.
This powerful tribute from a son to his father will help you care for your loved ones, look after yourself and to know when to let go.
Endorsed by Carers Australia.
Where The Sea Takes Us: A Vietnamese Australian Story
4th Estate, 2008
A family's sacrifice ... A nation's struggle In the 1970s and 1980s, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese families set out on perilous journeys in rickety boats to escape communist rule and seek out a better life. Kim Huynh's family was one of them. In this unique memoir, Kim traces his parents' precarious lives, from their poor villages in central and southern Vietnam, through relative affluence in Saigon, to their harrowing experiences after the American withdrawal and the fall of Saigon in 1975, which led them to a new life in Australia. As Kim explores his parents' stories, he unveils the tragedy and inner strength of ordinary Vietnamese people struggling to survive in a country beset by colonisation and ravaged by war. this gripping story is not only an invaluable piece of political history, but a moving tribute from a son to his parents. For fans of Ahn Do's The Happiest Refugee and Pauline Nguyen's Secrets of the Red Lantern.
About the Author
Kim Huynh is an academic, broadcaster and author who has been writing about Australian society and politics for over 25 years. His books include Where the Sea Takes Us (HarperCollins, 2008) and Australia's Refugee Politics in the 21st Century (Routledge, 2023). In 2024 he was commissioned by the federal government to draft A Statement from Australia's Carers.
Kim can be heard on ABC Radio Canberra's Sunday Brunch program, which showcases the people and culture of the nation's capital.
