Bidong Island: The island of hope (why you must know of this place)-Terengganu, MALAYSIA TRAVEL VLOG
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- Опубликовано: 26 окт 2020
- Why all Malaysian should know of and be proud of this island (Pulau Bidong)!
Bidong island was a refugee camp for the South Vietnamese boat people who escaped from communisms from the Vietnam war. The island has a sad history, but it was also the beginning of a beautiful journey for many...It was a symbol of hope.
In 1978 the Malaysian government opened up the island to help the boat people. As many as 250,000 people has passed through or resided in the camp. It was a fully functioned city with markets, schools, churches, temples, and houses. Although it was overcrowded, the people were grateful they could stay at the island until they received help from the UN to live on other countries such as Canada and Australia.
Today, the island is very much abandoned. We could still see remnants of what used to be there. UTM also has a site for coral research. Snorkeling is one of the top things to do on the island due to the untouched nature (stay tuned for part 2 of our Bidong Island vlog).
If you are interested in a similar tour, check out Ping Anchorage Travel and Tours www.pinganchorage.com.my/
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JetLagWarriors is a Canadian couple - Steve and Ivana. After travelling here and there for a few years, mostly during Canadian winter, we fully caught the travel bug and decided to travel INDEFINITELY! Subscribe to keep up with our journey. We will be budget travelling- hostels and air BnB's and street food and the whole bit. Thanks!
We recommend you to watch this video of stories of Vietnamese people that used to live in the island, and came back to visit a few years ago: ruclips.net/video/FiWuQRoXwMo/видео.html
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Actually if you look into history, there is a little bad blood between the refugees and Malaysian authorities when they demonstrated again the UN etc...
ruclips.net/video/7F_xNVu_vww/видео.html
And then the Local Terengganu fisherman still have memories of being prevented from fishing in the then security area...
Maybe these kinds of videos can bridge the gap...
ruclips.net/video/aaY4-IypRys/видео.html
The Refugees rioting against the authorities
Many years ago, I was attached to a training in Irvine, Ca. USA, I was having lunch when I noticed a group of Asian Vietnamese guys walking towards my table. The next thing I knew, they were hugging me and hand shakes by all of them. Apparently, they got the news that I am the new guy from Malaysia and each one of them wanted to thanked me for what my country had done to help them when others just turned away. I will never forget that moment. I was a celebrity to them then. I am so proud to be Malaysian.
wow!! That’s so wonderful. Such a beautiful moment.
It being me tears when I read your story... What a pity now our country becomes a battlefield for power hunger... Else we rakyat still struggle to survived... Proud to be a malaysian 😘😘
Yes, I lived on that island in 83-84. I went back to see Bidong 2019. Thanks Malaysian Goverment and Malaysia people
thank you to your and your government give these people help
@@johnnguyen4152 Hi, I’d love to love to have your feedbaack in order to organise a trip back : which tour operator, etc. Some years ago, I wanted to come back there but too few information about how to travel to this deserted island !
Nice video, just to add a little story. Many years ago, I was in Germany with another colleague, staying in a very small town, 100km from Frankfurt. On arriving, we decided and went out to look for Asian food and ended up in a Vietnamese restaurant. When taking orders, the lady owner politely asked where we were from and we said "Malaysia"...(On the contrary, the German receptionist when checking in at the small hotel, never heard of Malaysia, could not find Malaysia and listed us "from Japan", Argghhh, whatever lah! Hahaha). She was very happy and told us that she was once a refugee ending up in Malaysia. Malaysia together with UN, worked very hard to get other countries to accept them, refugees. She spoke fondly of the times/memories in Malaysia and was very grateful for the assistance, care provided by the Govt and the people...
Wow, it really made me good and very proud of Malaysia!!!...Of course, we paid for the dinner, we insisted....Hahaha, Cheers
ahhh such a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing!!
On 70s during indochina war refugee from Cambodia also landing at Kelantan..
from your story I guess they the Vietnamese got a malaysian attitude as well.. Belanja makan maaa👍👍😁😁
I was in Paulo Bidong in 1979.
Malaysia is always in my Heart .
The first time when my boat sailed along the beach in Trenganu ,I saw a couple of teenagers ran on yellow sand Beach I had to stop my tear .Oh so nice,so peaceful, they were very lucky to live in peaceful country compared to me I just left my home my village ,my parent,my school, my friend and for sure I did not know when I came back to see them .I was wishing my country was here.
I always thank Malaysia .
With all of Vietnamese boat people Malaysia is a our second country and never forget .
Thank all of Malaysians with our
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
One reason why most Malaysians try hard to forget Bidong history was because it was so traumatizing and just thinking of those refugees give me goosebumps and teary eyes..Malaysian Gov and UNCHR have lots of refugees' camps so far..but Bidong was one of the saddest story..
I'm one of those 250K that were lucky enough to land there. I'm thanks for accommodating us. Can you give me more details of why it is saddest ?
@@TheNutiestCase Dear Tuc Huynh, glad to hear from you. The reason it was one of the saddest because the camp was built by the people with help from the locals, some of the locals already felt like the people was part of their family but later they had to say goodbye. Also, some suffered from illnesses and some sacrifice their lifes for freedom. I wish you all the best and take care wherever you are.
I'm BP 471 was in there 1982 .
History is very interesting to us...one of the reason why we travel. We learned so much about this place during our visit. The Vietnamese war was brutal. At the time, many people especially from Southern Vietnam are looking to escape from communist Vietnam. They are looking for freedom, and Malaysia gave them a chance not only to live and survive, but also gave them one of the most important thing in life: FREEDOM.
Ill salute to that JLW FREEDOM!
They should not call it a HELL ISLAND. Malaysian give them a place to survive during the wars of their country and they demand something thay we malaysian cannot give them and also not in the position to give them
Sombre Steve
lots of years back (40 years ago, i think)
when i was 15 i pass by this island on my way to pulau redang, (redang has no hotel then). i remember this island is bald and all you see is soil. it sure looks alot different now.
Thank you for making this video; I was so moved. It brought back memories of the time when my late father was involved in something similar in Sarawak in the early 80s.
I am from Terengganu and Bidong Island was also used as transit point for Cambodian refugees who was escaping from Khmer Rouge regime (the movie "The Killing Fields" depicted Khmer Rouge brutality) so local Terengganu people call them "Orang Kemboja". Many became local Terengganu and assimilated to local life - many married with locals too.
Wow that brings back memories.
I was in school when the refugees were in Bidong.My dad was a policeman at KT.He was stationed at the island every so often and would come back with stories about life there.
One day he came back with 2 rolls of fabric with very strong oil stench.The story was,one of the boats turned over and the oil got to the stuff on the boat.
My dad was given these 2 rolls of fabric by one of the grateful refugees.We had to wash the fabric umpteen times to get rid off the oil smell.
One roll of the fabric had purple background with white polka dots and the other one was black with yellow polka dots.Yea...not sure why or how I still remember that.
For the rest of the year the whole family was wearing polka dots themed clothes with lingering smell of oil lol
Thank you Steve n Ivana for doing this beautiful piece on the significant but forgotten Pulau Bidong...a huge part of Terengganu history.
wow, thanks for sharing your story!
Really interesting...
My neighbor next door wants to relay a huge thank you to you guys for the video. He said he was there in late 1978-1980 @ 8 years old and the 'Ghost Ship' he said it was still really in very good condition, even better than some of the pictures were taken. He said there were 2 Ships, one very large (Blue) and one small next to it. He said the next thing he knows, the small one was gone and left the big one. While he was there, there were lots of kids playing close to it on the beach and playing around it but never saw anyone on it or climbed it due to people saying it's sacred because many people died, so it was a memorial to respect those souls. From there, he remembered the awesome Buddhist Temple was being built and overlooking the clear ocean water where the new statue sitting. He also remembers there was a tree hanging on the cliff where people came to take pictures, etc..., which he did see in some of the picture people took. He was in Zone B or C, and he said he couldn't remember at first and there were lots of people. Later on, he was moved because it was too crowded and he lives in one unit it was close to a bakery & school where they teach English and most nights, he can hear them learning and that is how he learned English. Also, he sat in the back so he can learn too and that is how he perfect his English. As for the Cinema, it was just freshly built and it was the first time he saw a movie on a big screen. He came to the Island with his mom and now his mom is long gone, so he's asking me to search for videos like these to see and remember his childhood. He was there as a young kid, so not much that he can remember since so much was going on. People were coming in left and right and up to a point they were building new zones/units every day. He said he live pretty close to those boats, so it was a walking distance away and that is his most fond memory of the island. He left there/transfer in early 1980? He went to the Philippines with his mom where they were building Schools and The Refugee Housing before they migrated to the USA. His mom served in the French Army and got a chance to seek asylum in France, but she wanted to go to America because she wanted a better life for him, so they had to wait. Again in the Philippines, he sat in the back of the adult classes to learn English. They stayed there for around 2 years and finally left for the USA in March of 1982. He said it was only 3-1/2+ total of his life but he remembers those vivid moments the most. He said.... To all the people who seek freedom, regardless of how you end up there and reading this post.... Remember the past but don't dwell on it because it can eat you inside. Learn to be happy that you are still alive and learn how to love yourself more. Regardless of how your parent(s) did, they did it for you. Go give them a big hug and a big thank you because he didn't get a chance to do that with his mom.
About 6yrs ago, while on a tour of Veitnam, I met a decent Veitnamese man, also visiting with his family of five. They came over from Australia; that could be his '3rd country' by choice...
He already had his own bakery operating there.
Happily...he said he only knew ONE Malay word ..from his teen years on Bidong ...that is MAKANG, MAKANG!...haha that is trengganu slang for 'makan'..
nice story. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for this video, I was 12 year old 1982 , I still remember every corner. Thank you Malaysian
Thank you for sharing this video my boat no PB 451 in 1981-1982
Mc297 ,year 1989
It's that (slightly older) Canadian dude back again! I was in KT back in 1979/80 when the boats were coming ashore nearly every day. It was a very troubling thing to see. Met many UNHCR employees, including a Canadian, who were working to find a new home country for the 1000's on Bidong. Many, many Vietnamese 'boat people' did make their way to Canada. Incredibly, some 30+ years later, I was volunteering with a youth program in Canada and one of the participants was a young woman whose parents were on Bidong back in 78/79 and had emigrated to Canada to start a family. Such a small world we live in! Amazing to see Bidong now - from city to serenity.
i think it is because its our culture and religion, as a Malaysian, we dont like to brag about our good deeds, if you did good deeds, u want to stay anonymous as possible..
👍good for you guys.
1. My late dad was posted there (Malaysian Prison Dept) to take care of the refugees in the late 70's before they were moved out.
2. When i was a student in Switzerland, i went to see a dentist in a small town called Le Bouveret in the canton of Valais, to my surprised they both (husband and wife - dentist) were from Vietnam and Pulau Bidong was their first transit point before they were moved once again to Sungai Besi. Right after, they were permitted to enter Switzerland and granted work permits...
Wow, thanks for sharing your story. Applause to your dad. He must have had some interesting stories. And glad the Vietnamese people you met in Switzerland are now doing well.
@@JetLagWarriors more tourism and history related activities can be done at the island. Thanks to you both for highlighting......
That's an awesome story bro. Credits to your dad
@@mrjourney5940 oh tq......humbled....thx to Jetlag Warriors for this awesome video....
@@shahrirali6485shout out to JLW! btw what does your dad do now?
As a Mirror Vietnamese refugees 1989 Boat Number MC494 I were growing up at the island one day I’ll comeback here for visiting
Yes it’s Island of Hope
and thank you for share and making this video
Wow! Incredible history we learned there. Glad you’re safe now and wish you a safe trip to Bidong.
Mc297 ,year 1989 pilau bidong
Mc297 year 1989
Thanks for the video. Now and then I search RUclips for Pulau Bidong. Lived there in 1984. Thanks to the Malay govt. and countless volunteers who helped us.
Hi. I had lived here September 1983 for 2 months. My boat number was PB 983. Now I live in Houston, TX. Thanks for a video.
I was a refugee of Bidong in 1980 . I always remembered vividly the day I arrived to the island, everyone came out to greet the new boat, brougt us food , water. We were saved . Thanks God. Im now a Canadian , Bidong has special place in my heart. Malaysians should be proud of their kindness and teach the history in school for saving 250000 people. .
Couples day after my arrival UNHCR freed a group of Vietnamese women captured and imprisoned by Thailand pirates . Their families were killed and they were taken hostage , raped, sold to prostitution, very dark history of the people of VN and their Journey to Freedom.
Great video. Long before the UNHCR set foot in the state, it was the people of Terengganu - the villagers - who provided some initial care and shelter and comfort to the arriving boat people at the height of the Vietnam crisis.
Bravo to Malaysia for being so welcoming and for landing a helping hand to those in need at the time.
That is true. My grandfather is one of the fisherman who help guide them to the island.
@@aminshukri5839 tapi kalau baca sejarah,mula-mula tu okeyla..orang kampung tolong..beberapa lama pastu bila lama bersabar, baru nelayan-nelayan kat sana tak puas hati sebab mereka tak dapat menangkap ikan di perairan pulau bidong. sampai kerajaan terengganu buat surat mintak pelarian tu semua beredar dari pulau bidong. tak lama pastu baru pulau tu dikosongkan.
@@aminshukri5839 my grandfather too.. Nelayan kg merang tu..
@@Reformist101 biasalah org Malaysia baik pd pendatang...tapi macam diberi bunga dibalas taik. Dari p.bidong di pindah kan ke sg besi sebagai transit sebelum dihantar ke negara ketiga. Di tempat transit mereka buat kacau....rusuhan. Amat menyusahkan. Pengajaran utk kita berhadapan dgn pelarian rohingya srkarang
Back in 79 when my family Second attempt to escape Vietnam we finally made it out and stranded on the open sea for week before we land on this island Bidong. My family and I were very lucky to have made it to this island and to come to America thank you for sharing this video it brings back so much memories good and bad
I was there 1978, still got all memories.
I was a refugee in Pulau Bidong in 1980. I saw some survivors, whom brought into the camp by UNHCR , The pirates killed everyone on the boat, kidnapped the women into a deserted island .
Im now living in Canada and still remember Pulau Bidong Journey to Freedom. 1.5 millions people escaped Communist vn, about 250000 died at sea / land.
wow, what a tragic history. Glad to hear you are well in Canada now. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for bringing back memories from my childhood. My family of six people used to live here in 1985 and now we all live in Canada. I love you PULAU BIDONG and I will never forget you
Oh.. same country as Steve and ivana… )))
We were in Bidong in 1979. We also are in Canada!
Hi there, our family of 8 were Vietnamese refugees here for a few months in 1981. We were fortunate enough to be sponsored to Australia by the Catholic Church 🙏🏼. I was the youngest, 8 years old. My only memory is of the beach and eating instant noodles .
Wow! I hope you are doing well in Australia now. How did you feel living in the island? Were you scared?
Hi, sorry if this is a sensitive question:
Is it true that most refugees were 'Hoa' or of Chinese descent?
@@MalaysianTropikfusion not sure sorry, I was to young to know.
Awesome you had the opportunity to visit this island! Lots of history
it was very interesting!! One of our Malaysia highlight.
I was there 1981 Thank you for the video
Incredible beautiful little Island 🏝️ where so many people called it home once 🇻🇳
No offence, they actually ran away from that red flag 😄😄
My family was one of the first group landed on the island in '78... we were the first 1000 refugees there. We had to cut down the trees and build tents. And within a few months the population got up to +40k... I remembered the beaches were very beautiful and as a child it was a wonderful wild camping trip. I'm sure my parents felt different... By the time we left, there were a helicopter field, a temple, a church, a hospital, a school. Thank you for sharing
Yes also thank you for all volunteers UN and Red Cross helping us
Apart from Vietnamese refugees there were also Cambodian refugees at that time. I remembered my Cambodian friend's story. He was a refugee. He told me, at that time a group of a few families including his, were trying to escape from their village. They have to hide in the jungle before reaching the beach to escape. He remembered that in the group there was a women who has a baby. The baby could not stop crying and she has to cover her baby's mouth. She had to do it, because at that time they were chased by a group of army. Noise could jeopardise their safety. Good news was, they make it to the escape boat, but the sad thing was, the baby died because of suffocation. The entire group was in grief. My friend said, that was a sacrifice that he will never forget and also an unforgettable experience that he had to witness as a child.
Watching your video makes me remembering my friend's story, I couldn't imagine all the refugees' feelings at that time and the ordeal that they have been through...
Wow. Unbelievable story. Thanks for sharing
Great exploring video. This bring back my childhood memories blurred over the years. Proud to be Malaysian. Thank you for higlighting this part of history of Malaysia.
Thanks for watching!😊
Thank you so much for this video! My mom specifically remembered the name "Bidong" when I asked her about my late father's journey as a boat person and I'm happy I discovered another piece of his story that was almost lost. He ended up in the Philippines for a few years and eventually resettled in Canada, but I am very thankful to learn about Bidong Island!
Hi Carthy, I’m glad our video can help you learn a bit more about Bidong Island. Do visit the site if you get the chance.
I AM PROUD OF THIS....AFTER ALL WE ARE ALL SAME HUMAN SPESIS....I HOPE MALAYSIA AND VIETNAM RELATION WILL REMAIN GOOD FOREVER...PEACE FROM ME,A MALAYSIAN TO ALL VIETNAMESE PEOPLES
So emotional watching your video.I lived there when I was 12 years old. Thank you for sharing
Thank you so much for your video. I was a refugee on that island in 1979. I was only 1, so I have no memory of it. I plan on visiting the island this July. It’s gonna be a deep experience for me. I get teary just watching your video.
My boat number was MB 887 in 1987. Thank you for this video. I remember everything about this island.
Another beautiful island in Terengganu!
Probably the most beautiful out of all the islands we have visited...
@@JetLagWarriors beautiful in it own way
i been in bidong island in 2012 ..
that time..bidong island not open for public. it have been own by Universiti Malaysia terengganu for marine researcher. pulau bidong is very beutifull island.
first heard about this island from a girl i met on myspace a long time ago. she was born there. she lives in the US now.
sebab tu kalau ada perlawanan bola ke apa, malaysia takde masalah pergi ke stadium diorang. diorang vietnam layan kita baik sebab kenang jasa kita dulu tolong mak bapak,atuk nenek diorang masa jadi pelarian dulu
What a beautiful island. I remembered reading somewhere that a Vietnamese who had stayed here, later lived in Canada, was grateful for d shelter on this island.
yes there were many signs on the island showing how grateful the Vietnamese people are.
Its is not abandoned. Its just, that the government dont allow any development on that island. Only for researcher.
During this refugees crisis many of us in terengganu fear to eat fish. So many stories during this time and Some found ring in fish.. finger nail etc.
oh yeah...sadly many people did not make it and die on the sea...
Thank you for bring back the memories of Bidong Island . I was there 35 years ago. I’m now in America.
The American Chef Viet Pham was born on this island. There was an episode when came back to see the likely spot where his mom gave birth to him 🌞
wow! Must be an emotional episode.
Yes. I hv seen it . Can search for his video...
🤯
@@michaeltang8607 can you send link video? I can't find 😅
yeah I watched the video a couple of years back
Really have no idea of this as a Malaysian. Good one, Steve and Ivana.
Thanks for watching!
you all must be young guys.
the refugees landed all over terengganu beaches, especially in Besut. i witnessed some of the history... so sad watching them struggled, just to land. when boats capsized, many lost their lives.. in front of my eyes😥😥
the waves during monsoon season..you imagine.
my former primary school was also turned to one of the refugees camp.
maybe Google can help you about the history guys.
@@asasas5340 ruclips.net/video/-TsZVgQf4Ss/видео.html
@@asasas5340 True
@@Reformist101..yes bro.
that was one of the many boats.😥😥
the same situation in my village that time.
tq for the link of the video bro 👍👍
A great eye opening and emotional video. Glad Malaysia lived up to the message in the Book, whoever saves one life is as if he saves the whole of humanity. Wishing peace, safety and prosperity to all who once made Bidong island their home. ❤️
Thank you very much for sharing this video. It was very emotional for me as I’m watching your island tour video. I can recalled some of places you mentioned in the video. My family was once living on this island as boat refugees coming from Vietnam in 1978 when it’s first opened as a refugee camp. Me and family now resided in the US. I would like very much one day able to a day tour to see this beautiful island at one time was home away from home for many Vietnamese boat refugees.
Wow, thank you for watching.
It must have been difficult back then. You are brave. Would love to hear more of your stories.
We hope you are doing well in the US now. Take care!
Pulau Bidong is always known at least for me as Vietnamese political refugees safe haven since I was a little boy... and I witnessed their presence when some of them were relocated in Sg Besi Depot in the early 80s.
Are there still Vietnamese communities living in Malaysia now?
@@JetLagWarriors most people migrated to USA, European countries and Australia in the interim, they stayed for a year or two and set sail abroad after that. The remaining refugees went back home after no more persecution in Vietnam. There was an incident once in Sg Besi camp in mid 1990 when the overcrowded long house has become too congested, well we would like to close our eyes for incident like this. some one set fire probably the Vietnamese there and a block or two of the long wooden houses being charred to ashes. it was hard time for Vietnamese refugees but their made it home safely. you can watch the news here
ruclips.net/video/aaY4-IypRys/видео.html
whoah such a tragic time...
@@JetLagWarriors yeah, was long time ago
@@JetLagWarriors Not exactly communities , but come to think of it... I did a video of Vietnamese workers that are working in Johor Bahru, A street with many Vietnamese shops / good / services ,a a restaurant & a cafe... I just did it last week.. , I'm not promoting my channel or content.... Don't worry.. LOL
I was a refugee in this island at 10 yr old. Bring back bitter sweet memories
Actually both Malaysia and Indonesia helped the Vietnamese. Bidong was the first to come followed by the Sungei Besi camp in KL, but soon Indonesia opened the Galang camp. Later Singapore accepted some refugees as well and placed them in Woodlands. So it was a humanitarian effort by many countries in SEA. Bidong is the only place to retain some semblence of historical significance. The history has been wiped out totally of the KL, Singapore and Indonesian camps.
oh we didn’t know that there was also a camp in KL. Thanks for sharing
I had visited the Singapore camp in early 80s with my students. It was a military camp made into a refugees camp, one of the best camp in Southeast Asia, I was told by the boat people there. There was a church & missionary people helping out. Lots of kids, too. Boat people looked very contented there, waiting for resettlement. They were allowed to get out of the camp in a bus that took them to shop in the city.
It reminds me used to live there in the past in 1989 thanks for showing
thank you steve n ivana for taking us to Bidong Island...
thanks for “travelling” with us
It's a Buddhist chant.... I hear it in temples and at funerals...... Chants for the souls....I think
Is a reciting of one of the great Buddha name called Amitabha Buddha. In Chinese it is pronounced as “Amituofuo”!
One the most heart wrenching blogs. Love the way you described the Bidong Island and what and how it represent humanity per se. Well done Steve and Ivana
I was here in 1980. I was around 9. I would love to come back to see this island one last time before I die and swim that beautiful ocean again. I’m now 54
the reason why many monument or structure hardly left is due to the tropical climate, its hard to prevent trees and bushes from growing around the region
not just bidong, other historical places in Malaysia also the same
So glad you were able to venture to this island and share with all of us. Well done! Keep safe and healthy.
Such amazing history....
I was there in May 1979 and left the Island on July 1980. When I watch this short video and bring back full of memory. I havn't back since I left. I need to go back again. Hope very soon. Thanks! for posting this beautiful video.
Thank you for watching, and glad we enjoyed. Best wishes to you, and hope you can make it back to Bidong Island one day.
I made it to Bidong island in Dec 1980 with 48 people from our boat along with two of my friends. I was only there for a very short time due to my age of 14. I was accepted by many countries and I migrated to the US after only about 3 months on the island. My friends and I were very resourceful and had a great time living there. I was the first to leave and from my understanding the two of them separately made it to the US as well, but unfortunately I have no idea where they are for the past 42 years. Thank you so much for your video and your sense of empathy and telling the forgotten story. Also, thank you to the Malaysian people and government for allowing us to be on the island and helping us to pursuit freedom.
I'm a 49 year old white guy from Montreal Canada. I'm watching this with my 53 year old Vietnamese brother Manh. We just finished talking about his ordeal with the boats and pirates etc. He is now an RCMP officer! Thank you Malaysia.
wow, thanks for sharing this with us❤️
As a malaysian, I'm learning something about my country greatness from non Malaysian. Everyday there always something malaysia do to make me proud.
❤️😊
Keep up the good work.. Great stories..
When I was in college, there was also a refugee teenager also enrolled in the same college in KL. He told me stories of the horrors of war. Very sad.
from Vietnam?
Thanks so much for this video which brings back memory when I was being there 8 months as a child in 1978 - 1979 after my boat sinking.
Thank You Steve and Ivana. Yes...it has been a privilege to help the Viets.
You guys covered the island and its history quite comprehensively.
Its amazing how the mode you capture in this video, the intonnation u used, and choice of words, pays such respect to the whole history and our country.
Thanks for watching!😊
For those vietnamese who had survived this life episode, who had came back to this island, must have had a bitter sweet memories. Hopefully d descendants have a happier life somewhere out there.
Yes, they were very grateful for being in Malaysia
Great video Steve. Not many Malaysians knew about the island existence. Keep it up 💪🏼
I was there 1978. I lived there more than a year. 1979 went to America
Wow another great adventure!! Great history which i just learnt from you guys. Amazing
Thanks for watching!
A bit surprising that many do not know about the existence of this island and the history of Vietnamese boat people. Maybe a page or two need to be included in the school's history book. You can see this island clearly from Pantai Penarik and Terrapuri Heritage Village
That explain the rubbish they put in our education today.
Actually, many people knew about this island. Maybe you and the younger generation who did not know about this. I was born in the 80's. My generation knew about this island and Sungai Besi Camp.Not all bed and roses while helping these refugees. Few riots inside camp broke out because camp overcrowded and Malaysia at those time are still at the early stage of development thus does not really have financial capabilities to give these refugees better facilities.
@@quarterswing2847 Dont blame the education system. In my years, we learn about these in our history book. Then, as usual certain party of people meddle as per their view this part of history will remind them of episode pendatang, the issue of poor human right in the country, few thought why taught history when math and science are more important and useful in life than a piece of history. Just like issue of Jawi because Jawi is so important as unique writing system that is hundred years old and that are part of important pieces of history. People spin the issue into making Jawi look like an attempt to spread religious teaching.
Maybe new generation not realise about this. For those who aware about vietnam war should aware about this island. Many of vietnamese been there before transfered to 3rd countries under UN..
Memorial can be anything but stop build statue.🙅🏻♀
Thank you so much for such a wonderful video…
Very moving stories of Bidong Island. Thank you for sharing. I was in my teens and I remember " the boat people " that is they were called, landing on a an island off Labuan .. Borneo. Can't remember which island but I remember people donating food to take out to the island.
Thanks for the video. We were there in 86-87. Good memories here❤
Thank you so much for sharing all this information with us ……………
I heard about this island and story of the refuge from vietnam during Vietnamese war. thank you for doing this video and let more people know about this island
Thanks for watching!
Steve and ivana. You did lots of adventure and sharing the history of it's particular place. That widen up my knowledge of the history and location. Thanks a lot for your vlog.
Thanks for “travelling” with us!
nice vid. i was there from march 10, 1982 to june 1982. i was young. have many fun memories of that place. i recall all the places.
My daughter’s father-in-law was a refugee there during his teenage years! Now he is an Australian, and has loads of interesting tales of the horrors he endured during his escape from Vietnam
wow! Can’t imagine all the stories he has to share.
Thanks Love Your video , I’m a boat people 1981 .
Wow thanks for doing this video.
Wow thanks so much for this video pulau bidong I was there March 1979 on that island thank you y’all
Nice vlog🌞tq for Pulau Bidong story🕸happy vacation💑 keep it up💥
Thank you.
Highly emotional. Didnt know the history of Bidong island. Great video
Thank you.
Thanks Steve, Ivana & team.. Malaysians are learning about their own country from you guys.. 😁
Great video! Keep making videos that make people share their stories too. I wasn’t born yet when these happened but I heard stories of the displaced Vietnamese during the civil war. Very nostalgic to read some of the stories in the comments section 🧡🫂
Thanks so much for watching!
Thank you so much for this video 🙏🏼
Now I am learning ..great discoveries guys!.
Yay! 😊Thank you. Glad you learn something new from our video.
7:06 I’m gonna make a ringtone out of Steve keeps on mentioning “bidong”
Interesting & very historically informative....good job steve & ivana....great video👍
thank you!
Thank you for this wonderful video. Brought back nice memories of me going swimming with my friend everyday while living here as refugee at 11 years old. After 7 months, my family and I were approved to go to America. July 1979 was the year we left. I would love to visit here again some day to pay my respects and thank the Malaysian people for their kindness. 🙏.
Best wishes and God bless. 💕
thanks for making this video. i am very touched by it since i was 4 years old at the time and still have vivid memories of bidong island. i'm now 46 years old. it's on my bucket list to visit the island soon.
wow, are you a Vietnamese living in Bidong at the time? Hope you can visit soon.
thanks for sharing your experience. I hope I can visit it someday in person
History taught us so many things... yet today, people are still fighting everywhere... Bidong story is just a piece of forgotten history how human behaviour towards others. Peace on earth? It's still a big question....
Interesting refugee story! Malaysian are hospitable people! ..hehe x lama lagi jadi Dato Steve Saiful 👍👍✌
Thank you😊
Malaysians are very welcoming from our own experience
I went there few months ago for camping trip. We do snorkelling, even jumped into the sea from the jetty. It has history and also nice beach. Really recommend everyone to go because it’s a hidden paradise.
Yes! We also did some snorkeling and other fun stuff. Stay tuned for our next vlog!
I am very sure Pulau Bidong will be one of our to-go-to holiday destination after watching this video.
I was a kid in the 70s and Pulau Bidong was well known as a Vietnamese refugee camp/ transit before they go to countries like Australia, Canada and US.
We did not make a big deal about it as there were bigger things to think about. That's how life was.
Thank you Steve and Ivana for this vlog. I didn't even know until now. I was in primary school then. Keep vlogging...
Thanks for “travelling” with us!
Thanks for sharing bro 🙏❤️
Well done 👍
Thanks for watching!
I was a refugee in Bidong when I was 2-3yrs old. We arrived by boat as well. I would like to go visit one day. I have no memory bc I was so young.