Two new arrivals in the Resettlement unit of Catholic Social Services, Inc., Luu Van Phong and Duong Cong Ngoc, bring to their local efforts of resettlement of the Vietnamese refugee many years of professional experience in diverse fields and a particular empathy for the problems faced by their countrymen in America.

Phong is not a newcomer to the United States, having first come here in 1961 as Secretary General of the Vietnamese Railroad System. While here, he studies railroad administration in different parts of the country.

In Vietnam, Phong worked closely with the U.S. Embassy and has written extensively on the field of transportation. His books were sent by the U.S. Embassy to the U.S. Department of State where they were used by a team of economists and engineers hired by the U.S. government as a basic document for their studies of Vietnamese transportation. Phong served as a consultant to this professional team. French educated, Phong speaks three languages and has an extensive background in American, French and Vietnamese cultures.

Arriving in Atlanta in July of 1975, Phong has been lecturing since on various subjects, specifically Vietnamese culture and customs.

Duong Cong Ngoc, a former officer in the Vietnamese Air Force, has spent two years in France and one in the United States inspecting military training at American air bases. His educational background of 15 years is extensive and predominantly in French. He worked with American advisors in Vietnam for a period of 10 years where he learned the American language.

Ngoc, his wife and four children, arrived in Atlanta in September, sponsored by the North Avenue Presbyterian Church. He notes, with a laugh, that he “learned to be a beggar” and spent some time in a local donut shop as a baker. Ngoc added he has had a lot of experiences in how to get a better life and job in this country, saying many of these things are strange experiences for the Vietnamese person.