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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Bertin Huynh

Fifty years on, Lam Tac Tam reflects on life in Australia as the first Vietnamese refugee to arrive by boat

Lam Tac Tam with his granddaughters, Mia and Mikaela Tutton, at Nightcliff beach 50 years after he first came ashore in a small fishing boat sailed from Vietnam.
Lam Tac Tam with his granddaughters, Mia and Mikaela Tutton, at Nightcliff beach 50 years after he first came ashore in a small fishing boat sailed from Vietnam. Photograph: (A)manda Parkinson/The Guardian

After 16 days at sea, Lam Tac Tam and his older brother, Lam Binh, saw land in the distance. Darwin twinkled in the dusk, a promise of safety.

They were desperate to land after the turbulent waters off the coast of Timor, but sense prevailed. They decided it would be safer to dock in the light of the morning sun.

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