Tuhia he tohutoro mō tēnei wāhanga - I whānau a Pam i te tau 1973 i te wāhi i kiia i taua wā ko Vietnam ki te Tonga. He kaipūkaha tōna pāpā mō te ope taua o Vietnam ki te Tonga. I te Paenga-whāwhā 19, 1975, ka heke atu a Pham me tōna whānau ki Te Hononga o Amerika i ngā rā i mua i te hinganga o Saigon
, me tōna pāpā i mahue ki muri i te wā o tō rātau nekehanga. I awhinahia raua e tetahi hoa o te whanau, he karere ko John "Jerry" Edwards, nana nei i tuhi he reta e kii ana ko te papa o Pham tana taina wahine me te rangatira, ahakoa he teka tenei. I noho raua ki Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center, i hui tahi me to raua papa e toru marama i muri mai ka neke ki Henrico County, Virginia me te awhina o Commonwealth Catholic Charities. I noho ia me tōna whānau ki tētahi whare i Parham Road, i reira i uaua ai rātau ki te ako i te reo Ingarihi. Ko ona matua e rua i mahi i nga mahi utu iti rawa ka akiaki i a Pham me ona teina ki te ako me te whakapau kaha. I te 1985, i muri i nga tau 10 i Amerika, ka riro ia hei tangata whenua o te United States ka mutu i te Kura Tuarua o Meadowbrook i te 1991. I puta a Pham i te Kura Ture o William & Mary i te tau 1995 me te Whare Wananga o te Whare Wananga o Richmond i te Kura Ture i te tau 1999. I mahi ia hei kaitohutohu ture i te Kooti Rohe o Henrico County i mua i tana noho hei kaitohutohu i te Tari Kaitohutohu a Richmond Commonwealth.