FATHER MISSED HIS PLANE
A Journey in and out of the Killing Fields
“When elephants collide, the ants get trampled”
Cambodian Proverb
MEET THE AUTHOR
Born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Vincent Lee is an ethnic Chinese-Cambodian. Vincent’s life took a tragic turn on April 17, 1975. Cambodia collapsed in the hands of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge. Vincent was just ten years old. He was forcibly taken from his family and sent to an all-boys’ labor camp. He and his family survived those four brutal years. Driven by the fear of the regime’s return, Vincent escaped and sought refuge in a Red Cross camp in Thailand. Eventually, he resettled in Sydney, Australia, in October 1981 under the Refugee and Special Humanitarian Program.
Vincent Lee recently published his memoir, “Father Missed His Plane”. A gripping, real-life story chronicles young Vincent’s harrowing journey through the Killing Fields of Cambodia and beyond. His separation from his family, survival, and resilience in search of freedom. Vincent Lee’s memoir captures the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
THE MEMOIR
On April 12, 1975, Vincent’s father missed a fleeting chance to escape the clutches of Cambodia’s impending doom. Just days later, Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge seized control of Phnom Penh. The Khmer Rouge unleashed their reign of terror upon the people of Cambodia. They would have escaped on a US Marine Corp helicopter to America. Vincent would have been spared the horrific brutality and relentless starvation he endured for four harrowing years. Against all odds, his family survived the genocide, only to return to a decimated homeland, destitute and broken.
In 1980, Vincent fled through the Cambodian jungle with his sixty-four-year-old grandma. They faced the danger of landmines, chasing the faint promise of safety in a Thai refugee camp. “Father Missed His Plane” is a gripping real-life story of a young boy’s survival through the Killing Fields of Cambodia. His astonishing journey from despair to refuge resonates profoundly in today’s global political climate.
THE INTERVIEW
THE BLOGS
Welcome to my official website. This is where I write about my thought, short stories, songs and many more. If you like any of my written materials, feel to quote them, use them as you like.
Xi Jinping visits Phnom Penh
April 17, 2025, the days after the Cambodian/Khmer New Year. A short but very interesting article (brief history) on Cambodia after the Fall of Khmer Rouge. This brings back a lot of mixed memories. On the one hand, we were relief…
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Behind A Great Man
“Behind every great man there is a great woman.” I often heard people use this phrase to express about someone who is or had been very successful and powerful leader in the world. However, my story is different. Behind my simple…
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You’r always here
Ah! Where’s that one true love? Is it a dream or reality! Will I ever find someone who loves me forever to eternity? I won’t ask for too much from love Just one who cares is good enough There must be…
Keep readingTHE WORLD TOURS
If a picture worth a thousand words,
Imagine yourself being in the picture!
2001 The Forbidden City: This was constructed from 1406 to 1420, was the imperial palace complex in the center of the Imperial City in Beijing, China. 
2001 The Great Wall of China: Built around 7th century BC. 
2008 Niagara Falls Canada: At Helicopter Tour 
2008 Niagara Falls: The view from the helicopter. 
2010 Park Güell: Built between 1900 and 1914, a privatized complex of parks and gardens in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Spain. 
2012 Stonehenge: A prehistoric megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England 
2020 The Louvre Museum: One of the most famous museums in the world. 
2023 Mt Fuji 3776m: A well-known Japanese saying suggests that a wise person will climb Mt. Fuji once in their lifetime, but only a fool would climb it twice.
Official Website of Vincent Lee 