Hong Ngan Ly

李少洪 (Lý Ngân Hồng / Hong Ly) was born in July 21, 1926 in Sàigòn, Vietnam. Hong Ly was the youngest sibling of one older brother and two older sisters. At the young age of 8, he sold bags of peanuts, watermelon seeds, and tangerine sugar with the guidance of his 2nd sister to support his family. At the age of 13, he took over his father’s business as a butcher selling beef in Đa Kao market to support the family.

Hong Ly’s family could not afford to send him to school. Instead, he would join unofficial gatherings on the street where he learned to read and write Chinese. Classes were often interrupted by police. As an adult, he went to apply for a birth certificate for his child but was embarrassed since he could not read or write Vietnamese. So at 28 years old, he went to school for an hour in the evening a few days a week to learn Vietnamese. He learned how to read and write Vietnamese within 6 months.

In 1950, he met the love of his life 何英勤 (Hà Cân / Ha Can). They have nine children: 6 daughters and 3 sons. Business was slow at Đa Kao market, so he moved his business to Bến Thành market. The move to Bến Thành market helpd him save enough money to buy his own house in 1959.

Hong Ly was gifted a dog (who he named Bebe) from a friend in 1969. He would bring home meat scraps from the market to feed Bebe. He was Bebe’s favorite. Bebe could recognize the sound of his motorcycle and would come out and wag her tail when he was a block away from home.

With the fall of Sàigòn in 1975, Hong Ly was determined for his family escape communist rule. He paid 10 oz of gold to send his 2nd daughter and oldest son to escape by boat. They made it to Pulau Tengah refugee camp in Malaysia. A few months later, he paid 8 oz of gold for his 2nd son to escape, who miraculously also ended up at Pulau Tengah. All three endured and arrived to Waterbury, Connecticut in 1978. Hong Ly’s 2nd daughter sponsored the rest of the family to come to the US in 1984. Hong Ly stayed in Waterbury for 2 years.

In 1986 Hong Ly moved to San Jose, CA where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1987 he worked as a butcher at Lion Market. The owner did not believe he could work since he was 61 years old, so he hired him on a temporary basis. Within two days, Hong Ly proved his skill as a butcher. He worked there until the summer of 1989. When he retired, he enjoyed spending time with his grandkids and taking care of them. He taught them how to ride a bike and walked them to/from school. Hong Ly and Ha Can traveled to many places in the US and around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. When Ha Can passed away in 2015, his children kept him company and helped lift his spirits. In 2020, Hong Ly got Covid-19 but made a full recovery.

Hong Ly was interested in every type of sport. His favorite sport to watch was soccer. In Vietnam, he collected newspaper clippings of his favorite players. In the summer of 1994, his children took him to a World Cup game between the US and Colombia at Stanford Stadium. Besides sports, he enjoyed karaoke and watching movies in the theater.

Every summer, his family would gather to celebrate his birthday. Surrounded by his loved ones, Hong Ly passed away peacefully in his home on September 22, 2024. Hong Ly is survived by his 9 children, 14 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren who are spread across California, New York, and Canada.