The Vietnamese Boat People

A Return Home

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 12:20:52 -0400

What does it mean to return to the country your family once fled? To walk the same streets, speak a familiar language in a new voice, and search for belonging in a place both foreign and deeply yours? In this episode, producer Kavi Vu shares her life-changing decision to move from the U.S. back to Vietnam—a journey that reshapes her understanding of what it means to be Việt Kiều. Alongside John Vu and Chris Tran—who also returned after growing up in North America—they reflect on the evolving meaning of Việt Kiều and the emotional complexity of reconnecting with a homeland shaped by memory, distance, and love.

Episode Credits:
Associate Producer: Kavi Vu
Senior Producer: James Boo
Sound & Editing Support: Matt Young
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang

Cooking in Community

Tue, 27 May 2025 15:57:26 -0400

In Cooking in Community, we follow producer Tricia Vuong into the kitchens and conversations of a new generation of Vietnamese cooks in New York City. Amid a city defined by hustle and reinvention, a grassroots supper club is reimagining what it means to cook, eat, and build community as Vietnamese Americans. Shaped by a rotating cast of collaborators, the club creates space for storytelling, connection, and dishes rarely seen on restaurant menus—showing how food can be both a tool for survival and a canvas for cultural renewal.

Episode Credits:
Associate Producer: Tricia Vuong
Senior Producer: James Boo
Sound & Editing Support: Matt Young
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang

Breaking the Silence

Tue, 13 May 2025 10:06:55 -0400

Breaking the Silence follows producer Ngoc Bui in an exploration of how Vietnamese families are beginning to confront the trauma passed down through generations—fifty years after the Fall of Saigon. What happens when silence begins to crack open? Sparked by a deeply personal conversation, Ngoc speaks with mental health professionals and diaspora voices to uncover how healing is taking shape—through cultural understanding and intergenerational dialogue, led by younger generations. This episode traces an ongoing journey of healing, connection, and a reimagining of care—beyond the boundaries of Western therapy.

Episode Credits:
Associate Producer: Ngoc Bui
Senior Producer: James Boo
Sound & Editing Support: Matt Young
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang

Do you speak Vietnamese?

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 12:27:02 -0400

Do you speak Vietnamese?” For many in the Vietnamese diaspora, this simple question evokes not-so-simple feelings —whether you’re from the North or the South, educated before or after 1975, a fluent speaker or someone learning as an adult. In this episode, producer Saoli Nguyen examines the interplay between language and identity, and the role of Vietnamese as both a connecting and dividing force in our culture.

Episode Credits:
Associate Producer: Saoli Nguyen
Senior Producer: James Boo
Sound & Editing Support: Matt Young
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang

Season 7 Trailer - THEN & NOW

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 08:32:46 -0400

The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon — a moment that forever changed the lives of millions of Vietnamese people and shaped the diaspora we’re part of today. It’s a milestone that invites us not only to remember, but to reflect on what’s shifted — in our families, our culture, and ourselves. In past seasons, we’ve shared stories of escape, loss, and rebuilding. This season, we’re asking: How have we changed? What does it mean to be Vietnamese now? And where do we go from here? Welcome to Season Seven "Then & Now".

Support for Season 7 was made possible by Asian Women Giving Circle — thank you for uplifting our stories!

The Sampan

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 19:40:02 -0500

Phillip, the oldest of three siblings, joined the military at age 18 and was deployed to Afghanistan. The Fall of Kabul and the resulting turmoil that led to a mass exodus of refugees, changed his perspective of his parents and gave him context for what they lived through after the war in Vietnam. His father was one of nine Vietnamese refugees who fled the country in 1984 in a small sampan fishing boat with no motor and just two oars. After seven days at sea, they were picked up by a French merchant ship and eventually resettled in the U.S. Their boat was tugged to France by the merchant ship and Phillip’s father always dreamed about finding that boat again. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Phillip joined his father on a mission: find the sampan. They embarked on a quest for answers that would lead them to France, then California, and would eventually reunite the group of survivors nearly three decades later.

Episode Credits:

Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyễn Mang

Associate Producer: Saoli Nguyễn

VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo

Other music: The Quiet Hours, TREVOR KOWALSKI; Shifting Waters; HELMUT SCHENKER; I Will Remember, GAVIN LUKE; Image of You, JOHANNES BORNLÖF; Golden Thought; MEGAN WOLFFORD; Dismantle, PETER SANDBERG

Live Episode! Mother, Métis, Memory

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 12:00:26 -0400

Mother, Métis, Memory is a documentary film by Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn, whose practice is fueled by research and a commitment to communities that have faced traumas caused by colonialism, war, and displacement. Through his continuous attempts to engage with vanishing or vanquished historical memory, Tuấn investigates the erasures that the colonial project has brought to bear on certain parts of the world.

Mother, Métis, Memory is a documentary that captures interviews conducted in 2018 with the Senegalese-Vietnamese communities in Dakar and Malika Senegal. Throughout the First Indochina War, between 1945-1954, France had mobilized an estimated 60,000 tirailleurs in Vietnam. Tirailleurs, or Senegalese soldiers, were a corps of colonial infantry in the French Army and among the forces deployed to Indochina to combat the Vietnamese uprising against French rule. After the beginning of the end of the French Empire, hundreds of Vietnamese women and their children migrated to West Africa with Senegalese husbands, some voluntarily but others against their will. Some soldiers left their wives and took only their children, while others took children not their own and raised them in Senegal without connection to their Vietnamese origins.

This interview was part of a film screening event hosted by Vietnamese Boat People and Co-sponsored by Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University during Tuấn's first USA solo exhibition Radiant Remembrance opened on June 29, 2023 at the New Museum 235 Bowery in New York City.

Photo: Taken from Mother, Métis, Memory
Episode Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyễn Mang
Associate Producer: Saoli Nguyen
VBP Theme Music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other Music: Na, SILLABA; Lysithea, CANDELION

A Love Story

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 07:00:00 -0400

Kim Thái, shares the story of how her parents Chánh and Phượng Thái met, fell in love, and began their journey as husband and wife, only to get separated by the aftermath of the war in Việt Nam. During the height of the war, her father was stationed abroad, and made the decision to return to Việt Nam to be with his wife and baby, even though many had advised him not to. Upon his return, her father was imprisoned in a re-education camp, everything was taken from them and her mother had to find a way to raise their child alone. Their story is one that proves above all else, love prevails through war, separation, and hardship, even when all odds are stacked against you. This episode celebrates 50 years of their love and marriage.

This episode is directed and produced by VBP 2023 Mỹ Việt Story Slam storyteller Kim Thái, a writer and Emmy-award winning producer whose work can be seen on MTV, TED, New York Magazine’s The Cut, Newsweek, and Buzzfeed.

Show Credits:
VBP Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyễn Mang
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Interview conducted by Kim Thái and Khuê Thái Farmer
Episode directed and produced by Kim Thái
Sound design and editing by Jess Kaufman

Music Credits
Of Virtue, Pensive Gaze, Her own device, Hybrid rhythmics, Once in a life, Until Now, A Quiet Storm, Inspiration

Ngày Về Của Bố

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 11:46:02 -0400

Siblings Hương, Karin Hạnh, Hedda Hiếu, and Benjamin Hoàng Nguyễn grew up together in the San Francisco Bay Area in a boisterous Vietnamese American family. In 2019, their father, Nguyễn Khánh Hưng, a first-generation immigrant from Việt Nam, passed away. To pay tribute to their father, the siblings participated in our 3rd Annual Mỹ Việt Story Slam in 2022 with their spoken word piece, “Ngày Về Của Bố” (roughly, “The Day of Dad’s Return”), a reflection on grief and Vietnamese mourning rituals. In this special episode of Vietnamese Boat People, the Nguyễn siblings are at the helm as our first-ever guest hosts. They’ve brought their group dynamic and conversational style to Vietnamese Boat People’s format, in order to delve into their father’s life, legacy, who he was, and his unique and multifaceted experiences.

The siblings also host a podcast called Growing Up Nguyễn, a story of 4 siblings holding onto our identity while fulfilling our parents’ dreams: the blessings and challenges of being Nguyễn in America.

Episode Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyễn Mang
Associate Producer: Saoli Nguyễn
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other music: Broken Bowl, POLLYANNA MAXIM; Joy in the Little Things, SAYURI HAYASHI EGNELL

“Ngày Về Của Bố”: courtesy of Hương, Karin Hạnh, Hedda Hiếu, and Benjamin Hoàng Nguyễn

2023 Mỹ Việt Story Slam

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 10:11:46 -0400

The Vietnamese Boat People’s fourth annual Mỹ Việt Story Slam celebrates stories from the Vietnamese diaspora, and explores the theme of Ba, Mẹ ơi. Five storytellers were selected from an open call for submissions, to share stories about their mom, dad, or someone they consider to be a parent-figure. This live, virtual event features Cindy Truong (Connecticut), Vanessa Nguyễn (New York), Kim Thai (New York), Geoff Vu (Liverpool), and Nicole Ngo (Sydney) with guest appearances from Jackie Nguyễn, entrepreneur and owner of CafeCaphe and filmmaker Bao Nguyễn. The event replay and featured stories can be viewed online at www.vietnameseboatpeople.org

Thank you to this year's Story Supporters: Qeep Up, VietFive Coffee, Key to Teas, Red Boat Fish Sauce, Hello to Chao, Quill Hawk Publishing, Media Vines, Traveling Calligrapher, Kahana Press, Contemporary Arts Network.

Episode Credits
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyễn Mang
Story Slam Production Team: Megan Do, Saoli Nguyễn, Bella Nguyễn, Tricia Vuong, Matt Young
VBP Theme Song: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other Music: Solidarity On; John T Graham, Featuring Michael Stenmark

Mai American

Wed, 10 May 2023 08:00:38 -0400

Kevin Truong was born in a refugee camp. His mom fled Việt Nam with his two older sisters, while two months pregnant with him. Kevin grew up in Oregon ashamed of his immigrant mother and how un-American their lives felt. For the past ten years Kevin has been working on a documentary called Mai American. The film is about a 70-year-old Vietnamese American refugee living in Oregon who writes down her life story, indelibly shaped by the War in Việt Nam. As she shares what she has written with Kevin, they begin separate but parallel journeys confronting the traumas of their past and the emotional divide in their present.The film is more than just a story about a Vietnamese refugee, or the immigrant experience, it is an American story and at the heart of it, a story about the relationship between a mother and a son.

Mai American is one of five film projects participating in the 2023 DocPitch, a film pitching competition presented by the California Film Institute. https://www.doclands.com/docpitch-mai-american/

Episode Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyễn Mang
Associate Producer: Saoli Nguyễn
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other music: Fugetsu, SAYURI HAYASHI EGNELL; Somewhere Ahead, DANIEL KAEDE
Mai American trailer: courtesy of Kevin Truong

Buried Ruins

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 15:25:45 -0400

Buried Ruins is a play written by Vietnamese American actor and playwright, Carolina Đỗ . It started out as a series of interviews that Carolina did with her parents, over the course of almost nine years, and turned into a personal writing project about memory and wishful dreams. The play is centered around a series of torturously absurd family dinners interrupted by glitches of memories of the past. It is a reflection of Carolina’s own experiences about Vietnamese parents and daughters trying to get through to one another despite generational trauma and the force of cultural assimilation. The play premiered in a staged reading in New York City with an all Vietnamese team, both onstage and backstage. This episode features discussions with Carolina, "Buried Ruins" director Cara Hinh, and actor Bi Jean Ngo. The conversation delves into the making of "Buried Ruins", the process of learning about one's parents, and what it’s like to be Vietnamese American in the theater industry.

Note: This episode contains some adult language that may not be appropriate for all ages.

Episode Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyễn Mang
Associate Producer: Saoli Nguyễn
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other music: A Certain Shade of Blue: Paper Twins, Inside Clarity: Synthetic Tides

Live Episode! Making Before Me w/Lisa Phu

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 15:55:48 -0400

Lisa Phu is an Alaska-based journalist and the creator of "Before Me", a limited series chronicling her mother’s journey to America. Lisa has always wanted to record her mom's story but never quite found the right moment, until she gave birth to her first child in 2016 and her mom came to care for them both. During that visit, Lisa's mom finally shared the real story about growing up in Cambodia, fleeing genocide by the Khmer Rouge, surviving as a gold dealer in Vietnam, building a home in America while navigating the fallout and traumas of war… and carrying the future of her children throughout the journey. Lisa shares her 5-year journey in making the series from the first day she pressed record to releasing the story, Before Me with Self Evident Media.

"Before Me" is a 5-part story that follows one woman’s life, from Cambodia to America, over the course of decades. But it’s also a long overdue conversation between mother and daughter about their family’s history — through war and violence, separation and loss, endings and beginnings. To make Before Me, Lisa was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council and did a residency at Alderworks Alaska Writers & Artists Retreat. She was an AIR New Voices scholar in 2017 and an AIR Edit Mode fellow in 2021.

Photo: Lan Phu holds her granddaughter Acacia in 2016 Oct

Episode Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang
Editing Support: Matt Young
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other music: Free Mind: Wildflowers, In-Between Heartbeats: Headlund

Bonus Episode: Before Me

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 13:20:42 -0500

PodSwap with Self Evident podcast!

Before Me is a limited series launched by Self Evident with Alaska-based journalist Lisa Phu, chronicling her mother’s journey from Cambodia to America over the course of decades. The story unfolds between Lisa and her mother Lan as the two care for Lisa's first born daughter — and for the first time, Lan feels ready to share her own experiences fully with Lisa, on tape. But it’s also a long overdue conversation between mother and daughter about their family’s history — through war and violence, separation and loss, endings and beginnings. Because while we may never fully understand the reality of those who came before us, every story is a chance to get closer.

Listen to the full show at Self Evident podcast

Episode Credits:
Created, written, and produced by Lisa Phu
Edited by Julia Shu
Fact checking by Harsha Nahata and Tiffany Bui
Sound design by James Boo
Additional support from Cathy Erway
Original theme music by Avery Stewart
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
Audio engineering by Dave Waldron and Timothy Lou Ly
Cover art and show name created by Christine Carpenter
Audience engagement by Rekha Radhakrishnan
Thanks to Ben Kiernan for participating in the research and reporting process
Huge thanks and gratitude to Lan Phu
“Before Me” is a Self Evident Media production. The show’s Executive Producers are James Boo, Lisa Phu, and Ken Ikeda.

This project is also supported in part by the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council and the City and Borough of Juneau.
Thanks to the Alderworks Alaska Writers & Artists Retreat for the residency they provided for this project.

Bonus Episode: Suzanne Thi Hien Hook

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 09:04:18 -0500

PodSwap with Seven Million Bikes Podcast!

Suzanne Thi Hien Hook was a baby found on the street and placed in an orphanage during the Vietnam War. She’s Amerasian; with a Vietnamese mother and an African-American soldier father. She was adopted into a white English family and moved to the UK when she was just three years old. Unfortunately it was not the beginning of a happy childhood that many would expect. Despite an abusive upbringing she became a trained chef, gained a business degree and started a successful company. In 2006 she visited Vietnam for the first time to connect with her roots. That experience changed the trajectory of her life. There she met other children in orphanages which had a profound effect on her. When she returned to the UK, she realized money didn’t buy happiness, and sold all of her possessions to start Allambie orphanage in Vietnam. She wanted every child, orphaned, adopted, fostered, or living in the streets to be cared for, and most importantly wanted to give them a sense of belonging.

This episode contains topics on abuse.

Episode Credits:
Seven Million Bikes Podcast Host & Producer: Niall Mackay
Seven Million Bikes theme music composed by Lewis Wright
VBP Host & Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo

Bonus Episode: Listening Party

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 09:56:06 -0500

The stories we share on Vietnamese Boat People are often harrowing tales of people surviving adversities and finding strength and resilience to move forward. Diving into their family histories and trauma, our interviewees can all be described as brave and introspective. And the same can also be said about our listeners. Over the years, listeners have reached out to us sharing how the podcast has given them a newfound connection with the culture. Our desire to bring people together to share stories and experiences, along with inspiration from podcasting colleagues Self Evident and PRX, led us to organize the first VBP listening party (kinda like a book club!).

Several members of the VBP team met up virtually to listen to and discuss episode 31: The Escape. It was our first time doing this as a group, and the experience was recorded in order to serve as a guide for anyone who wishes to do something similar. Our conversation became a deep dive into one of the most intricate stories we’ve featured, as well as a behind-the-scenes discussion about how the episode came together. We hope this inspires you to host your own listening party with students, communities or just with friends and families.

Featuring: Tracey Nguyen Mang, Saoli Nguyen, Matt Young, Bella Nguyen, Anthony Nguyen, and Brandon Nguyen

The video version of this episode can be found on the VBP YouTube channel and on our videocast page.

Episode Credits:
Associate Producer: Saoli Nguyen
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other music: Hop In (Instrumental Version): Iso Indies

Bonus Episode: Healing Thru Writing

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 15:43:00 -0400

Family Histories & Emotional Truths: Healing Thru Writing
An intimate discussion with three Vietnamese-Americans who turned to writing as a way to confront and reconcile with their histories and upbringings. Featuring:
Alison Hong Nguyen Lihalakha, author of Salted Plums ;
Christina Vo, author of The Veil Between Two Worlds ;
Len Tran, author of Split Up By The Sea

Replay of the discussion is also available on Vietnamese Boat People Youtube channel

Episode Credits:
Host & Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang
Supported by New Jersey Council for the Humanities 2022-23 Action Grant and Quill Hawk Publishing in effort to inspire the community to learn about family histories and contribute stories to the VBP Journeys digital collection at www.vietnameseboatpeople.org/journeys

Ambiguous Grief

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 11:58:00 -0400

Thi and Phuong Nam Doan are two sisters born in Portland, Oregon. In 2020, their mom was diagnosed with lewy body dementia, a type of progressive dementia that leads to a decline in thinking, reasoning and independent function. The family has been navigating how to take care of a woman who used to take care of them. Their cousin, Andy Nguyen remembers how his aunt has always been like a second mother to him. The three grew up as a very close unit and they share how much the mom is the foundation in their lives. She is the matriarch of their family, the eldest who always cared for her younger siblings, the driving force behind the parents' escape from Vietnam and the caregiver to many. The recent news of the diagnosis has been hard for the family, and also the mom who has a hard time accepting it, feeling guilt and shame for putting a burden on her family. The three cousins share how they are navigating ambiguous loss/grief, a term that describes the grief one may feel for a loved one who has dementia.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with dementia, here are some resources shared by Thi Doan.

https://www.asianmhc.org/ has a directory of Asian American therapists
Family Caregiver Handout in Vietnamese
Fact Sheet on Dementia in Vietnamese
Information on Dementia in Vietnamese
For Lewy Body Dementia
For Alzheimer's Dementia
A podcast by Bambu care called "What the Dementia"

Episode Cover Art: https://www.thidoanart.com
4thWorldPress: The Day I Woke Up Different

Episode Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang
Associate Producer: Tricia Vuong
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other music: Heat Dream: Patrick Latham, Marigold Spring: Daniel Kaede, Recovering Hope: Spirits of Our Dreams, First Time for Everything: Trevor Kowalski

Live Episode! The Magic Fish

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 11:30:12 -0400

Trung Lê Nguyễn was born in 1990 in a refugee camp in Palawan, Philippines. His parents escaped Vietnam by boat and resettled in Minnesota, USA shortly after Trung was born. He grew up learning English with his parents through picture books and was always specifically drawn to fairytales. He studied Art History in college and eventually found himself gravitating towards being an artist. Trung's list of accomplishments and published works includes DC Comics, Oni Press, Boom! Studios, and Image Comics. The MAGIC FISH is his debut graphic novel. It is about an immigrant family, interweaving fairytales with the story of a young Vietnamese boy struggling to find the right words to tell his parents about his sexuality. THE MAGIC FISH is a warm and loving story that reminds young readers that they should be able to expect those who love them to accept them for who they are. In our conversation with Trung, he shares his own experiences of telling his parents he is gay.

Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang
Sound Editor: Matt Young
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other Music: Sun Therapy (instrumental + full mix), Sum Wave

2022 Mỹ Việt Story Slam

Tue, 31 May 2022 17:45:01 -0400

Many of us have experienced losses that have changed our lives. We have lost loved ones to war, harsh living conditions and arduous migrations or to illnesses, age and more recently to the pandemic. But sometimes the loss can be an invaluable object, a community, a place we call home or a state of being. The process of losing someone or something that is irreplaceable can turn our world upside down. However, the journey to heal can lead us to finding ourselves again. For 2022, we invited storytellers
Alexander Nguyen, Qui-Shawn Tran, Mai Tran, Trinh Mai, and siblings Huong and Karin Hanh Nguyen, to share their experiences of loss in our 3rd annual Mỹ (American) Việt (Vietnamese) Story Slam event, ‘LOST & FOUND’. To view the stories visit https://www.vietnameseboatpeople.org/2022-storytellers

Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang
Sound Editor: Matt Young
Event Producers: Megan Do, Saoli Nguyen, Tricia Vuong
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other Music: Midnight Sunlight (instrumental + full mix), Tap Machines

The Mountains Sing

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 11:06:41 -0400

When she was six years old, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai and her family left their small village in northern Việt Nam for Bạc Liêu, a city located in one of the southernmost points of the country. As a northerner growing up in the south after 1975, Quế Mai witnessed the post-war devastation felt by those on both sides of the conflict. She gained a deep appreciation for the stories of all those around her, including the many boat people who were fleeing the country at the time. She had always wanted to be a writer, but initially pursued a career in business instead. But the dream to be a writer was always there. When Quế Mai published her first book of poetry in Vietnamese, there was no looking back. In 2020, she published THE MOUNTAINS SING, her debut novel and first book written in English. Set in 20th century Việt Nam, it tells the multigenerational tale of the Trần family as they experience several crucial moments in the nation’s history. The novel became an international bestseller, as well as a testament to the power of Vietnamese stories.

Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang
Associate Producer: Saoli Nguyen (saolinguyen.com / IG: @saolinguyen)
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other Music: Before the War, Lama House; Dew Over Meguro, Lama House; Miika’s Journey, Lama House; Where Legends Dwell, Lama House; Chapters, Aerian

Cooking From Memory

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 08:42:56 -0400

Growing up, Ly Nguyen and her mom did not have the most understanding or tender relationship. Ly remembers the friction starting very early in her childhood, when she was molested by a family member and found that she wasn’t able to talk about it with anyone. To protect the family’s reputation, the incident was kept a secret. Leaving Ly feeling alone and unprotected by her mother. Over the years, their relationship progressively worsened. It wasn’t until Ly had her own daughter, did the complicated and unresolved trauma begin to surface again. In early 2020 during the pandemic, Ly started Cooking off the Cuff, a food blog to preserve her family’s stories for her daughter. It began as a way to heal and later when her mom passed away, it became an important space to remember her mom through the meals they shared and a chance to change their relationship.

Content Warning: Please note that this episode contains discussions of sexual trauma as noted in the summary.

Credits:
Executive Producer: Tracey Nguyen Mang
Associate Producers: Tricia Vuong, Matt Young
VBP theme music: Clarity, Paulina Vo
Other Music: Liberating, Megan Wofford; Respire, Rikard From; Beyond Imagination, Gavin Luke; Joust, Trevor Kowalski; Returning Memories, Erasmus Talbot (melody stem)

Three Funerals For My Father

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 07:00:00 -0500

Jolie Phuong Hoang remembers how her family ran into hiding in a temple as her town of Đà Lạt was being taken over by North Vietnamese soldiers in 1975. She escaped Vietnam in 1983 with five of her older siblings on a boat that their father had built. After 14 months of waiting in Indonesia at the Galang I refugee camp, the siblings were sponsored to Canada. She finally felt free. But that freedom would come at a cost. In 1985 her parents and her younger siblings planned a second escape. But tragedy would change her family forever and Jolie would never be the same again. She grieved for many years, trying to find answers to her open questions. It wasn’t until she started to write down her feelings and her family’s story, did she begin to heal. She published Three Funerals for My Father, a story told in three distinctive voices: her father's, her younger self in Vietnam and herself as an adult returning to Vietnam to visit her father’s grave and memories of her younger sister.

LIVE Episode! House of Sticks

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 08:20:00 -0500

Ly Tran was born in Viet Nam and came to America at the age of three in 1993 with her older brothers and parents through the U.S. Orderly Departure Program called Humanitarian Operations. Soon after they arrived, Ly joins her parents and three older brothers sewing ties and cummerbunds in their apartment to make ends meet. She grew up in Queens, New York, living just below the poverty line while her parents struggled to financially support the family. Ly found herself lost in the inherited trauma of her father’s PTSD, who served in the South Viet Nam army and was a prisoner of war in Viet Nam for almost a decade. When Ly was eight, she needed glasses but her father convinced her the diagnosis of poor vision was a government conspiracy. His frightening temper and paranoia left a mark on Ly’s sense of self. It was through writing her first novel, a memoir, House of Sticks, that Ly found the courage to confront her past.

PodSwap! Seven Million Bikes

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 15:52:16 -0500

Breaking Barriers Through Conversations: The Making of the Vietnamese Boat People Podcast.

Bonus Episode, Seven Million Bikes: a Saigon-based podcast hosted by Niall Mackay, originally from Scotland, who now lives in Saigon. The podcast shares experiences of people from all walks of life, who have a love and deep connection to Vietnam.
Tracey Nguyen Mang, the founder and creator of the Vietnamese Boat People, chats with Niall about her family’s background from Vietnam to America. She came to America as a refugee, only 3 years old at the time, and the youngest of seven children. After a modest and humble start in America, Tracey built a successful career in the corporate world, but she realized that while providing more for her children than she ever had, she was distancing them from the values that she had been brought up with.
As Tracey became a mother, she wanted to know more about her history so she could share it with her children. So she bought a microphone, and sat with her parents and older siblings to record what they remembered.
The stories enthralled her as she learned untold details of her family's escape. In this episode Tracey shares how 20 hours of family recordings led to the creation of the Vietnamese Boat People Podcast.
For the full conversation between Niall and Tracey, visit Seven Million Bikes Podcast.

PodSwap! Dear Asian Americans

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 10:38:47 -0500

Bonus Episode, Dear Asian Americans: a podcast for and by Asian Americans, rooted in origin, identity, and legacy. Host Jerry Won brings on guests from diverse backgrounds and career paths to celebrate, support, and inspire the Asian American community.
In this bonus episode: Lisa Tran, owner of Tân Tân Foods, joins Tiffany guest host of Dear Asian Americans for an open and personal conversation about the American origin story of the Tran family, how the early years of American life shaped her identity, and how she fell in love with and innovated her family business to grow it into Tân Tân Foods.
Lisa Tran was born in an Indonesian refugee camp, after her parents had successfully fled Vietnam following the Fall of Saigon. Lisa’s parents, Vinh Tran and Mai Nguyen, fled in a tiny fishing boat carrying 13 refugees in 1976 and were sponsored to Oregon in 1981. Many years later, they opened Tân Tân Cafe & Delicatessen in the Portland metro area. Tân Tân means “New Beginnings,” and they were the first Vietnamese restaurant around at that time. Today the business has grown into a consumer products company with homemade sauces being sold in hundreds of grocery stores across America. IG @tantanfoods, www.tantanfoods.com
Dear Asian Americans Podcast

Bonus Episode: The Boat People

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 13:54:53 -0500

Bonus Episode! Join podcast host Tracey Nguyen Mang, artist and filmmaker Tuan Andrew Nguyen and Chrysler Museum’s curator of modern and contemporary art, Kimberli Gant, to explore the exodus of Vietnamese individuals and families from their home country after the conflict in Vietnam. In this conversation Tuan and Tracey discusses their personal histories, creative endeavors, and Tuan’s 2020 film The Boat People, currently on view at the Chrysler Museum of Art.
The film is a dreamy, fantastical tale of children navigating a dystopian world in the former area of Bataan, Philippines. Tuan filmed the project at the former Philippines Refugee Processing Center, where hundreds of thousands of people fled after the war. Set in an unspecified future at the precarious edge of humanity’s possible extinction, "The Boat People" follows a group of children led by a strong-willed and resourceful little girl, who travel the seas and collect the stories of a world they never knew through objects that survived through time.

Stay tuned for Season 5 "Lost and Found" launching in 2022!

2021 Trailer

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 09:23:36 -0400

My name is Tracey Nguyen Mang, I am the creator of the Vietnamese Boat People podcast. I was born Nguyen Quan Truong-Anh, the youngest of seven children, in Nha Trang Vietnam. When I was only one, my father and oldest brother fled our country by boat. After that, my three older brothers escaped, and in 1981, my mother braved the journey with three girls under the age of 10. Three separate escapes, three different refugee camps and three years later, reunited in America as one family. This statement oversimplifies the journey. But the story of how we got here, is anything but simple. Join me in documenting the incredible stories of hundreds of thousands of other Vietnamese Boat People. Subscribe to the show and visit www.vietnameseboatpeople.org

Operation Reunite

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 09:30:26 -0400

Trista Goldberg, born Nguyễn Thi Thu 1970 in Vietnam, was adopted at the age of 4 through Holt International Agency and brought to the United States into a loving family in Pennsylvania. Around the age of 10, she was shown her adoption papers which opened up Pandora's box and would haunt her into adulthood. In 1999, the internet boom enabled Trista to explore Vietnam online and learn about the country and culture. Through Yahoo chat groups she met other Vietnamese adoptees from around the world who would motivate and support her search to find her birth family. Trista shares the ups and down of her journey that successfully led to reuniting with her birth mother and siblings. In 2003, Trista started a nonprofit organization, Operation Reunite, to provide information and support to other Vietnamese adoptees going through a similar journey and to build a DNA data bank for families to use to try to identify loved ones.

The Escape

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0400

Growing up in New Jersey, Peter Trinh and his siblings would hear endless stories of how his parents fled Vietnam. When the war ended, Peter’s father, Nhung Trinh, a former pilot in the South Vietnam Air Force reported into re-education camp as required by the new Communist government. He thought it would be for a few days, but instead days turned into weeks, into months, into four years. During that time, he was moved to several different remote camps without his family knowing. Peter’s mom, Tinh Trinh, a young woman in her early twenties, would spend the next few years searching for her husband and scheming to plan his escape from camp, and ultimately an escape for them out of the country. Today, Peter reflects on the stories with great admiration for his parents and a desire to fill in the missing pieces.

Mỹ Thị Bùi

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 13:38:17 -0400

Naoko Tsunoda was born in Los Angeles in 1976 and adopted by Japanese expats the following year. Despite knowing she was adopted, it was not until she turned 18 that Naoko’s parents revealed that she is ethnically Vietnamese. Thus began a decades-long search for the missing pieces of her history, culminating in the discovery of her birth name: Mỹ Thị Bùi. Now in her forties, Naoko is learning to embrace her dual identities via her love of tea. The events of 2020 propelled her to start her own online tea boutique, Key To Teas, where she offers tea sourced directly from Japan and Vietnam. 2020 also sparked a search for her birth mother and an older half-sister. She hopes that by sharing her story, this serves as a beacon to help reunite them.

Pod Swap! Self-Evident

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 13:32:46 -0400

Bonus Episode, Self-Evident: How Do Stories Change Lives?
The impact of storytelling is often portrayed as a story changing the life of the person consuming it — and changing the world by reaching as many people as possible. But what about the person who offers their story to be consumed? How else can we define the value of our life’s stories, and the importance of how they’re shared?
In this second episode of a three-part series, Managing Producer James Boo invites Randy Kim (Host of the Banh Mi Chronicles) and Tracey Nguyen Mang (Host of The Vietnamese Boat People) to dig deep and get personal about how they’ve seen participation in storytelling change the life of one person at a time.
Self-Evident Credits:
Produced by James Boo
Edited by James Boo and Harsha Nahata
Sound mix by James Boo and Timothy Lou Ly
Self Evident theme music by Dorian Love
Our Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda
Self Evident is a Studio To Be production. Our show is made with support from PRX and the Google Podcasts creator program — and our listener community.

2021 Mỹ Việt Story Slam

Wed, 26 May 2021 08:00:00 -0400

A global pandemic has completely changed our everyday lives, an election year has divided our country, there has been unprecedented racism against Asians, and continued police violence against Black Americans spurred the largest nationwide wave of protests. We've also seen local communities uniting, new friendships forging (even if virtually), and new hobbies and hidden talents emerging. Listen to how 2020 has changed our featured Storytellers: Anthony Nguyen, Belle Le, Kyle Nguyen, Leo Nguyen, Naoko Tsunoda, Vinh Nguyen and Yen Vu, in our 2nd annual Mỹ (American) Việt (Vietnamese) Story Slam event.

For the full experience, view the featured stories and live event at https://www.vietnameseboatpeople.org/storyslam

Other Streets

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 08:00:00 -0400

Mark Erickson (Đỗ Văn Hùng) was born in Saigon in 1972 and put up for adoption at two and a half years old. He arrived in the United States as part of the American program Operation Baby Lift and was adopted by a white couple living in Buffalo, New York. Mark grew up in a predominantly white suburban neighborhood and what he knew about Vietnam was through movies and stories told through an American lens. When he moved to Boston for college he discovered a Vietnamese community in Dorchester, got to travel to Vietnam and began to explore his Vietnamese identity through his 35mm camera. Mark shares his journey in embracing his Vietnamese heritage, learning about his birth family and the making of his photo books Other Streets: Scenes from a Life in Vietnam not Lived and Dorchester. http://www.markferickson.com

LIVE Episode! Sigh, Gone

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 08:05:00 -0400

Phuc Tran, born in Saigon Vietnam, immigrated to America along with his family in 1975 when he was just a baby. He grew up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, being one of the few Asian families in a small town, his family struggled to assimilate into their new life. In his debut book ‘Sigh, Gone’ Phuc shares his coming-of-age story, the push and pull of finding and accepting himself, and the challenges of immigration, feelings of isolation, and teenage rebellion. In this interview, Phuc opens up about the complexities of Viet culture, growing up as an Asian American in the 80s and what’s changed and has not changed in how Asian Americans are viewed and treated today. https://www.phucskywalker.com

Have Faith

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:08:52 -0500

Two siblings share their experiences in post-war Vietnam and what it was like to be separated as a family. Danny fled Vietnam as a teenager with his brothers and later had to fight for his life after a severe brain injury just a month after arriving in America. While Tu-Anh was moved from place to place in Vietnam as her mom made several attempts to get them out of the country. They share their journeys and struggles and their search for a guiding light during the toughest times.

The Perfect Storm

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 13:56:16 -0500

Quang was born in Ha Noi in 1953 just a year before Vietnam was divided into two and his family migrated south to Saigon. In 1970 he was drafted into war and recruited to Division 3 of the Special Task Force for the South. Days before the Fall of Saigon, Quang’s special unit was stationed in a small village when they had lost contact with their main command. They remained in hiding for days and emerged only to find that they had lost the war and had to surrender to the North. In 1978 in Quang’s second attempt to flee Vietnam, he would face the perfect storm that led to a series of unpredictable events. He shares how the care of a 9 year-old boy saved his life.

Second Gen

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 08:00:00 -0400

To close out season three, we explore perspectives from the American born Vietnamese, those who are categorized as second generation. For most second generation Vietnamese children, their childhood looked nothing like that of their parents. They did not grow up during the Vietnam War era, nor do they have memories of the life threatening escapes from the country. Even so, this generation still internalizes the experiences, some through stories told by their parents, while others can feel the effects of the trauma, even if those stories were never told. In this episode, we explore how this generation manages to understand their families' histories and trauma while also grappling with their own identities as Asian-Americans. Featuring interviews with actress An Phan, podcast host Randy Kim and visual storyteller Vi Son Trinh.

Snow in Vietnam

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0400

Amy Le was born in Tra Vinh Vietnam in 1974, with a severe heart condition. The doctors predicted that she would not live past her childhood. Desperate to find the right medical care, her mom decided they needed to escape the post-war conditions of Vietnam. In 1980 they arrived in Kent, Washington State. Growing up, her relationship with her mom had its ups and downs and her Dad was in and out of her life. In 2017, when Amy’s mom passed away, her world shattered. To honor her mom’s legacy and sacrifices, she left her job in corporate America to write her mom’s story. But she didn’t have all the details so she began a journey of piecing it together through other people and fictionalized what life must have been like for her mom in Vietnam. In this episode, Amy shares with us her journey of discovery, healing and forgiveness. Her debut historical fiction Snow in Vietnam is a tribute to her mother and the hundreds of thousands of boat people for their bravery. www.amy-m-le.com

2020 Trailer

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0400

The Vietnam War is one of the most widely-known and controversial events in world history, yet the stories of the Vietnamese refugee experience as a result of the war are marginalized. Almost two million Vietnamese risked their lives to flee oppression and hardship in one of the largest mass exoduses in modern history. Here’s a preview into the personal stories of hope, survival and resilience of the Vietnamese diaspora, told by multi-generational voices. Subscribe today and visit www.vietnameseboatpeople.org to join us in preserving these stories.

One Way Ticket

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 19:43:38 -0400

Cô Loan was born in Saigon and left Vietnam with her family on April 30 1975, the exact day when the South Vietnamese Army surrendered, bringing an end to the civil war in Vietnam. She was 11 years old and would face many new challenges as her family tries to adjust to a new country. But her greatest challenge came much later in her life, when she learns about her daughter with transgender experience. A term she knew nothing about. She shares her journey of trying to understand and accept, during a time when she felt her life had hit rock bottom. This is a beautiful story of a mother’s love and determination and her passion to help other families through PFLAG NYC, a family-based organization committed to the civil rights of the LGBTQ community.

2020 Mỹ Việt Story Slam

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 21:06:00 -0400

Ten Storytellers from across America were selected from a nationwide open-call for submissions, sharing their Vietnamese American experiences in celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month. Each Storyteller shares their very personal experiences in the form of monologues, music, poetry, art and more. Featuring Lynn Kim Do, Julian Saporiti, Hop Nguyen, Kavi Vu, Lauren Nguyen, Trammy Lai, Cindy Nguyen, David Kaizen, Dieu Ngoc Nguyen, and Quentin Nguyen-Duy. Thank you WHRO Public Media, Asian Women Giving Circle and Asia Nation of Live Nation for making this event possible.

Visit our website to view the 2020 Mỹ Việt Story Slam event.

Being Bao

Sun, 31 May 2020 20:24:23 -0400

Bao Nguyen is an award-winning Vietnamese American filmmaker whose work has been seen on The New York Times, HBO, NBC, PBS and more. He has directed, produced, and shot a number of short films, which have played internationally in festivals and museums. His feature documentary directorial debut, Live from New York, opened the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. His latest film is, Be Water, a documentary about Bruce Lee, airing on ESPN on June 7, 2020. Bao is a child of refugees and grew up working in his parents' fabric shop. From childhood to high school, Bao was a studious student. He was on his way to becoming a lawyer until one day, in a split second decision, he decided to chase after his passion for visual arts. Bao talks about his parents' experiences as “boat people” and what it was like putting his personal life in front of the camera for the first time in his 2019 documentary short Where are you really from.

https://vimeo.com/baonguyen

To view the full interview on VCMedia.org

Van Da

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 09:15:20 -0400

Yen Ngo is number eleven of twelve children, born in Da Lat Vietnam. Her parents were both orphans and even though they did not receive a formal education themselves, they raised their kids to excel in school. After 1975, Yen’s oldest sister made the decision that the family needed to flee Vietnam in phases, and that the youngest children should go first. Yen arrived in America at the age of 13 and shares the loneliness she felt going from having a large family surrounding to feeling isolated in a new country. She studied engineering but stumbled into the restaurant industry and found completeness in serving food and bringing friends and communities together. She is the owner of an award-winning catering company Real Food Catering and Van Da restaurant in New York City.

Be Present

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 19:29:39 -0500

Gene Binh Nguyen, the youngest of two children, grew up with a widowed mom. His father died in the Vietnam war when he was just two months old. Because Gene’s father fought on the South Vietnamese side, his family was ostracized in the new government regime. When Gene and his family finally escaped from Vietnam, they were put in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Los Angeles California, where he faced racism, violence and gang life daily, while his mom tried to make ends meet. But despite all the challenges, he turned adversity into opportunity and opportunity into advocacy for the Vietnamese community. Gene became a successful entrepreneur and went on to help thousands of Vietnamese refugees and immigrants thrive in the booming nail salon industry.

Gene is the owner of Present Restaurant in Arlington, Virgina and Saigon Street at the MGM National Harbor, Maryland.

#16 - The Ground Kisser

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 23:58:47 -0500

Thanh is the oldest of six children and was just eight years old at the Fall of Saigon. She was living in Tân Châu, just six miles from the Cambodia border and she remembers vividly the blood bath from the continued warfare between Vietnam and Cambodia. With Communism breathing down their backs and their wealth and freedom wiped out, Thanh's parents had to make an agonizing decision. Without enough gold to pay for a family of eight to flee Vietnam, they had to choose whether to stay together and face whatever came in the new Communist regime, or risk separating the family. In 1979, Thanh's parents found an opportunity for her to leave Vietnam, but they did not know that their 12 year old daughter, would embark on a journey fighting for her life. The Ground Kisser
By Thanh Duong Boyer with Lisa Worthey Smith Also available on Amazon

#15 - LIVE Episode! Butterfly Yellow

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 21:45:57 -0500

Thanhhà Lại was born in Vietnam in the middle of the war. She wrote about growing up there and leaving on a navy ship two days before the war ended in her first novel Inside Out & Back Again, which won a Newbery Honor and a National Book Award and eight years later is still a New York Times bestseller. She is the youngest of nine children raised by a single mother. Her father went missing during the war when she was just one years old. Her life in America would begin in Alabama and despite the trauma that was going on, Thanhhà grew up in a household full of humor. Many years later as a writer, she would discover that balancing trauma with humor is what makes her voice unique. The contrast is beautifully reflected in her latest novel, Butterfly Yellow.

https://www.thanhhalai.com

#14 - The World Looked Away

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 08:54:58 -0500

Tom Pham, was born in 1971 in Saigon as Hung Quoc Pham. At the end of the Vietnam War, his father Quoc Pham, a former South Vietnam Naval officer was sent away for many years in re-education camp. His mom was left with young children to care for in a war-torn country. Tom was sent to live with his grandparents at age four until one day, a father he barely knew started to appear again. And the two of them would escape Vietnam in 1980 when Tom was just eight years old. Tom shares what it was like growing up in America, separated from the rest of his family and the emotional distance they felt when they were finally reunited in America. In 2014, Tom played an instrumental role in helping to get his father and mother's story of survival documented in the book The World Looked Away.

The World Looked Away
Quoc Pham's story
By Dave Bushy

#13 Bonus Episode: Miss VSA

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 07:00:00 -0400

VBP Student Spotlight: Growing up in Brooklyn New York, Vivian was not surrounded by many Vietnamese people. Her parents fled Vietnam by boat as refugees in 1978. And while she grew up in the largest melting pot in America, Vietnamese-Americans don’t even come close to 1% of the entire population in New York City. She never connected with her heritage until college, when she met a group of passionate and supportive students who recruited her to join the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). For the first time, she felt proud about her background and a sense of belonging.

Featuring Breathin by Ariana Grande - performed by Vivian Luu on the ukulele

Vietnamese Boat People podcast theme song - created by Paulina Vo

#12 - Bolinao 52

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 06:31:10 -0400

In 1988, a group of Vietnamese boat people attempted to flee their country in search of freedom. Once at sea, the boat's engine died, leaving over 100 people stranded in the ocean. What happens next is an unbelievable story of perseverance that changed the lives of 52 survivors forever. Award winning documentarian Duc Nguyen, shares his journey in unraveling this story and making this regional Emmy award-winning film.

Film (English): https://vimeo.com/ondemand/bolinao52

Film(Tiếng Việt): https://vimeo.com/ondemand/bolinao52viet

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/righthereinmypocket

#11 - Live Episode! Nailed It

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 09:11:05 -0400

In virtually every city, state and strip mall across the U.S., people get their nails done in salons likely owned by Vietnamese entrepreneurs. How did our community come to dominate the $8 billion dollar nail salon industry? Director Adele Free Pham set out to explore the history of Vietnamese nail salons and discovered it all began with 20 Vietnamese refugee women and a chance encounter with famed Alfred Hitchcock actress and humanitarian Tippi Hedren. The "first 20" Vietnamese manicurists sought a way to support their children and families, unknowingly sparking a cultural phenomenon.

https://www.naileditdoc.com

Featured Song: “Had to Hustle” by Chuck Free Pham and Track Producer DJ Ananse

#10 - The Guy Who Steered the Ship

Tue, 28 May 2019 13:29:29 -0400

Leo was only 26 years old, one of the youngest crewmen on the US Navy chartered military vessel, the SS Trans Colorado. On August 11, 1980 in the midst of a storm, Leo was on watch to steer the ship, when he spotted a small fishing boat far away with two men holding up a red flag in distress. Little did he know that his crew was about to change the fate of 67 refugee lives on that boat.

#9 - Cultural Understanding

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 15:53:28 -0400

In 1980, Nesta arrived at the Singapore Refugee camp for the first time, looking to do something meaningful with her time and skills. At first, she was overwhelmed by the chaos and traumatic experiences that the refugees had just gone through. Using a combination of her training, pure instincts and cultural understanding, Nesta became instrumental in helping the refugees transition into new lives and resettlement countries. The experiences at the camp also had a profound effect on her professional and personal life.

#8 - Sound of Freedom

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 11:58:09 -0400

Meredith couldn’t bare to sit back and watch the boat people crisis unfold in the news. In 1979, she was among one of the first to volunteer at a makeshift refugee camp at 25 Hawkins Road, Sembawang, Singapore; the site of a former British barrack. She started the language program at the camp, and touched the lives of over 30,000 refugees. Including one young man, with Meredith’s help, was able to hear the sound of freedom for the first time.

#7 Bonus Episode: A Liminal Space

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 10:56:59 -0500

VBP Student Spotlight: Tuan Pham, a graduate student from Yale School of Art, talks about living in a liminal space as an immigrant in America. As a child transitioning and navigating the ‘unknown’ he was constantly trying to bridge the ‘what was’ and ‘what next’. An introspective journey over the years from rediscovering Vietnam and himself, to studying Vietnamese artists, has enabled him to appreciate that ambiguity can give you the freedom to explore and create. And how that inspired his winning logo design for the Vietnamese Boat People which portrays the arduous journeys and the stories of the human spirit.

#6 Bonus Episode: Understanding One’s Narrative

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 10:20:33 -0500

VBP Student Spotlight: Beatrice Bui, a student from University of California Berkley, shares how her family came to America and how the stories of the Vietnamese diaspora has influenced her as a designer. She won the VBP design People’s choice award for her original design that portrays the struggles of the Vietnamese boat people refugees and the inner-generations that connect to form the community and the resiliency.

#5 - Slumdog Brothers

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 13:46:21 -0500

Chris is the third child out of seven kids. He remembers vivdily the drastic change overnight of going from riches to rags, from pampered baby to slumdog in a war-torn country. He did whatever it took to survive and make money to care for his younger siblings. He was 13 when he made his first attempt to flee the country with his brothers. This is a story about brotherhood and the sacrifices a mother makes, so her children could have a better life.

#4 - Riches to Rags

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:07:00 -0500

Steve, born in 1961 in Vietnam, was only 14 years old when the South had lost the war to North Vietnam. The eldest son of a socialite family, Steve’s childhood was filled with whatever he wanted. All of that disappeared overnight. A wealthy boy who had never had to do anything for himself but enjoy life, was suddenly forced to become a man. As the oldest child of seven, he quickly felt the burden of having to provide for the family.

#3 - Three Days Old - Part 2

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 20:19:44 -0500

Episode 3 continues the story of JoAnh who was just three days old when her family had to flee the city of Da Nang Vietnam, just 30 days before the Fall of Saigon. After the war ended, families were stripped of any wealth and personal possessions and many were separated and sent to reeducation camps under the Communist regime. JoAnh’s family escaped Vietnam in phases, eventually reuniting in America in 1981. She shares her earliest memory of what life was like as a refugee child and the importance of having family during the challenges and transitions.

#2 - Three Days Old - Part 1

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 13:39:32 -0400

On March 30, 1975, a Saigon government spokesman said that radio contact with South Vietnamese port of Da Nang had been lost, indicating that the city had fallen to the North Vietnamese. Just days before, a mother wrapped her three-day old baby in a hand-knit sweater as she prepared to evacuate the city of Da Nang. The family, with five other children and a newborn, fought their way through the flooded streets of rampant panic would later get separated, including losing their newborn baby.

#1 - Prelude

Mon, 08 Oct 2018 09:20:50 -0400

Hi I'm Tracey Nguyen Mang. I was just under four years old when my Mom organized an escaped from the Vietnamese Communist regime in 1981. With nothing but clothes on our backs, she left everything behind and took three girls under the age of 10, deep into the jungle in the middle of the night, and eventually out into the treacherous seas. Thirty-seven years later, I'm on a mission to document every part of that escape and the events and turmoil that led my family and many others to choose the possibility of death if it meant freedom and safety on the other side.