SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO Thong Nguyen escaped from communist Vietnam in the 1980s. The son of a South Vietnam soldier, Nguyen was discriminated against by the controlling North Vietnamese. While trying to escape, he spent 11 days on a 25-foot boat with 26 others. After running out of food and water, Nguyen was discovered by a Japanese ship. After many years of travel and education he bought his own auto mechanics business in San Juan Capistrano.