Dan Crenshaw Confronted By Nick Tran | Ep. 273

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews Nick Tran, a Vietnam War refugee who witnessed the fall of Saigon at age five and later served 13 years in the U.S. Army. Tran recounts his harrowing escape from Vietnam with his father, a South Vietnamese colonel, their rescue by the U.S. Navy after three days adrift, and his subsequent life in America—from struggling financially in Houston to enlisting in the Army despite his father’s objections. Tran is now running for Congress in Texas’s 2nd District.

Key takeaways

• Tran escaped Saigon as a five-year-old with his father during the fall of the city in 1975; they were rescued by the U.S. Navy after three days at sea without food or water, an experience Tran credits with instilling his desire to serve America.
• Tran’s father, a South Vietnamese colonel who left the military to work for Exxon, helped coordinate a defensive counterattack during the fall of Saigon to buy time for civilians to escape, then worked menial jobs in Houston after being overqualified for executive roles.
• Tran enlisted in the Army in secret against his father’s wishes, struggled physically in boot camp but excelled as a natural marksman, and later saw combat in three different theaters over a 13-year career.

Episode details: published January 6, 2026 · 106.1K views · 2:26:14 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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