Andrew Ly recounts his escape from Vietnam and rags-to-riches success story to his friend Thong Do, also a refugee, in this media gallery (audio, personal photos) produced for the American Experience First Days Story Project. Andrew left Vietnam in 1979. After a dangerous boat journey and nine months in a Malaysian refugee camp, he arrived in the U.S. with nothing. Yet five years later, he and his brothers founded Sugar Bowl Bakery, now a multi-million-dollar business. Andrew comments that he was one of the lucky ones, and that the others who didn’t survive the journey deserve respect for the courage they demonstrated in trying. Produced by StoryCorps for the WGBH American Experience First Days Story Project, part of the outreach and engagement initiative for the film, "Last Days in Vietnam." This resource is part of the American Experience: Last Days in Vietnam Collection.