Cynthia Diep
In this video, Cynthia P. Diep recalls her experience arriving to Guam with her family on April 24th, 1975 when she was a 19 year old high school student. She shared her story during the 50th Commemoration and Reunion of Operation New Life, held at Micronesia Mall in Guam on July 27, 2025. During her speech, Cynthia talks about a bag that she packed for the journey -- a bag that she only recently finally opened in May 2025 this year after attending the Remembering Saigon exhibit at UCI.
The bag served as a personal archive that reflected the priorities of a 19-year-old high school student at the time which were important documents, homework, and college applications. She further shares how this bag made of recycled parachute fabric both symbolized and carried her hopes and dreams for the future.
The bag served as a personal archive that reflected the priorities of a 19-year-old high school student at the time which were important documents, homework, and college applications. She further shares how this bag made of recycled parachute fabric both symbolized and carried her hopes and dreams for the future.
Bio: When she was 19 years old, Cynthia P. Diep followed her mother and siblings, as Vietnamese refugees, to come to the USA in April 1975. They first arrived in Guam then transferred to Camp Pendleton in California a few weeks later. This refugee journey of leaving abruptly a war-torn country with unknown destinations to reach safety, with many volunteers helping along the way, inspired Cynthia to find hope and humanity living her new life in America. After she studied to become a dentist, Cynthia followed her mother’s profession to become an acupuncturist as well. She applies both eastern and western approaches to help patients with their chronic conditions of orofacial pain, which is often associated with underlying PTSD symptoms. In her spare time, Cynthia has found ways to give back to communities around her through volunteering. She had worked with the Braille Institute, United Way, Red Cross of America, Accueli St Frai in Lourdes France, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses in California, and medical-dental missions in Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia, among others. Cynthia also established a Diệp-Đặng Kim Xoa charitable foundation in her mother’s name to give scholarships to students in Indigenous communities.
Cynthia with the family and friends that traveled with her from Guam to Camp Pendleton, 1975