KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The fall of Saigon in 1975 marked the end of the Vietnam War. It also marked the end of life as these three women know it.
Mydung Cong, Hahn Crow, and Nghia Congour were all forced from their homeland, along with six of their seven siblings. Their family headed to the United States, leaving their brother Buu Tin behind.
“When we left Vietnam in 1975, we left him behind because he was in the army,” Cong told 41 Action News.
When fighting was no longer an option, Lt. Tin and other Vietnamese soldiers had to swim to safety, toward a nearby navy ship. Not everyone made it. But the three sisters held out hope that they’d soon hear from their brother. Then a year passed, and nothing.
“We knew for sure he died,” Cong said.
Every year around late February, the sisters and their family have a memorial service. Cong said the questions still remain; “How he died, when and where and how?”
Cong and her sister, Hahn Crow, went on to work for Hallmark, even designing a line of merchandise dedicated to hope and love. One of the mugs they designed reads, "All Good Things Begin with Hope." Another says, "Believe in Love and All Good Things."
Over the years, hope faded but would sometimes manifest itself in other ways.
"I saw him in my dreams many times," Congour said. "And one time he was smiling by my bedside, and I said, 'Where are you?' He said, 'I’m here with you.'"
On New Years’ Day, hope renewed. A shrimp farmer discovered Buu Tin’s body after it floated back to shore. His college I.D. and military paystub were still in his pocket.
“They buried him. They took care of his tomb, at the same time looking for us,” Cong later learned.
That shrimp farmer, now in his 80s, managed to strike up a conversation about the tomb he’d been caring for. The man he struck up the conversation with was their cousin, who then sent the sisters a message on Facebook.
"It said, 'We’ve found your brother’s tomb,'" Cong said. "After 43 years and living in this country, we almost gave up hope. Now, we realize hope starts with good things."
On March 1, the sisters will visit their brother in person. And move his remains to their home village. They said all this is possible because they never gave up hope.
“Before, we were always missing one. This brings a closure to our quest of 43 years. Looks like we have a family again,” Cong said while grinning ear to ear.
