0:00:02 > 0:00:07CROWD SINGING: # Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you
0:00:07 > 0:00:12# Happy birthday, dear Vance
0:00:12 > 0:00:16# Happy birthday to you. #
0:00:16 > 0:00:18CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:00:20 > 0:00:23- Look at the back.- Look at the back?
0:00:23 > 0:00:27Oh, that's great, that's a lovely picture. Oh, wow.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29BUZZ OF CONVERSATION
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Yeo! HE LAUGHS
0:00:31 > 0:00:35- Oh!- How did you know? - How did I know?
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Well, this is a...
0:00:37 > 0:00:42My belated birthday party... which is...I'm 40...I think I'm 41.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I'm either 41 or 42.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49The majority of people will be able to pinpoint
0:00:49 > 0:00:53"I was born on this day, this year at this time,"
0:00:53 > 0:00:57and I can't even pinpoint...let alone a time but a year.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04We had no birth certificate, we had no...no name.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07To have nothing like that must be pretty...pretty hard.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Cos most of us when we're grown-up, your mother says,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14"Oh, I remember the day you were born."
0:01:14 > 0:01:15SHE LAUGHS
0:01:15 > 0:01:16Yeah.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19So, sadly, that's just a big gap.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Mum, do you want some cake?
0:01:42 > 0:01:43HORN BEEPS
0:01:45 > 0:01:46Hi, Melissa! Hi, Stacey!
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Are you going to work?
0:01:48 > 0:01:50You should have had your BM out instead of this. THEY LAUGH
0:01:50 > 0:01:53- It's in the shop getting work done. - It's in the shop.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54All right, I'd better shoot on here
0:01:54 > 0:01:56because there's a lot of stuff to do. All right, Sammy?
0:02:00 > 0:02:02I suppose the best thing about the town is
0:02:02 > 0:02:04because I've lived here for so long, I know a lot of people
0:02:04 > 0:02:06and I'll pop in and say hello
0:02:06 > 0:02:11and even though it is a small town compared to other ones, there is
0:02:11 > 0:02:15that kind of friendliness as well, you know, that I'm drawn to.
0:02:15 > 0:02:16How's it going, Kenny?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19- What about you? What are you at? You're everywhere.- What?
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- Everywhere I go, you're there. - You're stalking me, that's what it is.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26If I ask myself, "Where am I from?"
0:02:26 > 0:02:28I would have to say I'm from Vietnam
0:02:28 > 0:02:31but I've grew up in Lurgan or Northern Ireland.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34I'm definitely a Lurganite.
0:02:34 > 0:02:35Do I feel loyal to it?
0:02:35 > 0:02:39To be honest, it comes and goes because yes,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41sometimes I'm proud to be a Lurganite,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45but it's always in the back of my mind that, you know,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49there's always going to be some kind of...not racist remark,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52but some kind of not a PC remark, you know,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56and I'm always aware of that because it's always happened, you know?
0:02:56 > 0:02:58And people don't see that.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14We didn't know much about him.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16We didn't know what age he was,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19we didn't know what the background was,
0:03:19 > 0:03:20we knew very little.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23I just, you know, felt a bond to him instantly.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30I suppose the excitement of the two boys having this ready-made
0:03:30 > 0:03:33brother who they fussed over a lot
0:03:33 > 0:03:36and he became part of the family very quickly.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Very much it was a case of, "This is your new brother,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45"he's from Vietnam and his name is Vance", and that was it.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46It was just like, "He's your brother,"
0:03:46 > 0:03:48and we just got on with life
0:03:48 > 0:03:49and did all the brotherly things.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52And there was no distinction made.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58The McElhinneys, actually, we were unknown until Vance came.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00SHE LAUGHS
0:04:00 > 0:04:03People would automatically go over and have a look at him
0:04:03 > 0:04:04and he was quite a celebrity.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11He loved it. He really revelled and he still does revel in that...
0:04:11 > 0:04:13attention that he gets.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14He gets a buzz from that.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21I became more aware that perhaps as we thought,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24"Oh, Vance was a bit of a celebrity," when he was a wee fella,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28but actually what some of the other things that he may have had
0:04:28 > 0:04:32to deal with, or he covered up or didn't communicate properly
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and whether that means that it impacts your family members as well.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42His way of dealing with adolescence was probably more difficult for him.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47And the ability to accept unconditional love
0:04:47 > 0:04:48which he knew he had
0:04:48 > 0:04:51became a bit more difficult.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Steven, Vance, myself have the same parents, you know,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and were brought up by our mum and dad.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02But I have no comprehension at all
0:05:02 > 0:05:04of what obviously he thinks about
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and his feelings towards Mum and Dad
0:05:06 > 0:05:09because they are bound to be different from ours,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13cos...they are his adopted parents.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21FUZZY VOICE THROUGH RADIO
0:05:25 > 0:05:30- REPORTER:- A savage scene, sadly familiar. The horrors of Vietnam.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34GUNFIRE
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- VOICE-OVER:- The relief plane had landed at Saigon Airport
0:05:37 > 0:05:39for an unknown number of Vietnamese orphans.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59Hi, my name is...
0:05:59 > 0:06:00Vance.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05My name is Vance McElhinney, Van Tan Nguyen.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07I was one of the ones that left in 1975
0:06:07 > 0:06:09when the Daily Mail flew us out.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12I was adopted by the McElhinneys in Northern Ireland.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16I'm now 40, I think.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17Oh, no, 41, I think I am.
0:06:19 > 0:06:2241.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23It has been a struggle.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27I've had two failed marriages and I've no children, you know?
0:06:29 > 0:06:33And I think, sometimes, you know...
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Yeah, it hasn't worked out as well as it should've.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42I feel it's time to find my roots and go back to Saigon,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Ho Chi Minh City, and see if I have family over there.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49I know it's a long shot, but I feel I need to try.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52I'll be going over in September this year.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I feel I'm not 100% myself here.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57I need to go back to Vietnam for the first time,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00to know what it's like to be Vietnamese,
0:07:00 > 0:07:01a proper Vietnamese person.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04It'll be nice to get to know
0:07:04 > 0:07:07other fellow passengers who were on the plane
0:07:07 > 0:07:11and see what their experience was like, wherever they were growing up.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14I think there'll be a connection there, you know?
0:07:14 > 0:07:17And that's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a connection.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- Hiya, Vance.- Hi, mum. - How're you doing?- Not too bad.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- Are you out of work? - Yeah, just finished.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31- Did you get out early today? - Yeah, I did.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36So, I've hooked out a lot of photographs here.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40I've heard you like this one.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42- Ah, there's my best friend, there. - Mm-hm.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43Dear old Celtic.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46I miss her, so I do. I've got a silly cat now.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Mum has loved me from day one.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52You know, she's always wanted the best for me, even though
0:07:52 > 0:07:54there's times we've had lots of arguments
0:07:54 > 0:07:55and there's times we've fallen out.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Remember that one?
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Mum will prod and she'll hook and she'll poke
0:07:59 > 0:08:01and she'll try to get answers out of me.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05SHE LAUGHS
0:08:05 > 0:08:07And I won't... I won't respond.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12Mum, you probably know there's a lot of things hidden inside me.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15It's more to do with myself and the things maybe I haven't achieved,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- or what I think I should have achieved.- Hm.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20I put you and Dad through the mill as well. I know that, you know?
0:08:20 > 0:08:22I know that and I've hurt yous enough
0:08:22 > 0:08:23and I don't want to hurt yous...
0:08:23 > 0:08:26No, but then, I've hurt yous loads of times
0:08:26 > 0:08:28- and I just don't want to hurt yous more!- Yeah.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33I guess some of the consequences of the choices that you made
0:08:33 > 0:08:34that we worried about...
0:08:34 > 0:08:39It was more for the hurt and the hassle that you went through.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43I don't show affection or love. I don't show it,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45- but I think you know... - I know it's there. Yeah, yeah.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48I think you know that I'm there for you,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50but I'm not necessarily going to be...
0:08:50 > 0:08:52- There with me?- There with you. THEY LAUGH
0:08:52 > 0:08:54You know what I mean?
0:08:54 > 0:08:59My mum has motor neurone disease and, yeah, that's been hard.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02How do I deal with that?
0:09:02 > 0:09:05I put a kind of shield up to protect myself.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Alls I know is that in the next few years, few months, few weeks,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12that I'll need to be there for her.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20You hungry?
0:09:25 > 0:09:27She was an orphan.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Ended up keeping her.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35I wasn't going to leave her to starve, like.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38You can see she's looked after!
0:09:38 > 0:09:41I don't think she always appreciates it, but...
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Scratching me all the time.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I'd prefer a dog, but she's been good company.
0:09:46 > 0:09:52I had a dog for 14 years, since it was eight weeks old, called Celtic.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Wee Staffordshire Terrier.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00And... Oh, she was lovely.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01I've got pictures of her.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06This here's my wee memory box.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08I don't have very much memories.
0:10:08 > 0:10:1240 years of my life all fit in a wee shoebox, it's ridiculous.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14But there you are, there you go.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23This was professionally done as well.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Me and the wee Celtic.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27We slept in cars together,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30we've been through six or seven houses together.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32She was a good friend.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34I've told her things that I've never told anybody in my life,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38not even my two wives, not even my mum and dad, you know?
0:10:38 > 0:10:41The only time I was very emotional was when the dog died.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Yeah, I was a bit obsessed with the dog.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48But then, there was no-one else to be obsessed with, so...
0:11:03 > 0:11:09I'm going to see Tom, my P6 teacher from King's Park Primary School.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I'm writing a book about growing up in Northern Ireland
0:11:12 > 0:11:16and Mr Morrow has kindly said he would help me proofread it.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Although he's said now I can call him Tom,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21but I still find it a bit, you know,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25weird calling your primary school teacher by his first name.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27So I have to be corrected and he goes,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29"No, it's Tom now! It's Tom now."
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Being in your class was...
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Well, it was most the memorable out of all the years.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40I remember you marching us down to Cafollas in Lurgan...
0:11:40 > 0:11:43- Oh, yes! Yes.- ..to get ice cream!
0:11:43 > 0:11:45And then there was also the tape that you did for us.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47We pretended it was a radio set-up
0:11:47 > 0:11:50and everybody had a wee piece to say.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52There was a couple of news reporters...
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Would you like to hear a bit of that tape, way back in 1984?
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- Oh, definitely! Yeah!- Yeah?
0:11:57 > 0:12:01TAPE: 'It's Christmas-time and this is Vance McElhinney,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05'your host for the next hot episode of...
0:12:05 > 0:12:07'The temperature here in the school...' Such a squeaky voice!
0:12:07 > 0:12:11'..is almost as hot, as everyone swings into action
0:12:11 > 0:12:16'to help with the Christmas concert. But enough from me!'
0:12:16 > 0:12:20'By the way, Jerry, what do you call a darkie going up a cliff?'
0:12:20 > 0:12:23'I don't know, what do you call a darkie going up a cliff?'
0:12:23 > 0:12:26'Black magic!'
0:12:26 > 0:12:28THEY LAUGH
0:12:28 > 0:12:30You can't get away with that now!
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Well, it is funny listening to that now
0:12:33 > 0:12:36and you couldn't get away with that now, like.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38When I was in primary school, you know,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I don't mean to be whiney, but there was nothing...
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- There was no malice. - There was no malice.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46- You see, that's the difference. - That's the difference.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48In primary school there was no malice.
0:12:48 > 0:12:49They knew you were a different colour,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52but, you know, it was never a big issue, you know?
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- And then in secondary school, it was all about the malice.- Yeah.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05In Lurgan I'm always going to be the minority,
0:13:05 > 0:13:06and that's just a fact.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10There's times I've struggled.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Not only did I have to contend with my skin,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15but then of course with Northern Ireland
0:13:15 > 0:13:17being culturally divided.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Those two things I had to contend with,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23the division of Catholics and Protestants, and my colour.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26It was hard enough with one of them,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28but with two of them on your back...
0:13:28 > 0:13:29I've had to do a lot of growing up.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33There might have been other things
0:13:33 > 0:13:36if I was living in Vietnam that I'd have to contend with.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38But certainly not my colour and certainly not racist abuse,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40certainly not being picked on.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45I've always felt I've had to defend myself
0:13:45 > 0:13:46and I've had to protect myself.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49To me, that's not living.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52When I go back to Vietnam, I can walk the streets
0:13:52 > 0:13:54and not be the minority.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55I'll be the majority.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58For the first time in my life, I will be the majority.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06KEYBOARD CLICKING
0:14:11 > 0:14:13"Hi, just wondering if you could help me find some records
0:14:13 > 0:14:17"of an airlift that happened in 1975 with the Daily Mail."
0:14:17 > 0:14:20"I am one of the refugees that came out of Saigon."
0:14:20 > 0:14:22I have very little information.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24I mean, really,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26it was all very rushed,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28and it was...
0:14:28 > 0:14:30I treasure this photograph here,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34because it's the only photograph I have of myself
0:14:34 > 0:14:37in actual Vietnam.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I don't always smile and I'm not always happy,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42but when I look at this picture, I think, you know,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44despite what I've been through,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48there must have been some kind of happiness there.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53It's the only picture I have, and that's why it's so tatty.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56It might as well be a £20,000 Rolex watch,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59because, you know, it's very important to me.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08INDISTINCT CHATTING
0:15:08 > 0:15:10"Excuse me, I am lost.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12- "I am from Lurgan." - THEY LAUGH
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Yeah.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16There you go, emergencies.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18"Call the police" - you might need that one.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- Call the police!- "It hurts here."
0:15:22 > 0:15:25That's "Toi bi dau o day."
0:15:25 > 0:15:27- "Toi bi dau..."- "Toi bi dau o day."
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Jo-bee-do-ba-day.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31THEY LAUGH
0:15:31 > 0:15:32"Toi bi dau o day."
0:15:32 > 0:15:36'There are cultural differences, and yet Vance doesn't know any of that.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38'He's just one of us.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43'He's culturally ours, you know, but just looks different.'
0:15:43 > 0:15:45We'll have a wee look at the map.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46Well, do you know where...
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- Do you know where Ho Chi Minh City is?- Ho Chi Minh City?
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Yeah, just a minute, it's here. It's on the map.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55There it is. THEY LAUGH
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Do you know where else you're going, then?
0:15:58 > 0:15:59Qua-noi?
0:15:59 > 0:16:01- Quin...- Quy Nhon.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- Quy Nhon. Aye, there's it there. - Oh, yeah. OK.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Oh, that's a long way.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09My mum said that she reckons the actual original orphanage was there,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12and then somehow I got transported
0:16:12 > 0:16:15from Quy Nhon on down to, um...
0:16:15 > 0:16:17- Saigon?- Saigon.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19'He's a survivor.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22'All those blows that he has had, you know, and you think,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24'how's he going to cope with that?
0:16:24 > 0:16:27'He'll get knocked down, but he really does get back up.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30'He's a wee fighter, you know?
0:16:30 > 0:16:33'And he's good fun. He's good craic.'
0:16:34 > 0:16:36- £1 is 34,000 Dong.- 34,000.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- Wait there, £1...- Write that down.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41That's what I'm doing! That's what I'm doing.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43£1 equals...
0:16:43 > 0:16:4534,000.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47'I think we sometimes see him as a little boy, still,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49'who needs looked after,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51'but we have to keep reminding ourselves that he's 41.'
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Sometimes he doesn't get on like a 41-year-old,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58but you know, he has to be given that amount of independence.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- £30.- That's a million Dong.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03- £30. Yeah, yeah. - That's really going to throw you
0:17:03 > 0:17:05if you're exchanging dollars, then.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- Don't worry about that. Just leave that for another day. - THEY LAUGH
0:17:09 > 0:17:13What do you think the best possible outcome could be?
0:17:13 > 0:17:15I suppose the best possible outcome would be
0:17:15 > 0:17:17if there were any relatives there, you know.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21- Then what? What if there is? - Well, then...
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Then come home. There's...
0:17:23 > 0:17:27I can't get emotionally attached in three weeks to...
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- To people you don't really know. - ..people I don't really know.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33But it's not going to be if I can't find anybody, that's it.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Just trip over, I'm depressed or whatever.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39- I want to enjoy Vietnam while I'm there, you know?- Proper holiday.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42I think whatever it is he hopes to see or to put to rest,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45that there'll be something unexpected in there
0:17:45 > 0:17:47that he hadn't even thought about.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50And that could either be a positive thing for him,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53but it also could be potential to destabilise.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57So it could go any way.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20I'm waiting on a lady called Victoria,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24who was on the same flight as me in 1975.
0:18:24 > 0:18:25She's also been to Vietnam,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28so I can't wait to get some tips from her, you know?
0:18:28 > 0:18:29Bit nerve-racking, actually.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32It's like being outside the headmaster's office.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Yeah, I think that's her.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38- Hi!- Hello!
0:18:38 > 0:18:40- How are you? - Not too bad, how are you?
0:18:42 > 0:18:44When I first went to Vietnam,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47it really was just a journey of self-discovery for me.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Did you feel you came home, or not?
0:18:49 > 0:18:53I didn't feel as if I wanted to stay for any particular length of time.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- I didn't feel like it was my home. - Right, OK.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58But they know that you're a tourist.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00The way that you dress,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04just everything. They just know that you're not one of them.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08So rather than fitting in, you actually...
0:19:08 > 0:19:10You actually think,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12OK, so I'm a foreigner in my own country,
0:19:12 > 0:19:16and I don't fit in here, so where do I actually belong?
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Because you've been westernised too much?
0:19:18 > 0:19:21- Is that what you think it is?- Yeah. - I don't feel Lurgan's my home.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26And if I go to Vietnam and I feel that that's not my home...
0:19:26 > 0:19:29You know, I can't go to space, cos I'm not an astronaut.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Where do I fit in?
0:19:31 > 0:19:33But I also think about, you know -
0:19:33 > 0:19:38what if my mum or dad is still alive?
0:19:38 > 0:19:40You know, what'll I do?
0:19:40 > 0:19:43The way I feel is, if they're still alive, then great.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46But I...
0:19:46 > 0:19:50For me, I've got my own family now.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51Yeah.
0:19:53 > 0:19:58I'm really, really happy to be able to introduce you to someone
0:19:58 > 0:20:02who was responsible for you getting out of...
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Or for us getting out of the country.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16GUNFIRE
0:20:23 > 0:20:26I was, at the time, the Foreign Editor of the Daily Mail.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28Everyone was fleeing.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33And the children
0:20:33 > 0:20:36could not be cared for properly
0:20:36 > 0:20:41and there was fear that some would die.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45I went to my editor, David English, and I said,
0:20:45 > 0:20:52"Wouldn't it be a good idea if I could organise an aeroplane
0:20:52 > 0:20:55"to fly to Vietnam and bring the children out?"
0:20:56 > 0:21:02All of you were malnourished, some had open operational wounds,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06which hadn't been properly sutured.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11All of you, in some way, looked as if you were suffering,
0:21:11 > 0:21:12- and you- were- suffering.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14You only have to go into the orphanages
0:21:14 > 0:21:15and the smell is terrible,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18and they're all just lying around and, um...
0:21:18 > 0:21:19fed out of one spoon
0:21:19 > 0:21:23and they're just sort of lying on the floor, in muck, really.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Less than 36 hours before we arrived,
0:21:27 > 0:21:34an American Galaxy aircraft, which was also trying to get children out,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37had crashed on...on takeoff.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43We didn't know if it were, um, sabotage.
0:21:48 > 0:21:54We took off and... safely got you home.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58- NEWSREADER:- 'At Heathrow, a Boeing 707 discharges a precious cargo -
0:21:58 > 0:22:01'Vietnamese war orphans who, in their already brief lives,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03'have witnessed more tragedy
0:22:03 > 0:22:05'than any of us could expect in a lifetime.'
0:22:06 > 0:22:09In the immediate aftermath, er,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13four were so ill that they died, unfortunately.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19'The editor of the Daily Mail,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22'the newspaper which sponsored the airlift, said the rescue was solely
0:22:22 > 0:22:26'a mission of mercy, but the project has been the centre of criticism.'
0:22:26 > 0:22:30When we got the children back, um, there was a lot of criticism,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33accusing us of baby snatching
0:22:33 > 0:22:37and accusing us of staging a newspaper stunt.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39But...
0:22:42 > 0:22:44..it was a stunt that worked...
0:22:46 > 0:22:52..and resulted in the saving of the lives of 96 children.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59We got you out and I'm very proud and happy to have done it.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02- Wow.- And glad to see you.
0:23:03 > 0:23:04Thank you.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11I'm still kind of overwhelmed about, you know, it just wasn't
0:23:11 > 0:23:14straightforward and was... there was just a lot more to it,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and, er, well, I can appreciate that now.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20- And it could've been intercepted at any time.- Yeah.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Oh, yeah. Yeah, I mean, they could've...
0:23:22 > 0:23:24They could've attacked the plane, blew it up...
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Yeah, we could've been all dead, but...
0:23:27 > 0:23:31But Brian, you saw past that somehow and, you know, said,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35"No, I'm not going to be defeated, I'm going to get this plane over,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38"and bring it over to England, safe and sound, and you did."
0:23:39 > 0:23:42And, you know, I can't thank you enough.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55We went to see Brian Freemantle.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00- He was the editor of the Daily Mail, who orchestrated it all.- Oh, aye.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- Brian...- Do you not think that's a bit like you?
0:24:03 > 0:24:06I think that's a bit like you.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09You see, you had this mad shock of totally, like, wire...
0:24:09 > 0:24:11- What do you think, I...? - ..wire hair.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16Cyril, does that, in any shape, sight or form, remind you of Vance?
0:24:16 > 0:24:17'I've been lucky and privileged
0:24:17 > 0:24:20'and honoured to be in the McElhinney family.'
0:24:20 > 0:24:22- Oh, that's him. - 'Love them to bits.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24'But in my head,'
0:24:24 > 0:24:28I've already lost, you know, a set of parents.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29You know, from Vietnam.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33'And part of me has put a shield up, because'
0:24:33 > 0:24:36I'm going to lose my parents at some stage again.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Vance, I was talking to Cyril, would you eat something?
0:24:38 > 0:24:40- Have you had any breakfast? - No, I'll get some later.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43- I've got nowhere near organised. - I'm sure you're not.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45- It's not funny, even. - No, it's not even funny, no.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- And you got your bags all packed? - No, that's what I'm saying.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51And then, I've got to work for 9½ hours and then, I've only got
0:24:51 > 0:24:54a wee window, on Saturday afternoon, to try to get the cat looked after.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59- HE SIGHS: Pets. Pets. - Yeah.- I should've just...
0:24:59 > 0:25:01SHE LAUGHS ..got rid of it
0:25:01 > 0:25:03whenever I had the chance.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09'I am worried that, because my mum is very sick, that,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'when I'm over there, things might progress.'
0:25:12 > 0:25:17I just don't know how quick motor neuron disease develops.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20So, yes, that'll be in the back of my mind.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22'But the fact that I've got my mum's blessing,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24'and that she's encouraging me to go, I don't feel guilt'
0:25:24 > 0:25:27or I don't feel betrayal or anything like that there.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30If anything, you know, um, Mum's encouraged it.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32- All right, Mum.- Bye-bye, pet.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36- All right, Da.- Aw!- Bye-bye.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38- Aw!- All right.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42- Look us in the eye now, pet.- OK. LAUGHTER
0:25:42 > 0:25:44- Just one wee look for a minute. - All right.
0:25:46 > 0:25:47- Oh, dear!- All right?- Aye.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50SHE COUGHS
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Back to, um...
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- Aye, goodbye.- Bye, bye-bye! - SHE LAUGHS
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- See you later.- How many times can you say goodbye? - Bye-bye.- See you later.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- Bye, sweetheart. - Bye-bye.- Take care.- Yeah.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06You can bring in the blue bin when you're going.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15'The faraway hills have always been green.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19'The faraway hills of a new job, the faraway hills of a new relationship,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22'the faraway hills of... maybe of Vietnam.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26'and that must be the case when you don't know what your roots are.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29'He needs to go there.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33'I suspect, at the end of the day, that he will say, you know,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36'"Northern Ireland's not such a bad place
0:26:36 > 0:26:40'"and that's the place to which I belong," but on the other hand,'
0:26:40 > 0:26:45Vance always turns up interesting possibilities.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48And, er, who are we to say what might or might not happen
0:26:48 > 0:26:51'and we just long for him to be happy and content'
0:26:51 > 0:26:58and, er, realise who he is and value himself for what Vance is,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01- not what...- No. - ..anybody else wants him to be.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05'If I felt it was where he felt at home,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08'and where he wanted to... to live the rest of his life,'
0:27:08 > 0:27:11and, if that was making him happy, I would...
0:27:11 > 0:27:14He would have my blessing, definitely, definitely.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21'This is going to be a huge experience for him,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23'and will be life-changing.'
0:27:31 > 0:27:33MUSICAL INTRO PLAYS
0:27:33 > 0:27:36HE SINGS IN VIETNAMESE
0:28:07 > 0:28:08SINGING CONTINUES
0:28:10 > 0:28:12This way? Oh, this way?
0:28:12 > 0:28:13Yeah, that way?
0:28:28 > 0:28:30HE SAYS THANK YOU IN VIETNAMESE
0:28:30 > 0:28:3541 years on, you know, I'm just over the moon that I'm actually here.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38It's a big thing, just for me to watch people go by
0:28:38 > 0:28:41and just think, you know, this is what my life could have been.
0:28:45 > 0:28:46I feel really comfortable
0:28:46 > 0:28:50and it's great that I'm not sticking out like a sore thumb.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54HORNS TOOT
0:29:11 > 0:29:13I've got a picture here of me as a baby
0:29:13 > 0:29:17and I'm just wondering if you could help me maybe trace any relatives?
0:29:17 > 0:29:20I was told that, you know, that's what you do, so...
0:29:20 > 0:29:26Where did you live before you, er, you were adopted?
0:29:26 > 0:29:27In what region?
0:29:27 > 0:29:31From what I understand, it was in Quee Nun and then...
0:29:31 > 0:29:33- Quee...?- Quee Nun.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37- DIFFERENT PRONUNCIATION:- Quy Nhon? - Yeah, it could be, I don't know.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40- Do you have a document? - No, I don't have any paperwork.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43- This is the thing.- Uh-huh. - That's the only document there is.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45It's there at the bottom, there.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47In pen, "Van Tan".
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Just by this picture, with the name here
0:29:51 > 0:29:53and you think that your Vietnamese name is Tan?
0:29:53 > 0:29:55I don't know where this picture came from.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58I assume that it came from the orphanage I was in.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00You know, I can only assume that, you know,
0:30:00 > 0:30:04this was...this is... you know, this is the name.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06My birth name.
0:30:06 > 0:30:07- Nguyen Van Tan.- Um...
0:30:07 > 0:30:11When you're put in the orphanage, you have...
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Maybe you have a real Vietnamese name.
0:30:14 > 0:30:19But the sheriff or the orphanage will change your name...
0:30:19 > 0:30:21- Yeah.- ..into another name.
0:30:21 > 0:30:27- You know, there are lots of cases where babies leave like you.- Yeah.
0:30:27 > 0:30:32- Mm-hm.- But, er, I think that they are luckier than you,
0:30:32 > 0:30:34because they have...
0:30:34 > 0:30:37just the precious information about their Vietnamese name...
0:30:37 > 0:30:40- Right, I know my Vietnamese name. - ..er, their birth...- Yeah.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44..and some...even some people have their parents' name.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48Your case is...is very difficult.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53So you're going to put that on your website and then, you're going
0:30:53 > 0:30:57to announce that on television? And, if there's any...any response...
0:30:57 > 0:31:00- Mm-hm.- ..then you will...- We'll wait, just wait for a response.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08- Can you smile?- Can I smile? Um, yes, I can.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14'I need to kind of process in my head that, if there's no response,
0:31:14 > 0:31:18'then that's OK, then I can deal with that.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20'Then I can move on and go, "OK, I've tried everything
0:31:20 > 0:31:25'to look for my parents, or any relatives, so I can close that door,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28'shut, bury it six-foot under,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31'and get on with what I'm doing at the moment.'
0:31:54 > 0:31:56There are a lot more questions that I have now,
0:31:56 > 0:31:58but it's all part of my searching.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01This is about me and about my identity.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06And I need to know who I am, who I've come from, and what happened.
0:32:17 > 0:32:23My understanding is that my mum and dad brought me here
0:32:23 > 0:32:25for you to look after me?
0:32:27 > 0:32:29I'm very happy to see you.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33But if you come here alone, I cannot remember you.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41You see, many, many children, that I...I don't remember.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44I'm very sorry about it.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47What I understand is that...
0:32:47 > 0:32:50that the babies that came with their mum and dads
0:32:50 > 0:32:53- you would...you would know.- Yeah.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57- I don't remember.- Because of many babies that came alone.- Yeah.
0:32:57 > 0:33:03So, therefore, you had no contact with my mum and dad? Or else...
0:33:03 > 0:33:06Because I came alone, my mum and dad, you don't know?
0:33:08 > 0:33:11'The fact that they didn't know me, that kind of hit me for six,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14'because, you know, I thought that, if maybe one of them knew me,
0:33:14 > 0:33:17'then they would give me a wee bit more detail, but unfortunately,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20'they didn't. So yeah, it was crushing, to say the least.'
0:33:20 > 0:33:27I just, um... I just want to thank you for looking after me and, um,
0:33:27 > 0:33:28I'm privileged to be here.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45Last night, you know, I was processing it all
0:33:45 > 0:33:48and I was able to put things in little boxes and say,
0:33:48 > 0:33:51"OK, I've got that sorted out, I've got that sorted out,"
0:33:51 > 0:33:54and then, when it came to my name, Van Tan Nguyen, as I used to say,
0:33:54 > 0:33:56or Nguyen Van Tan,
0:33:56 > 0:33:57um, I kind stumbled at that
0:33:57 > 0:34:00and I just couldn't put that in the back so easily.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03For 40-odd years, I've always assumed, or always believed,
0:34:03 > 0:34:05that it was my Vietnamese name.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10From looking at the evidence now, you know, there's a good percentage
0:34:10 > 0:34:13that I was given that name and that's not my real name.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15I felt I've lost my identity.
0:34:15 > 0:34:20Um, yes, I'm Vietnamese, um, but I'm Vietnamese without a name.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25Coming here has opened my eyes a bit,
0:34:25 > 0:34:29just to the love that my mum and dad gave me, you know.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33I don't give them the love that I should give them as a son.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37The fact is, they've been there for me since I was 18 months old.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42And I'm 41 years old now and I was a taker, I took everything.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44It's time for me to give.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47It's time for me to, you know, stop being selfish and say,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50"Right, OK, look, be there for your mum and dad.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52"They're your parents, and life's precious
0:34:52 > 0:34:54"and you don't know what's...
0:34:54 > 0:34:55"You don't know what's around the corner."
0:34:55 > 0:34:59And I just know that, when I go home, um,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01in a few weeks' time that, you know,
0:35:01 > 0:35:06that I'll go home to Mum and Dad first and just give them a big hug.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09And yeah, tell them I love them.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12So yeah, it's going to be good.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26- Did you feel a homey feeling? - Yeah, I did, actually.- Did you?
0:35:26 > 0:35:30- I did, I did.- Was that the first time you felt that kind of feeling?
0:35:30 > 0:35:32- Yeah, it is.- Yeah? - Yeah, it was just nice.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36- Yeah.- It was just nice to chill out with my own people and...- Yeah.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Would you have a serious plan to go back again?
0:35:38 > 0:35:41- I'm definitely going back.- Yeah. - You know, I'll go back next year.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45- There's just a lot of things here I need to sort out.- Yeah.- Um...
0:35:45 > 0:35:48- No, with you, Mum.- Oh, yes, with here?- Yeah.- Oh, aye, right.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51- That's been in the back of my mind. - Yeah, I know.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55You know, and even when I was in Vietnam, you know, it's just...
0:35:55 > 0:35:57Well, what's in my mind is your happiness.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59- You know that. - I know that, I know.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02'I was glad to be back,
0:36:02 > 0:36:06'because, you know, I know my mum's not very well at the moment.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08'And I've seen a big...a big change.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11'Her walking isn't as good as it was.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13'She's beginning to lose her voice a wee bit and, er,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16'and now, she's going to be on oxygen.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19'It's a...it's a big thing.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21'Mum's coping with it very well,
0:36:21 > 0:36:25'but, you know, I don't know if I'm coping as well as my mum is.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27'I'm very scared of what's going to happen'
0:36:27 > 0:36:29to my mum, very, um...
0:36:31 > 0:36:35..because, you know, she has been my mum for 41 years.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39'If circumstances were different, you know...
0:36:39 > 0:36:41'You know, I'd be away tomorrow.'
0:36:49 > 0:36:51I would suspect that, while he was there,
0:36:51 > 0:36:53his heart was very much in Vietnam.
0:36:53 > 0:36:58When he's back now, his heart is here, um, so...
0:36:58 > 0:36:59How you can separate the two,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03or have one in one place, and part of you in another place...
0:37:03 > 0:37:07You know, is this home? Is it not? Could I be at home? Who knows?
0:37:09 > 0:37:11Here is where his family are.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14This part of his family and his friends are.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19You would think that he'll appreciate that, now he's come back.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22That would be a brilliant outcome of this trip - to come back and see
0:37:22 > 0:37:24how blessed he's been here, in terms of his family
0:37:24 > 0:37:26and the community he's been brought up in.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Finding my identity was what I've been missing.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36It's what I've been searching for - who is Vance McElhinney?
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Or who is Nguyen Van Tan?
0:37:38 > 0:37:42And I didn't really know that until I actually went to Vietnam.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46I felt good, because people called me Van Tan.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49So I decided - well, you know what? -
0:37:49 > 0:37:53I'm so at home here that I'll, um, get myself a tattoo!
0:37:53 > 0:37:58So, Nguyen Van Tan - I've got that now permanently on my arm.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03If I don't hold on to that name, you know, I'm a nameless person.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06And because I didn't find my parents, or didn't find
0:38:06 > 0:38:09any relatives, you know, I've got to cling to something.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16I don't think it's the be all and end all, in terms of his identity,
0:38:16 > 0:38:21in terms of where he feels at home most, cos I think he'll be Vance,
0:38:21 > 0:38:24whether he's in Vietnam or whether he's here.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28There's probably never going to be a fix like that.