COLORADO SPRINGS — Nga Vương-Sandoval was only three years old when her family fled Viêt Nam in 1975. The communist army in North Viêt Nam took over Sài Gòn that day, effectively ending the Vietnam War.
"The news hit so quickly, and it was just a mad rush," said Vương-Sandoval. "It was literally whoever can access and get to the dock on time."
Vương-Sandoval says "the dock" because that's where people desperate to escape the country got on boats and headed into the South China Sea.
"I don't know if you've seen images, but it's like a sardine can," said Vương-Sandoval. "If the boat had a capacity of maybe 50 (people), there were probably 150 on there."
Vương-Sandoval says about a week later, a U.S. Navy ship spotted the boat and rescued everyone on board. Many did not make it out alive. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates between 200,000 to 400,000 people died on those boats.
"You could not keep these perished bodies on the boat, because now it's a health risk for other people, so the bodies had to be disposed of during the journey there, too," Vương-Sandoval said. "So it's it's just trauma and turmoil on top of trauma and turmoil on so many levels."
One year later, her family arrived in Arkansas. From there, they went to Alabama and eventually Colorado Springs.
"That was where I first learned about Colorado," said Vương-Sandoval. "I didn't even know what Colorado meant. I didn't know it was the Centennial State. We definitely knew that it snowed, and that was something that we found out pretty abruptly, and we were not prepared."
As her family struggled to preserve their traditions in a new country, they were determined to keep the Lunar New Year, or Tết, celebrations alive.
"It's a time of renewal, it's a time of abundance," said Vương-Sandoval. "It's a time of joy, and to spread the well wishes and the auspiciousness beyond your family into the community."
But she found "the community" around barely acknowledged the day. For decades, she wondered what she could do to make sure everyone who celebrated the holiday quietly was finally heard.
In 2022, Vương-Sandoval, along with the Lunar New Year Allies Advisory Group she founded, pushed for the holiday to become a state holiday. Less than one year later, Governor Jared Polis signed the bill into law making Colorado only the second state in the nation behind California to have the Lunar New Year as an observed state holiday.
"There are moments in my life when I know, I know this is difficult to express, but you really feel like your heart is smiling and I didn't think I would feel this way after the bill was passed, but I get emotional thinking about this is permanent," said Vương-Sandoval. "This is something that kids who haven't been born are going to be celebrating for years to come. My hope is that they'll say one day, 'This is really cool. We have this as an observed state holiday in Colorado and I can't believe someone in a group cared enough to pass this.' I'm just grateful that I played a part somehow."
The Lunar New Year celebration at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 8th.
The free event is open to the public, but participants are encouraged to register online ahead of time. Click here for more information.
View images below to read how the Lunar New Year is celebrated across different Asian cultures.
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One dead following a stabbing at home along East Boulder Street in Colorado Springs
We now know that one person is dead following a stabbing according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Early into the investigation, police say there was a disturbance between two roommates, one stabbed and allegedly killed the other.
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