By Chinh Doan

(This story is done in partnership with the URL Collective)

On the morning of April 30, 1975, Loi Van, who was 14 years old, thought she was going to die in Vietnam.

“I heard bombs exploding,” said Loi.

The now 64-year-old Tulsa, Oklahoma resident, reflects on her journey to America and how she turned suffering into business success.

She says she grew up an orphan with no formal education and started working as a child, nannying for a family. She says her job saved her life.

During the Fall of Saigon, she fled on a boat with the family she worked for, carrying the baby she nannied. She says she did not know they would end up in America. She simply thought they were temporarily fleeing bombs and would return to Vietnam.

Everyone on the boat ended up in refugee camps in the Philippines. Then, she and the family she nannied for eventually moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“It was very sad and lonely,” said Loi.

She said they were among the first Vietnamese immigrants in Tulsa, and about 12 of them lived in one home.

She later met her husband, Ut Le, in 1976, and they had a daughter and son.

In the 1980s, after Ut lost his job, the couple opened their first international market, called Nam Hai, named after their children.

“They have been through a lot ever since 1975 to come to America,” said their son, Nam Le, who helps run the family business. He says his parents taught him hard work.

Their first store was the size of a room. Loi said the variety of goods they initially offered, including noodles, was limited.

Supplies would quickly sell out, proving to them there was a need for their services. Their store became so popular that Loi eventually quit her job to focus on their family business.

“I was very happy and proud that our ancestors blessed us with good fortune,” said Loi.

They now own a building that serves as one of the largest shopping strips in Tulsa’s Global District at 21^st and Garnett. Their 50,000-square-foot market is the cornerstone of the diverse area, surrounded by a nail supply store, Vietnamese restaurant (owned by their in-laws) and many Latin businesses.

“I don’t have an education, but I work hard,” said Loi. “We are open seven days a week.”

She says the international market’s success is due to the work ethic ingrained by their Vietnamese heritage and the community’s support, especially from Asian Americans. Reflecting on the 50^th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, Loi says she’s glad she fled. She said staying in Vietnam meant continued suffering. Her new life in America has given her more than she could ever have imagined.

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