I quickly sketched a concept for a left hand holding two Vietnamese
children—one standing upright and the other appearing to fly out of the hand.
I explained, "The left hand, near the heart, represents our firm guidance and the
acceptance of the American community, especially toward the young Vietnamese
generations who came to take refuge in the Promised Land of the United States.
It embodies the upward hope of our future Vietnamese generations who aspire to
succeed and contribute to the prosperity of this land of freedom. For this reason, I
named the monument 'Hand of Hope.'"
The project garnered immediate interest from Camp Pendleton's Commanding
General, who wanted to commemorate the significant exodus of Vietnamese
refugees fleeing communism, many of whom arrived first in California after the Fall
of Saigon. Perhaps because of some transcendent connection, my proposal was
quickly accepted by General Paul Graham, who agreed without hesitation.
Incredibly, with just a simple draft, a large monumental sculpture project in the
U.S., worth hundreds of thousands of dollars at that time, began to take shape.
A few days later, a commander from the Marine Corps Engineers and I selected a
location for the monument near Barrack 8, at the entrance of "Tent City." Soon
after, we brought in a large excavator to dig a foundation 8 feet deep and 8 feet
square—large and deep enough to support the free-standing "Hand of Hope." The
monument was raised from the ground and cast in a rebar-reinforced concrete mix
utilizing a hand-made wooden mold. I then used a power chipping hammer to
chisel out the details.
“Hand of Hope” steel armature
While working on the project, there was a moment when I was soldering iron with
a turbo torch and forgot to wear eye protection. I was immediately blinded by the
torchlight and had to go to the hospital to heal my eyes. Despite recovering, I still
felt dizzy, and while using the power chisel, I accidentally fell from the height of the
hand frame. My nose hit the steel armature, causing bleeding that lasted all day. I
left a bit of myself in the concrete creation of the "Hand of Hope" monument.
The project, undertaken as an act of honor without monetary compensation, took
nearly two months to complete and was finished with the enthusiastic assistance
of two young Marine corporals.
Luu Thien Ky and Luu The Khai sitting on the "Hand of Hope" and Huệ Chân standing by
the flying boy when the monument was completed on July 4, 1975.
In "The Hand of Hope," refugee children are depicted as the driving force for young
Vietnamese generations to rise and embrace a life of freedom and human dignity.
When Camp Pendleton closed at the end of September 1975 and the tents were
taken down, the only relic remaining from the refugee experience was the "Hand
of Hope," a monument created by Luu Nguyen Dat, an artist, painter, and sculptor,
a former general secretary of the Saigon Young Painters Association before 1975.
The original commemorative plate features Luu Nguyen Dat during the creation of the
"Hand of Hope," which was inaugurated on July 4, 1975, in Camp Pendleton, California..
This event is directly linked to the end of the ideological Cold War, as Vietnamese
individuals "voted against the communists" by fleeing the country—via air, by foot,
and by boat—in a remarkable diaspora. To date, nearly 4 million Vietnamese have
left the country to escape the harms and miseries imposed by the communist
regime.
Immediately following the fall of Saigon, and after brief stays in Guam and the
Philippines, 18,000 Vietnamese refugees, followed by more than 50,000, were
brought to Camp Pendleton to undergo immigration procedures under "parole
status," or political immigration.
Gradually, refugees were relocated to various parts of the United States after
securing sponsorship.
In April 2015, U.S. Representative Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) awarded a certificate
of appreciation to lawyer Luu Nguyen Dat, Ph.D., LLB/JD, LLM, the creator of
"Hand of Hope," in recognition of his contributions to the United States during the
40th Anniversary of Black April and the Vietnamese Community's Journey to
Freedom.
The "Hand of Hope" is a symbolic work of art, embodying a commitment to
courage, kindness, humanity, and success among Vietnamese refugees and
future generations. The Vietnamese people, who deeply value freedom and human
dignity, cannot tolerate living under an inhumane and oppressive communist
regime. They support the steadfast "Hope" of restoring honor and human rights
while seeking to create a safe and progressive environment for their descendants,
empowering them to stand with dignity and achieve success.
Only through direct and ongoing efforts can Vietnamese refugees connect
themselves to a progressive citizenship that meets their dignified expectations.
From this perspective, the Free Vietnamese Community in the USA gathers
around the "Hand of Hope" at Camp Pendleton every five years. The event then
moves to Westminster, Orange County, California, to commemorate Black April
1975 and to nurture the hope of Freedom, Kindness, and Humanity among the
descendants of Vietnamese refugees in their Promised Land.
