Tai Tu was born in 1938 in Vietnam and moved to the United States in the late twentieth century. When Tu finished his schooling he became a school teacher for math and science, and when the Vietnam War started he left his job to join the South Vietnamese Army. He served from 1966 to 1975 and during this time he became a caption and he served in the Central Highlands. After the war ended he was forced into the reduction. He was eventually released after many years which allowed him to be reunited with his family and begin working for a sea salt company. His brother then sponsored Tu and his family to come to the United States and live near him in Portland, Or. In Portland Tu attended Portland Community College, and he went on to work for many institutions such as the Portland school system, The Foster Farm, and Nike. He retired from Nike after twenty years of work, and he passed away in January 2020

In this interview, Tai Tu son, Thao Tu, is the translator for his father, and he includes commentary and details on his father’s story. This interview Tu covers his life in Vietnam and his transition to the United States. Tu goes into details about his service for the South Vietnamese army, and his time in the Central Highlands. He also discusses his life in the reduction camps, he goes into detail about facts such as the POWs diets and the forced labor. He then goes into detail about his release and life in Vietnam after the reduction camp. He then ends his interview by recounting his early years of moving to the United States, and the jobs, programs, and communities that helped him become settled in Portland.