OC Clerk Recorder thanks Naval Admiral and crew who rescued family during fall of Saigon

SANTA ANA, Calif. - Orange County's Clerk-Recorder celebrated in a ceremony this past April, his family's safe escape during the fall of Saigon, at an event at the USS Midway-the very ship which brought them to the U.S. 50 years ago.

At the center of a celebration of Vietnamese refugee resilience, 50 years after the fall of Saigon to Communist forces, was the USS Midway and Admiral Lawrence Chambers who, as Captain, alongside his crew at the end of April in 1975, rescued 3,075 Vietnamese evacuees fleeing their war-torn country. Among them was now Orange County Clerk-Recorder, Hugh Nguyen, his sister, aunts and Grandparents.

"Without that ship, I always tell everybody, I wouldn't be here because there was no way to escape Vietnam during the fighting," Nguyen said.

Just seven years old at the time, Nguyen's journey was far from over.

After arriving in San Diego, the family was taken to the Philippines, Guam, El Toro Base and finally, two months at Camp Pendleton.

"Playing in the back of the fields at Camp Pendleton, we were in tents and so, yeah, it was a struggle, but it was a great opportunity to come to America 'cause we had no freedom in our country. We lost our country," Nguyen said.

A sponsorship by members of Grace Lutheran Church made El Centro home for Nguyen's family, until 1979, when they moved to OC.

Nguyen's career at the Clerk-Recorder's Office kicked off in 1973, with a customer service position.

Today, he's OC's first Vietnamese American to hold the office of Clerk-Recorder, helping couples tie the knot since 2013, helping keep record of life's biggest moments in the county.

In 2018, Eyewitness News exclusively covered Nguyen's own emotional family moment. Though he was told his father died in combat in Vietnam, through ancestry.com, Nguyen discovered his father is alive and met him.

Though 50 years have passed, Nguyen was moved when he looked back at all that came together and those who stepped up to help his family in their time of need.

"I get emotional every time I go on the ship right, 'cause we slept on the lower deck on bubble wraps back in April 28, 1975. So, the Captain, he's 96. He looks amazing, Captain Admiral Larry Chambers, and I had the opportunity to speak and thank him and his team for rescuing us. Without them and his sacrifice, we wouldn't be here in America," Nguyen said.

Nguyen said he planned to run for a fourth term in 2026.