Cuong Phan Vu

Our Bô, Vu Phan Cuong, passed away on April 23, 2020. He led a remarkable and full life, having turned 82 this month. He was blessed with a strong spirit that withstood the turmoil of his times and enabled him to protect us. We remember him as a loving father, grandfather, and caring teacher.

Bô was born in 1938 in Hanoi. He survived the great famine of 1945. In 1954, the Geneva Accords divided Vietnam into north and south; so, his family relocated to Saigon. The eldest in his family, he had many responsibilities due to the early passing of his mother. He went to law school and served in the military. In 1965, he was assigned to teach in a small town in the foothills north of Saigon, called Bao Loc. There he met my mother Muoi and started our family. He served his village as a police chief and teacher. Many of his students became lifelong friends, gathering recently in Vietnam to celebrate his 80th birthday.

In just two days, we will remember how he led us 45 years ago on the hard journey to escape the chaos of war. I remember seeing the endless ocean, feeling hungry and exposed to the elements. But being with Bo felt safe; he kept us together. He and my mother carried the full weight of our family’s uncertain future. They built a life for us in America with hard work and sacrifice.

He was proud that he could provide for us, sometimes he had fanciful ideas that would either turn out delightfully or not so good. I cringed when one summer, out of the blue, Bô told us that we were going to Rome, Florence, Paris, and London.... all in 6 days. At that time, even as a teenager, I knew that this was not a wise financial decision. Now in hindsight, I realize that he took joy in creating shared family moments. For me, it was an amazing experience that opened my mind to the world. It was one of the last summers we had as a whole family. It’s memory endures.

Although we were sad that my parents could not stay together, Bô found happiness when he married Co Ha. They enjoyed yearly long trips back to Vietnam until she sadly passed away last fall.

Our Bô was a restless dreamer. Unfortunately, war, famine, immigration, and even everyday realities interrupted those dreams; sometimes leading to disappointments. These past two years, his dementia robbed us of the father we once knew but it also calmed his restlessness. I feel that it enabled him to find peace in forgetting his worries, thus allowing past regrets to fade away. He was free... truly living in the moment. I remember visiting Bô last Father’s Day with my children. As he looked at his children and grandchildren all around him, I saw peace and contentment in his eyes and in his smile. He had done well. He was happy.

We treasure the shared moments of joy and wholeness Bo created with us.

He will always remain in the hearts of his children Cuong, Quang, Tien; our mother Muoi; his grandchildren Ryan, Brandon, Bic, Ben, Nic, and Charlotte.

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Funeral mass will be held on Tuesday April 28, 2020 at Noon, Eastern Time at Mother Seton Church in Germantown, Maryland. A live cast of the funeral will be available at https://youtu.be/KqQzky1DkoQ            

Program: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YucGo4DzQr8EPm_GBIXBKQ-_A3ZsXg8T/view?usp=sharing

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We request that no flowers be sent since the funeral service attendance is strictly limited by current pandemic laws. Since we are unable to gather together in person, we appreciate any memories or pictures of our father that you may wish to share at [email protected]. We would like to share with you our memories of him at https://youtu.be/mchxJ4-mu8A. Our father would have been greatly amused at being the subject of our first YouTube video upload.