The Vietnamese with Kenneth Nguyen

In this episode of Viet History Makers, we sit with Professor Kevin Pham to explore the remarkable life and legacy of Trần Đức Thảo, who we can describe as Vietnam’s earliest intellectual export. A philosopher trained in France, Thảo studied alongside some of the 20th century’s most influential European thinkers, including Jean-Paul Sartre and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Yet his journey was not one of mere academic exchange—he carried philosophy across continents, weaving together European phenomenology with Marxist theory, and later returning to Vietnam to shape debates on culture, ideology, and national identity.We discuss his rise from colonial Vietnam to the Parisian intellectual scene, his groundbreaking work in philosophy of consciousness and language, and the difficult political turns his career took as he navigated the complexities of intellectual life under colonial rule, revolution, and socialism. Along the way, we ask: what does it mean for Vietnam to have produced a global thinker in the midst of colonial struggle? And how should we understand the contributions and contradictions of a man who bridged East and West, philosophy and politics?This episode sheds light on a figure too often overlooked, placing Trần Đức Thảo back into the story of global intellectual history.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kevin D. Pham is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. His research introduces Vietnamese political thought to the academic field of political theory, showing how Vietnamese thinkers challenge and enhance conventional Western understandings of important political concepts.He co-hosts Nam Phong Dialogues, a podcast in which he and Yen Vu have casual chats about Vietnamese history and being Vietnamese American. He is the author of The Architects of Dignity: Vietnamese Visions of Decolonization (Oxford University Press, 2024).Kevindoanpham.com--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Many of you still have the chance to record and preserve the legacies of your own families. I’ve sat with families now for interview sessions to record the rich histories of parents and explore the lives of the generations that preceded them. Don’t let your family stories go untold! Take a moment to reach out and together we will bring out your family’s story on a recorded journey. - Kenneth NguyenVisit vietnamstorybank.com today for more information.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vietnamese-with-kenneth-nguyen/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We sit down with siblings Han and Holden Nguyen, finalists from The Amazing Race Season 37. They open up about their journey to the show, including the audition process that first brought them into the spotlight.We dive into their unique sibling dynamic—how competing side by side strengthened their relationship, but also tested it under the pressures of racing around the world. Han and Holden also reflect on just how close they came to winning it all, sharing the emotional highs and near-misses along the way.Finally, they reveal the deeper reasons behind why they decided to join The Amazing Race, offering insights into what motivated them and what the experience ultimately meant for their family and their future.Instagram: @teamasianswag@hanbnguyen@hole.den- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -Many of you still have the chance to record and preserve the legacies of your own families. I’ve just begun to sit with families now for interview sessions to record the rich histories of parents and explore the lives of the generations that preceded them. Don’t let your family stories go untold! Take a moment to reach out and together we will bring out your family’s story on a recorded journey. - Kenneth NguyenVisit vietnamstorybank.com today for more information.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vietnamese-with-kenneth-nguyen/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kenneth Nguyen sits down with Hanh Nguyen, Executive Editor of Salon.com, to talk about Vietnam’s cultural rivalry with Korea, the power of K-pop and Korean dramas, and what defines meaningful culture. They also get into F1 the Movie, Brad Pitt as the ultimate leading man, and why Vietnam still lacks a star of that stature.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Many of you still have the chance to record and preserve the legacies of your own families. I’ve sat with families now for interview sessions to record the rich histories of parents and explore the lives of the generations that preceded them. Don’t let your family stories go untold! Take a moment to reach out and together we will bring out your family’s story on a recorded journey. - Kenneth NguyenVisit vietnamstorybank.com today for more information.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vietnamese-with-kenneth-nguyen/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this conversation with Professor John Phan, an Associate Professor of Vietnamese Humanities at Columbia University, listeners dive into the fascinating evolution of the Vietnamese language. Phan examines its intricate relationship with Chinese influences and dispels the myth that Vietnamese originated from Chinese roots. He elaborates on the development of Vietnamese writing and its cultural significance, along with the impact of technology on language and identity. The discussion brilliantly intertwines historical context with modern cultural expressions in Vietnam.

Chris Tran from Little Saigon Official discusses the pressing issue of toxic masculinity in the Vietnamese community. He shares insights on how traditional masculinity pressures men and affects family dynamics. Chris highlights the need for empathy and unlearning harmful behaviors to foster better relationships. They also delve into cultural challenges men face, reflecting on language's role in shaping gender dynamics. This conversation aims to spark dialogue and encourage a healthier, more inclusive understanding of masculinity.

Kaila Yu is an author based in Los Angeles. Her debut memoir, ‘Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty,’ will be published on August 19th, 2025, with Penguin Random House’s Crown Publishing.She is also a luxury travel, food, and culture writer and on-camera correspondent based in Los Angeles, who has written for The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic, and more. She’s a certified PADI scuba diver, freediver, and mermaid.Her former band, Nylon Pink, has toured in Australia: Melbourne and Sydney, played in Shanghai at the launch party for Havaianas in China, Costa Rica, played at the Hard Rock in Tokyo, Japan, Macau, China, and Penang, Malaysia.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vietnamese-with-kenneth-nguyen/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this second episode of Ancient Vietnam, we return to the world of early Vietnamese history—this time loosely based on an AMA (Ask Me Anything) version shaped by the voices and comments of our audience. Building on the foundational themes of the first episode of the series Ancient Vietnam, co-host John Phan joins us to dive deeper into the linguistic and cultural mysteries that sparked so much joy, conversation and curiosity.Early in this episode, John introduces the concept of language shift through a comparison to Norman England, showing how language imposition can reshape native speech without erasing cultural identity. This idea threads through the episode as we explore how Vietnamese developed under centuries of outside influence and internal change.John and Kenneth also respond to listener questions about tonality: when tonal features emerged in Vietnamese, how they function, and why similar developments appeared in Chinese. Along the way, they dismantle common assumptions about ethnicity and language, emphasizing that racial or genetic identity doesn’t necessarily equate to linguistic heritage.Finally, the episode turns to the historical formation of the name Vietnam itself—tracing its evolution through dynasties, borders, and political imagination. What did "Viet" and "Nam" originally mean? And how did their pairing come to represent an enduring national identity?This follow-up episode is both a reflection and a deepening of the conversation—expanding on the hidden dynamics of language, power, and identity in Vietnam’s distant past. Join us as we continue to unearth the stories embedded in scripts, sounds, and names.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------John D. Phan is an Associate Professor of Vietnamese Humanities at Columbia University, based in the Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures and the Weatherhead East Asian Institute. He focuses on the linguistic history of Vietnam and its cultural context..His first book, The Lost Tongues of the Red River: Annamese Middle Chinese & the Origins of the Vietnamese Language, published in April 2025 by Harvard University Press, posits the existence of a regional dialect of Middle Chinese once spoken in northern Vietnam (the Red River Delta) and explores how this dialect influenced the emergence of VietnamesePhan completed his M.A. at Columbia University (on Ming‑Qing vernacular fiction, 2005) and earned his Ph.D. from Cornell (on Sino‑Vietnamese language contact, 2012). His scholarship examines the evolution of writing systems, vernacular literary forms (like chữ Nôm), and the social-political implications of multilingualism in East Asia--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Many of you still have the chance to record and preserve the legacies of your own families. I’ve sat with families now for interview sessions to record the rich histories of parents and explore the lives of the generations that preceded them. Don’t let your family stories go untold! Take a moment to reach out and together we will bring out your family’s story on a recorded journey. - Kenneth NguyenVisit vietnamstorybank.com today for more information.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vietnamese-with-kenneth-nguyen/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kevin Pham, an Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam, dives into the legendary Trưng Sisters, warrior queens who led a rebellion against Chinese rule in 40 CE. The discussion highlights their role in shaping Vietnamese identity and how their legacy intertwines with matriarchal traditions and patriarchal narratives. Pham examines their impact on women's rights and the complex evolution of resistance against oppression. Their story is a powerful reminder of the often-overlooked contributions of women in history and the importance of remembering their legacies.

Twenty years ago, one of my best friends, Khoa Trong Nguyen moved to Vietnam to start a new life in Vietnam and a career in the new Vietnamese film industry. Today, Khoa and many Vietnamese Americans are living out their dreams in modern Vietnam.While box office success has eluded him, Khoa has forged a new path in academia as head of the Digital Film and Video Program at RMIT in Ho Chi Minh City, where he has established strong roots and a solid theoretical foundation to enhance his screenwriting for a future return to filmmaking. In the meantime, he takes pleasure in nurturing the next generation of Vietnamese storytellers and filmmakers.Please join me and Khoa as we discuss his journey over the last two decades.- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -Many of you still have the chance to record and preserve the legacies of your own families. I’ve just begun to sit with families now for interview sessions to record the rich histories of parents and explore the lives of the generations that preceded them. Don’t let your family stories go untold! Take a moment to reach out and together we will bring out your family’s story on a recorded journey. - Kenneth NguyenVisit vietnamstorybank.com today for more information.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vietnamese-with-kenneth-nguyen/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of Viet History Makers, we sit down with Kevin Pham to explore the life and legacy of Phan Khôi (1887–1959)—a towering yet often underrecognized figure in modern Vietnamese intellectual history. Known as a journalist, poet, and dissident thinker, Phan Khôi stood at the intersection of literary innovation and political resistance during one of Vietnam's most turbulent eras.Together, we unpack what "freedom" meant to Phan Khôi and how his pursuit of intellectual and political autonomy challenged colonial powers, authoritarian rule, and even the ideological currents of his time. From his role in the Nhân Văn–Giai Phẩm movement to his radical reimagining of Vietnamese identity and civil society, Phan Khôi's work asks us to reconsider what it means to speak truth in an era of fear.This episode is a tribute to a man whose commitment to independent thought continues to resonate—especially in a time when the boundaries of freedom are still being contested.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kevin D. Pham is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. His research introduces Vietnamese political thought to the academic field of political theory, showing how Vietnamese thinkers challenge and enhance conventional Western understandings of important political concepts.He co-hosts Nam Phong Dialogues, a podcast in which he and Yen Vu have casual chats about Vietnamese history and being Vietnamese American. He is the author of The Architects of Dignity: Vietnamese Visions of Decolonization (Oxford University Press, 2024).Kevindoanpham.com--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Many of you still have the chance to record and preserve the legacies of your own families. I’ve sat with families now for interview sessions to record the rich histories of parents and explore the lives of the generations that preceded them. Don’t let your family stories go untold! Take a moment to reach out and together we will bring out your family’s story on a recorded journey. - Kenneth NguyenVisit vietnamstorybank.com today for more information.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vietnamese-with-kenneth-nguyen/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy