UPDATE!!!
Hey guys! I have wonderful news! I got a job! And it's a good one!
The last several months have been a trying journey to say the least, but I'm glad it ended with an amazing opportunity and an exciting new beginning.
I could not have made it through without the people you shared my page, contributed, and messaged me here on GoFundMe. I am so beyond grateful for every single one of you. The amount of support and encouragement I received were overwhelming and incredibly touching. They meant the world. I hope one day I will be able to repay you all. Thank you so much for everything.
I am ending my campaign. I wish you all the best. I hope this year brings you luck, health, prosperity, and much happiness!
Sincerely,
Tuan Nguyen
--------------Original post--------------
Hi everyone,
My name is Tuan Nguyen. I am an international student from Vietnam. I am currently in Boise, Idaho. I have been struggling to find a job to pay rent and maintain my visa eligibility ever since my graduation. It is very challenging to find a job as an international student, especially in this terrible pandemic. Because of COVID-19, my home country Vietnam is closing its door and could not provide me with a flight home. I have been relying on my parents' support, but it has been increasingly straining for them as time goes on, especially when they also have to support my little sister who is starting school at a community college in Texas.
It is difficult for me to expose myself like this, but I am asking you kind strangers on the internet for your support. I know times are hard for everyone, so I can only ask for the minimum amount that you can so generously give. Or if you couldn’t donate, just sharing my page would be a great help. Any small gesture helps. I just hope to raise enough money to pay the necessities like rent and travel costs when my government find me a flight home, or until I can find a paid job to support myself.
Also for any prospective employer out there, I majored in Computer Science and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.84 GPA. I am hard-working and an active learner. I am on OPT so I can work for any employer without any sponsorship or new visa at least until May. I can work for two additional years if you're E-verified. If you have a job opening related to my major and are interested in knowing more about me, please reach out. I can send you my resume and answer any questions you might have.
More details:
"As of December 1, Vietnam has temporarily suspended all inbound commercial flights, except for repatriation flights carrying Vietnamese nationals home."
https://vietnam.travel/things-to-do/information-travellers-novel-coronavirus-vietnam
However, the number of repatriation flights is very limited. Due to the large number of applicants, the Embassy can only send confirmation emails to cases approved to have priority to buy tickets according to each batch. I applied two months ago, and I still haven't heard anything from the embassy. I personally know people who applied many months before I did, and they too have not received a flight home.
Even if I was provided with a flight home, I will have to pay for all related costs.
"Returnees will pay the airline all services including airfares, quarantine fees at hotels, and transportation costs from airports to quarantine hotels, 3 meals per day, COVID-19 testing costs. […] They will be tested twice after entry and before the compulsory 14 day quarantine period expires (if the first test proves negative)."
https://vietnamnet.vn/en/society/returnees-pay-all-in-services-for-repatriation-flights-693867.html
Exactly as it sounds, it is very expensive.
A screenshot of my monthly rent that my parents have helped me pay ever since my graduation:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UtbaAsRrEUEwZT6K8
I am not a US citizen, so I do not have access to resources like food stamps, unemployment benefits, stimulus, disability etc.
My graduation picture
A picture of me with my mom and dad at the airport before I left for the United States three years ago
Some other pictures of me and my friends in the United States:
