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Story: Vietnamese

Vietnamese boat people

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Vietnamese boat people

Refugees from Vietnam were termed ‘boat people’, as often their only chance of escape from the horrors of war was in overcrowded leaky boats. Those who survived these perilous journeys were settled in refugee camps in adjacent countries such as Thailand. Many spent years there before coming to New Zealand.

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Refugee and Migrant Service

Reference: UNHCR 01

by P. Deloche

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How to cite this page

Trung Tran, Vietnamese – Migration, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/990/vietnamese-boat-people (accessed 23 June 2026).

Story by Trung Tran, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 August 2024.