Tu Do arrived in Darwin on 21 November 1977 with 31 Vietnamese refugees crowded on board.
Their hopes for a better life in Australia were echoed in the vessel's name, which means 'freedom'. The first 'boat people' fled the turmoil of South Vietnam in simple coastal fishing craft, often unsuited to a long ocean voyage. Tu Do's passengers were lucky, outpacing pirates in the Gulf of Thailand and surviving violent storms at sea.
Refugee Week Special Event: Meet the Fleet – Tu Do tours
Join a guided tour of our 1970s Vietnamese refugee boat Tu Do at the display pontoon during Refugee Week. Visitors will listen to a talk about the Lu family’s voyage from Vietnam to Australia in 1977.
Dates: Monday 17 to Friday 21 June 2019
Where: Meet in museum foyer
When: 11am and 2pm
Suitable for: All ages
Cost: Free
10 visitors maximum
Discover the remarkable stories of Tu Do:
A fishing boat called Freedom: the story of Tu Do
30 Apr 2015
Learn about the amazing journey of Vietnamese refugee boat Tu Do after the Fall of Saigon, and its restoration at the Australian National Maritime Museum.
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Stories of growing up in Australia
15 Jun 2013
Book review: 80 personal stories, ranging from prominent people such as Ethel Turner and Eddie Mabo to many lesser-known Australians.
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Restoring hope and a fishing boat called ‘Freedom’
14 Jun 2012
With all the rain in Sydney recently, you could be forgiven for forgetting what blue sky looks like. But for the Lu family, who arrived in Australia in 1977 on the Vietnamese refugee boat Tu Do, the colour sky blue is forever etched in their memories as the colour of freedom.
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