20/04/2026
The end of the Vietnam war was approaching. Little was I aware of the journey that I was about to take, only to try to understand when I was older. At the time I was six months old, abandoned by my parents and placed into care at an orphanage in Saigon. With no birth certificate, the circumstances which led me to the orphanage I will never for certain know, leaving so many questions, impossible to answer.
Led by Editor Sir David English, The Daily Mail chartered a flight to Vietnam – the mission to rescue as many orphans as possible. On 7th April 1975 ‘The Mails Mercy Airlift’ successfully touched down at Heathrow carrying 105 orphans on board. Whenever I reflect - I consider myself one of the lucky ones.
Adopted into a loving caring Clergyman’s family, I recall a magnificent childhood and opportunities I would never have had without my parents’ determination, faith and resilience. I believe you earn the title Mum and Dad – and that they certainly have.
Today, as many of you will know, it is fair to say the last half a dozen years have most certainly been challenging – perhaps Mum and Dads resilience rubbed off on me! Last year Taishon launched its first two sauces, a Korean and a Peking Sauce – to our delight both receiving multiple industry awards.
Today, 51 years to the month since the ‘Mercy Airlift’ Taishon announced the arrival of its ‘1975 Saigon Sauce’ at The Farm Shop and Deli Show – a Hot and Tangy Sauce with Chilli, Lime and Cracked Pepper. Like myself, it’s Vietnamese with a hearty dollop of Western influence!
We hope the Saigon will be equally enjoyed as our other sauces and thank all our customers and stockists for their incredible support through this next step in our journey. With new bottle sizes now available, our sauces are available from our amazing stockists, or if you can’t find one nearby, please pop to www.taishon.co.uk
For trade enquiries, please email [email protected]
