In 1992, Annette Herfkens was living a successful and fulfilling life as a Wall Street trader with a partner she loved deeply. But everything changed during a flight with her fiancé that would turn into a terrifying ordeal.
Annette and William, whom she had loved for thirteen years, planned a romantic getaway to reconnect after months apart. Their trip was to start in bustling Ho Chi Minh City and end in the peaceful coastal town of Nha Trang. However, the journey took a tragic turn on Vietnam Airlines Flight 474.
As a lifelong claustrophobe, Annette felt uneasy boarding the small Soviet-era plane. Her fiancé reassured her the flight would last just 20 minutes, a comforting lie. But after 40 minutes in the air, panic set in as the plane dropped sharply multiple times before crashing into the jungle.
Annette awoke surrounded by the sounds of the wild, wounded but alive. Her fiancé remained strapped to his seat, lost forever. With severe injuries — a shattered hip, broken leg, collapsed lung, and wound on her jaw — she began a struggle for survival.
Despite the horror, Annette heard others nearby. A Vietnamese businessman gave her clothes when hers tore. One by one, those around her fell silent until she was alone.
Using yoga breathing techniques to help with her breathing, she rationed rainwater collected from the wreckage, each sip a small victory.
Back home, people believed she had died. Her obituary ran and her workplace mourned. Yet her friend, Jaime Lupa, refused to give up hope, promising her family he would bring her home alive.
Against the odds, rescuers found her on the eighth day. Carrying her down on a makeshift stretcher, Annette’s recovery began. She attended her fiancé’s funeral in a wheelchair but was walking again by February 1993 and soon returned to work.
Though grief remained, Annette built a new life. She later married Jaime, and while they eventually divorced, she continued to hold onto the strength she found in the jungle.
Her mantra, “If you accept what’s not there, you see what is,” helped her find peace in the beauty surrounding her. She wrote about her experience in the book Turbulence: A True Story of Survival.
Annette attributes her survival partly to intuition and resilience developed growing up without strict guidance. She credits her unique traits for helping her through hardship.
When her son was diagnosed with autism, she applied the same mindset: mourning what was lost while embracing what was present. She became active in supporting inclusive communities and teaching important life skills.
Every year, Annette honors the crash anniversary quietly, reflecting on her journey. Although certain triggers remain difficult, her spirit remains unbroken.
Survival, for Annette Herfkens, is not just an event — it is a pathway, wisdom born from loss, and a celebration of life amid the trees.
