The King of Trash: A True Story of Survival, Forgiveness, and the American Dream
- Nov 9, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 15, 2025
The King of Trash: A Journey of Resilience and Hope
The King of Trash, directed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Errol Webber, is a powerful and deeply human documentary. It tells the extraordinary true story of a Vietnamese family who lost everything after the fall of Saigon. They rebuilt their lives from the ground up in America. This is a story of survival, faith, and the courage to turn loss into legacy.
The Fall of Saigon
When the Vietnam War ended in 1975, Saigon fell into chaos. Smoke filled the air as families ran through the streets, clutching what little they could carry. Among them was Jim Duong Tai Thu, a father and self-made entrepreneur. He had built one of South Vietnam’s largest paper mills and recycling companies. Known to many as the original King of Trash, he gave dignity and purpose to discarded material and to the people who worked with it.
Then everything changed. The new regime seized his factory, trucks, and home. What had taken decades to build disappeared overnight. Refusing to surrender to despair, Jim, his wife Anh Thi Le, their children David, Victor, Kristina, and their siblings, along with Jim’s brothers and extended Duong family members, made the hardest decision of their lives. They left their homeland with nothing but faith, courage, and the hope of freedom.
The Journey to Freedom
Their escape across the open sea was filled with hunger, storms, and silence. The waves were higher than their courage some nights. The fear of never reaching land followed them with every sunrise. “We left with nothing but hope,” recalls David Duong, “and that was enough.”
After months in a refugee camp, the family arrived in San Francisco. They shared a small apartment with sixteen relatives in the Tenderloin district. They survived by collecting bottles and cardboard from city streets at night. They faced exhaustion and humiliation. Some nights they were mocked. Other nights, strangers offered kindness. Through it all, their father’s words guided them: “There is honor in every kind of honest work.”
Rebuilding from the Ground Up
From those humble beginnings, the Duong family began to rebuild what they had lost. They worked long hours, saved every dollar, and supported one another through every hardship. In 1983, the family pooled their savings and founded Cogido Paper Corporation, a small recycling and export business that became their first step toward stability. Six years later, in 1989, they sold Cogido to a major corporation. This pivotal moment gave them both the capital and confidence to grow further.
In 1992, David Duong, together with his family, founded California Waste Solutions (CWS). Their vision was to modernize recycling and create a positive environmental impact in their new homeland. What began with eight used trucks has grown into one of the nation’s most respected family-owned recycling and waste management enterprises. CWS serves hundreds of thousands of households across Oakland and San Jose. Today, CWS represents not only business success but also the enduring values of integrity, sustainability, and community.
Finding Treasure in Trash
Their journey is captured most powerfully in a single line from the film:
“Yes, there’s gold. We found the treasure in those garbage bags.”
This line is both literal and symbolic. It reflects how the Duong family turned hardship into hope and discovered meaning in what others had thrown away.
Filmed across Vietnam and California, The King of Trash blends breathtaking cinematography, archival footage, and intimate storytelling. It captures a journey that spans oceans and generations. The film reveals how one family transformed adversity into opportunity, gratitude into service, and business into a force for good. They created thousands of jobs, supported education, and built a sustainable future through Vietnam Waste Solutions (VWS).
A Message of Hope
“This is not a story about politics,” says David Duong in the film. “It’s about progress. We are not just managing waste. We are giving people jobs, dignity, and hope.”
For director Errol Webber, the film became more than a chronicle of one family’s success. “From the moment I met the Duongs, I knew this wasn’t just a business story,” Webber says. “It’s about migration, resilience, and love. It’s about people who lost everything and still found a way to create light for others.”
At its heart, The King of Trash is not just a story about waste. It is a story about transformation. It’s about turning hardship into purpose and rebuilding a life from the ground up. It is about family, forgiveness, and the determination to create something lasting out of loss. Above all, it is a story about hope, the kind that survives every storm and inspires generations to keep moving forward.
The King of Trash will premiere later this year, with festival screenings planned across the United States and Vietnam. Through its message of gratitude, perseverance, and renewal, the film invites audiences to reflect on what it truly means to rebuild. It reminds us that nothing, not even what is discarded, is ever truly wasted.
Errol Webber- Director & Cinematographer
About the Film
The King of Trash is a feature-length documentary directed by Errol Webber and filmed across Vietnam and California. The film tells the remarkable true story of the Duong family, Vietnamese refugees who rebuilt their lives through courage, perseverance, and forgiveness. It is a powerful portrait of faith and family, tracing their journey from the chaos of postwar Vietnam to the streets of San Francisco, where they began again with nothing but determination and hope.
Through stunning cinematography and deeply personal storytelling, the film shows how one family turned hardship into purpose. They created a legacy that connects two nations. Their story stands as a testament to resilience, gratitude, and the enduring promise of the American Dream. This is the land of opportunity where courage and compassion can rebuild everything that was lost.
The King of Trash is dedicated to Jim Thu Tai Duong and Anh Thi Le, whose courage and vision continue to inspire generations. The film features David Duong, Kristina Duong, and Victor Duong, with Executive Producers Linda H. Duong and Phuong Lan Huynh.
Directed by: Errol Webber
Produced by: Errol Webber and Bobby Vu
Filming Locations: Vietnam and California
Running Time: 72 minutes
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Human Story
Press Contact: info@vabaus.com
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