Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, hundreds of thousands refugees took the perilous escape route across South China Sea to find freedom. Many died of drowning or starvation and thirst. Others were lost at sea, or robbed and killed by pirates. More than 30 years later, no major film or television program has told their stories. Bolinao 52 presents this long-silenced voice, an unspoken legacy of the Vietnam War. Filmmaker Duc Nguyen, also a boat refugee, retraces the odyssey of Bolinao 52 – a vessel adrift on the sea for 37 days—and a survivor Tung Trinh as she returns to her past to tell her story.
Currently you can rent or buy Bolinao 52 via Vimeo for as little as $2.99. You can buy also buy the DVD via Amazon for $25. We'll update this page if we find more options.