WHEN Tuan Nguyen was a child, his parents set off from Vietnam as refugees on a boat, in the hope of making a better life for their son.
Mr Nguyen credits his mother and father for motivating him to enter the medical field and establish a thriving business called Radiology Imaging Solutions (RIS).
“I think a better life for their child was one of their main motivations behind making the journey,” he said.
“My inspiration comes from my doctor Dad, he is a GP – he retired, found that too boring and came back to work.
“Life wasn’t easy when they first came here as refugees, we didn’t have anyone here.
“We escaped Vietnam when I was about four or five, then got picked up and taken to Japan as refugees and from there migrated to Australia.”
Mr Nguen said his experience on the boat has made him grateful for every time he can have a sip of water.
“There was one child about my age on the boat too,” he said.
“My parents remember him and he passed away about three hours before we were picked up from the boat – they think from dehydration.”
As a successful businessman nowadays, Maribyrnong resident and father-of-two Mr Nguyen said he does not remember much about his childhood boat journey.
He grew up to become a radiographer and sonographer, and established the first branch of RIS in Footscray during 2006, then opened branches in Point Cook and St Albans.
“I love sonography, it has always been my field,” Mr Nguyen said.
“With some jobs you come in, come out and don’t interact with people.
“But in sonography the thing which keeps me going is that I get to interact with people as they see their baby grow, share in their experiences and feelings.”
