Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - An haifi David Thai Thái Thọ Hoàng a ranar 30 ga Janairu, 1956, a Saigon, Kudancin Vietnam, inda danginsa suka zauna a wani gida a titin Tôn Đản. Yayinda yake matashi a kan titunan Saigon, lokacin da ba ya makaranta, Hoàng yakan yi aiki a matsayin mai shiga tsakani tsakanin G.I.s na Amurka da ke zaune a Saigon waɗanda ke neman kwayoyi, da Bình Xuyên, ƙungiyar soja mai zaman kanta a lokacin Yakin Vietnam wanda kuma ke da alhakin kuɗi da shirya ayyukan haram da yawa a Saigon a lokacin yakin. Lokacin da Saigon ya fadi
a ƙarshen Yaƙin Vietnam, an ɗaure mahaifin Hoàng, Dieu, ta hannun 'yan gurguzu masu nasara kuma aka tura shi zuwa sansanin sake ilimi, amma Dieu har yanzu ya sami damar fitar da Hoàng daga Saigon, inda daga baya ya isa Amurka watanni uku bayan haka, yana amfani da sunan David. Da farko yana zaune a wani karamin gida ga yara maza mallakar wani cocin Lutheran na gida a Indiana, a watan Mayu na 1976, David ya tsere daga gidan cocin tare da dala 150 a aljihunsa kuma ya hau bas din Greyhound da aka nufa zuwa Birnin New York.