Wei Yen (Alice Code) was born and raised in the country of Viet Nam. Her family lived in the city of Saigon, now known as Ho Chi mien City. Her Parents owned a small restaurant in the Chinese quarter of Saigon called Cho Lon. About a year after the end of the Viet Nam war, her father passed away. Within a short time, her mother became ill, and she too passed away.
Before the North Viet Nam takeover of the south, her three brothers had already left the country and had settled in Hong Kong; now Wei Yen was alone. Had it not been for close friends, and what money her parents had left her, there is no telling what would have happened to her. One day one of her friends asked Wei Yen if she would escape with her through North Viet Nam and into China; once in China the Chinese government would grant them refugee status. Wei Yen agreed to go, and left the only home she knew, they made their way by train north to China. After spending a number of months in a Chinese refugee camp, an opportunity came to escape by boat to Hong Kong. And so, Wei Yen became one of thousands of boat people that had escaped Viet Nam and found freedom in Hong Kong.
One of her brothers, who was now living in the United States, was able to sponsor her and so Wei Yen was now on her way to America. There are so many more details of her experiences in this time of her life, that if it could be written, it would fill a book.
After arriving in the United States, Wei Yen married, was a devoted wife, mother and Grandmother. She enjoyed her career as a medical assistant, she loved helping others.