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Quan Luong knows what it’s like to be young and alone in a foreign country.
When the 27-year-old filmmaker befriended fellow Vietnamese immigrant Tam Nguyen, more than four decades his senior, he saw a reflection of himself — and picked up his camera.
The result was Tailor Made, a short documentary that recounts Tam Nguyen’s dangerous journey to Canada as one of many “boat people” fleeing Vietnam following the fall of Saigon in 1975.
The short film is now streaming free on CBC Gem here as part of the series Absolutely Canadian.
“It takes a certain kind of bravery and recklessness to make this journey,” Luong said.
Nguyen was just 23 when he left everything — including his family — behind in Vietnam.
Facing a dangerous and uncertain future in Vietnam, he risked his life at sea in search of something better. After the perilous journey, he eventually made it to Canada, where 46 years later, he thrives.
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In the documentary Tailor Made, Winnipegger Tam Nguyen shares his journey from refugee to beloved tailor and community philanthropist.
Today, Nguyen is a successful businessman, philanthropist and one of Winnipeg’s most sought-after tailors. Over the years, he’s made clothes for stars like Philip Seymour Hoffman and Samuel L. Jackson — and for Luong himself.
While Luong’s journey to Canada was very different from Nguyen’s, there are some striking similarities. Luong arrived in Winnipeg alone at 17 and on a student visa. A decade later, he is pursuing a career built on his own passion — filmmaking.
For Luong, telling Nguyen’s story through his own craft felt natural. The documentary weaves the past with the present. While Nguyen cuts, trims and sews cloth in his shop, he recounts his story in both English and Vietnamese, with archival footage throughout.
Watching Nguyen “work with his passion and his craft while building this new life is something I deeply connected with,” Luong said.
Filmmaker Quan Luong, left, felt a personal connection to Nguyen’s story of coming to a new country and creating a life. (Quan Luong)
For Nguyen, sharing his story was never in question.
“When I see him [Luong], I see this young guy, just like [I was],” he said.
“I said, ‘Quan, you’re part of my family now.'”
That generosity defines Nguyen. Now 70 and semi-retired, he uses his time to give back, volunteering both in Vietnam and in Winnipeg.
He set up a charity for orphaned children and donates his time to a new “repair café” in Winnipeg’s West End, helping people fix damaged clothes.
Nguyen considers himself lucky. More than anything, he just wants to pass that good fortune on.
“Take on the good,” he said. “The bad things? Just let them go.”
Meanwhile, Tailor Made has been resonating with audiences. The film played to a sold-out audience at the FascinAsian film festival in Winnipeg and was screened at Viet Film Fest in California, billed as the largest Vietnamese film festival outside of Vietnam.
For Luong, the reaction has been surprising — but affirming.
“It was awesome to see a theatre of Vietnamese people,” Luong said.
“A lot of them had similar journeys. I thought, really? This film about a Vietnamese guy in Winnipeg touches your heart? I thought I was just making a film about the tailor around the corner from me.
“But he’s more than just a tailor. He gives back so much more in return.”