In Loving Memory of Tee Thơ Tran
1952 – 2022
Below is a timeline of Tee’s life, shown through words, photos and documents. You are also invited to visit this photo album to see more photos and videos, or to share some of your own.
Trần Thị Hương Thơ was born in the Autumn of 1952 in Huế, Central Vietnam. She cherished the memories of her childhood, surrounded by the kindness of her parents, the joy of playing with her brothers, sisters and cousins, and the beauty of the Perfume River.
In 1968, Thơ’s family moved to Saigon where she continued to care for her younger siblings, excelled at ping pong and later met her future husband, Chánh.
In December 1976, after months of clandestine planning, Thơ and Chánh led a daring escape from Saigon to board themselves and 40 others onto a boat from the nearby port city of Vũng Tàu. The area was heavily patrolled so the whole operation had to be fast and quiet.
To bring themselves and the food and supplies from shore, the group made rafts out of inner tubes and planks. Those too weak or unable to swim sat on the rafts, while anyone who was strong enough paddled them to the boat. Thơ was in charge of transporting the children and keeping them calm and quiet. The water was so choppy that she and Chánh tethered each child to the raft and to herself.
After 8 days at sea, they were eventually rescued by a Thai fishing boat. It wasn’t until they landed in the Thai fishing village of Songkla that they informed their families that they had left Vietnam. After a brief stay at a refugee camp, they then immigrated to Paris, France.
Thơ got a job at an industrial dry cleaner and Chánh worked in Honda’s corporate office. They moved into a small apartment in a quiet neighborhood, got a car, and had a humble wedding in their local town hall—with the only guests being their two witnesses Jean-Claude Huynh and Jacqueline. Some months later, they had their first child Cao Tien.
Although Thơ and Chánh received great care and support for their baby, were surrounded by good friends and kind neighbors, spoke French and loved the culture, it was difficult for them to feel welcome in Paris due to frequent encounters with racism and xenophobia.
With the help of Thơ’s aunt Phượng and her US-born husband Bob, Tho, Chánh and baby Cao Tien were sponsored for immigration to the United States. Once Thơ and her little family settled in Santa Ana, she and Chánh opened up a French fashion boutique and had their second child Nhi Jacqueline.
Thơ and Chánh would never forget what a turning point it was for Phượng and Bob to sponsor them and went on to do the same when Tho’s sister Tân (Tammy), Chánh’s brother Quân (Paul), sister Ngọc Phượng (Penny), cousin Tuấn Anh (Alex), sister-in-law Minh (Lynn) and her brother Nhân had also become refugees.
Thơ, Chánh, Cao Tien and little Nhi Jacqueline then moved to the Bay Area and found it was easier to be known as Tee, Charles, Kathy and Jacky. Tee found success as a manicurist, where her creativity, warmth and magnetic personality gained her enough of a following to open up her own beauty salon, For Your Nails in Los Altos, CA.
Tee, Charles and Kathy eventually became naturalized US citizens. The beauty salon and Charles’ real estate career thrived. Tee was so dedicated to managing the salon that she worked up until she had to go to hospital to deliver her and Charles’ baby boy Eric.
In her spare time, Tee loved to enjoy the company of her family and friends through cooking, playing tennis and ping pong, going to the movies and taking leisurely walks with Charles. The family enjoyed many adventures around California and the world, eventually making their first visit to Vietnam since Tee and Charles’ escape.
After spending years navigating through increased bureaucracy, they were able to sponsor Tho’s parents and her brothers Bi and Hoài to come to the US. She and Charles relocated them and Hoài’s fiancée, in addition to two of Tho’s other sisters and their families, from Vietnam to their home in Los Altos, California.
Tee and Charles eventually sent all their kids off to college, welcomed Kathy’s husband Erik Wilson into the family and became grandparents with the birth of Nico Wilson. They also went on more international adventures, including a couple returns to Vietnam and began to dream of moving back to their homeland.
In December 2013, Tee and Charles returned to Vietnam. That following summer, they welcomed Jacky’s husband Tim Saputo to the family and later experienced the joy of having more grandchildren with the births of Antonia Saputo and Avery Wilson.
In 2017, Tee and Charles opened Antonico Villa, a hotel on a hill overlooking the most beautiful valley in Da Lat. Tee put her passions and personality into the hotel, creating the dining menu, starting up a bakery, decorating the walls with her paintings and murals, and giving a warm welcome to all her guests.
When Tee and Charles weren’t making guests feel at home at Antonico Villa, they were living a carefree life traveling around Asia and spending time with family in Saigon, Australia and the US.
During Tee’s final years when travel was more restricted due to the pandemic, they made the most out of having video calls and exchanging photos with their children and grandchildren.
She and Charles found joy in everyday acts of love. They would give each other haircuts and would be each other’s yoga instructors. Tee crafted the most delicious meals for Charles, and Charles would
bathe Tee’s feet in warm water and give them a massage every night. Tee would wind down her evenings by listening to Charles play the guitar or her favorite love songs before going to bed.
On her final evening in her home, Tee wrapped her arms around Charles as he played her a song on his guitar and said, “I love you, my talented man.”
