The Mekong Dragon

This is the story of a Vietnamese family's journey from the beautiful city of Saigon, as bombs were being dropped all around, to their new home in Greenville, Tx. It is the American story of balancing a new life and future while honoring and using the 'old ways' to enrich the communities in which they lived. It is Lily's story of her partnership with husband Dinh to provide a foundation of resiliency, creativity, humor, and drive for not only their generation, but also for generations to come. It is also Lily's faith journey. The light of God came to her out of one of the darkest days of her life and it continues to grow and deepen with each new day.

Lily H Trieu was born in Saigon, Vietnam during the turbulent pre-war years of the Vietnam War. Her father was a wealthy and prominent socialite who traveled the world. Her mother was an entrepreneur who built many businesses from a small tailor shop to real estate ventures and a tea plantation in the highlands of Vietnam.
None of that mattered once the Communists began to take over their land. In order to escape the Communist Party (The Democratic Republic of Vietnam), Lily, with her husband, Dinh, their four young children and both sets of parents, with bombs falling all around, fled their beautiful city and home of Saigon the day it fell into the hands of their enemy. Life as they knew it was gone. Their future, their hope, their aspirations were all headed in the direction of the United States. This is their story. It is the story of how immigrants have, for centuries, made this country great. They are part of the spirit that we know as "American."
My husband, Dinh, and I were married for over fifty years. There were times during those years when he was my Prince Charming, the love of my life, my hero. Like most marriages, there were other times when he betrayed me and broke my heart. But most of the time, we were best friends, partners, and future planners. I thought I understood his hopes and dreams, supported him when he was lost, and together, we traveled the journey of life.
Imagine my surprise when on the night he died, he asked to become a Catholic. We had been devout in our belief of ancestor worship. I would never have anticipated ever, such as a request. A visiting priest from our local Vietnamese Catholic Church came that night and baptized Dinh in the name of Jesus Christ, and Dinh died a Catholic complete with Last Rites. He had found his peace. And of all the gifts Dinh had showered me with during with our happy healthy time together, his last hours of pain and suffering, his new acceptance of Jesus our Lord was his greatest gift to me of all.
The Mother of Perpetual Hope Parish embraced their newest widow, and it became my new home, my respite, my healing place. I was shown firsthand the power of Love as I was introduced to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Through the kindness and support of my new church family, I began to study and gain a deeper understanding of God's Grace and how I can continue to live my life with purpose. I feel so blessed to have found my peace, to enjoy the love of my children, and to be a part of the sisters and brothers from the church where now I belong. I understand that I came to know God late in my life. Thank goodness it was not too late. I know I have everything when I have the love of God.