Fishermen’s Memorial – Palacios

In 1975 when Saigon, the Capital of U.S. backed South Vietnam, fell to Communist North Vietnam many South Vietnamese fled by either boat or plane to the United States. The Vietnamese that came to Palacios, Texas worked in the shrimping and crabbing industry. Today the Vietnamese fisherman lead the largest fleet of shrimp boats on the Texas Gulf Coast docked at the picturesque and friendly town. In 2012 Tuyen Vu, a former shrimper and now store owner, after years of seeing fisherman go out to sea, and some not come back, decided to honor all fisherman, with a 12-ton statue of Jesus Christ. It took six months for the order to be filled and have it shipped whole from Vietnam. The impressive 15-foot statue set atop a 15-foot-high base can be visited about a half a mile down the road to the end of the Bayside RV Park. The views from the statue are impressive and well worth a visit, as it overlooks West Matagorda Bay, and the colorful shrimp fishing boats docked in the harbor.

For more information about the Vietnamese community and Palacios’s colorful history visit the City By the Sea Museum.

For information about visiting Palacios, “the birding capital of Texas”, and nearby attractions see the Palacios Chamber of Commerce

Palacios, TX 77465