Interview of Francis Tri Nguyen, F.S.C., Ph.D. Part 2

Francis of Assisi Nguyen von Tri, was born in Shanghai, China in 1938. When the Communists took over China, his family left the country for Hanoi, North Vietnam. In 1954, when the French were defeated, they fled the Communists again, and settled in South Vietnam. He was raised a Catholic, and enrolled in the Christian Brothers order at a young age. While completing his formation for the Christian Brotherhood, Brother Francis began teaching students at various age levels. He entered into higher education, completed a Bachelors degree, and went on to pursue a Masters degree in Sociology after receiving a scholarship to attend the Asian Social Institute in Manila, Philippines. He taught at schools in Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1960s and 70s, during the height of the Vietnam War. In 1975, he was a member of the large group of refugees who fled South Vietnam when Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. Brother Francis arrived in the United States in the summer of 1975. Once he arrived in the U.S., he sustained his role as a Christian Brother by joining the American community, and pursued degrees at several major universities. Brother Francis has conducted research on La Sallian identity around the world, the plight and successes of Vietnamese refugees, and the aging process. He has been a faculty member at La Salle University since 1985, and currently serves as head of the University’s Sociology Department. His office is located in 361 Olney Hall