On 13 October 2008, the Khmer Krom community in Washington State lost a well respected and beloved man by the name of Mr. Lam Vong. He was a legend in his own right, achieving many great accomplishments and a true Khmer Krom at heart.
Please read below the struggles and triumphant of his great man as written by his son, Mr. Nop Lam.
Our father, Mr. Vong Lam, was a simple man who strived for a brighter future for his family, and in his spare time dedicated himself for the better of Khmer Krom community and the future of Khmer Krom. He was a great father, husband, and grandfather.
He was born and raised in Khleang, a province in the Indochina region now known as Soc Trang, Vietnam. At the age of sixteen, he became a monk, as a part of the Khmer tradition. During his days as a monk, he would help educate the village children and also sought wisdom himself. His strong belief in the ways of Buddhism helped him evolve into a very wise young man. After approximately five years at the temple, he was arranged to be married to our mom, Mrs. On Thach.
Together as a family we were farmers, our parents utilized the knowledge they do have to put food on the table. We were poor to say the least, but were more fortunate then some. Whatever produce they could grow, they grew for us to keep us alive.
Through this hardship in his life after many years, laborious work, he saw the only opportunity for a better future ahead and that was to come to America. He was tired of the oppression from the government and the lack of opportunity for his family. He left Vietnam with his family in 1989. In the family he had his wife, mother-in-law, and six children.
He faced many obstacles along the way. He flew to the Philippines and stayed at the refugee camp for approximately six months or so. Afterwards, the family flew to America, to a city called Tacoma with the help of Mr. Thach Thom. After we settled in, our parents continued to help their fellow villagers by providing a temporary shelter for immigrants who had just arrived in the US.
Our parents continued to work hard, seven days a week, to save money to purchase a house. Only about five years later, they were able to purchase a new home and already had a few vehicles. Along with some of their success comes some free time. In this free time, though it is hard to come by, he managed to get involved with the process of forming a gathering place for Khmer Krom. With the help and dedications of many other great Khmer Krom, well respected men and women, came the forming of Watt Chantarangsey.
To this day, Watt Chantarangsey remains the hub of all Khmer Krom people, a place where the people in the state of Washington can worship as they wish every day. Likewise, he was not just the president of the Temple, he was also involved with the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF). His dedication grew more and more as each day goes by, but he also understand he has a family to look after too.
A tragic event happened to our beloved father on Oct. 13, 2008. He went missing. All the family members, and many of our uncles and aunts went out to search for him but he could not be found. His body was later found by the authorities two long nights and three long days later.
The days followed were filled with sadness and despair for us all over the loss of a Mr. Vong Lam on Oct. 13, 2008.
His character has been always to strive for the better, not just the better for himself, and his family, but also for the better of Khmer Krom people. His legacy might just be a small prelude for what is to come in the future for Khmer Krom, but his dedication to better Khmer Krom is a definite acknowledge through most of Khmer Krom community around the place he grew up as a kid. We never got the chance to see his full capability as the person that he is, but we were able to experience some of his accomplishments.
A simple man he was, but without his presence now the family lost their father, husband, and grandfather and a great fellow Khmer Krom.
Please click play to see a video dedication to Mr. Lam Vong:
Special thanks to Mr. Nop for his contribution to this article and we would like to express our sincere condolences to his family for the lost of this wonderful man. Your father's accomplishments and dedication will be remembered in the history and struggle of Khmer Krom for many years to come.
