During the Vietnam War, many Vietnamese people tried to flee Vietnam, hoping to have a chance at a better life. Other Vietnamese individuals tried to capitalize off this precipitating fear by charging locals for transport out of Vietnam via ship. In some cases, these “pirates” would dump locals into the sea to maximize profit disregarding the lives of those onboard. The passengers, however, were not always ignorant of this possibility. Sometimes they boarded, knowing they could very well die; they boarded regardless because death at sea would be better than death at the hand of the communist regime. This piece uses this context to explore themes of mystery and journey.