Vietnamese Boat People Arrive in Britain

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In late 1978, huge numbers of refugees began fleeing Vietnam, trying to escape the country's repressive communist government. Many of the refugees took to sea in flimsy boats at huge risk. Diep Quan and her family were rescued from their sinking vessel by a British merchant ship and were among the first Vietnamese refugees to arrive in Britain. In January 1979, her family were given the keys to a new home in the English city of Peterborough. Diep tells Witness about her journey to Britain as a nine year old and the challenges of adapting to a new life in the UK. (Photo: Several boatloads of refugees reach Hong Kong waters in 1979. Credit: COR/AFP/Getty Images)