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