The Vietnamese with Kenneth Nguyen

Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer is a New York Times best seller and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The novel has been made into an HBO Series, which is now available on streaming.Viet is a University Professor, the Aerol Arnold Chair of English, and a Professor of English, American Studies and Ethnicity, and Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California. Viet was born in Ban Mê Thuột, Viet Nam (now spelled Buôn Mê Thuột after 1975, a year which brought enormous changes to many things, including the Vietnamese language). He came to the United States as a refugee in 1975 with his family and was initially settled in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, one of four such camps for Vietnamese refugees. From there, he moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he lived until 1978.Seeking better economic opportunities, his parents moved to San Jose, California, and opened one of the first Vietnamese grocery stores in the city. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, San Jose had not yet been transformed by the Silicon Valley economy, and was in many ways a rough place to live, at least in the downtown area where Viet’s parents worked. Viet attended St. Patrick School and Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose. After high school, he briefly attended UC Riverside and UCLA before settling on UC Berkeley, where he graduated with degrees in English and ethnic studies. He stayed at Berkeley for a Ph.D. in English, moved to Los Angeles for a teaching position at the University of Southern California, and has been there ever since.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Phillip Van has worked as a commercial and branded narrative content director for over a decade. His projects often highlight the surreal in the everyday, combining an uncanny and dryly humorous tone with dynamic visual storytelling. He’s Vietnamese American and the first on his dad’s side to be born in the US. He grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii and Portland, Oregon and he currently lives in Los Angeles.After attending NYU Graduate Film, Phillip was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film,” and appeared in Shoot Magazine’s New Directors Showcase. His work has since been featured by the New York Times, Rolling Stone, MTV, Pitchfork, AdAge’s “Best Ads,” Short of the Week and Vimeo’s Staff Picks. His commercial work has won D&AD, One Show and Addy awards and his narrative short films have garnered accolades at festivals including Berlin, Sundance and Telluride. On the literary front, he’s one half of the writing duo Goodwin & Van. He and his writing partner Chris Goodwin penned the screenplay To The Extreme, which was featured on The Hit List, Young & Hungry List and The Black List, the annual rundown of Hollywood’s best unproduced screenplays. It’s currently in development through No Trace Camping (Room) and Ramona Films (The Disaster Artist), with Dave Franco attached to star.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Supdawk kicked off in 2020, founded by the dawk going by "Anonymous." This Vietnamese-American, born to refugee parents, was raised in Chicago but now calls Orange County home.It all started as a joke on YouTube back in '07, but by 2020, it turned into a full-on passion. Supdawk got into sharing his unique humor on big-time social platforms, tapping into that Asian American subculture with a comedic twist. Amidst the pandemic, the follower count just blew up.Supdawk's all about spreading those good vibes and laughs, aiming to shake up how folks see Asians, breaking down stereotypes one joke at a time.https://www.instagram.com/supdawk--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

David Nguyen, a first generation Vietnamese American Cook and Content Creator, discusses his culinary journey, from watching his mom cook in Vietnam to working at top restaurants. He shares his experiences, challenges, and growth in the culinary world, including struggles in a new job opportunity and reflections on family support. The podcast also explores his journey from jail to culinary excellence and his resilience in facing personal and professional obstacles.

Kieu Chinh is a Vietnamese-American actress, producer, humanitarian, lecturer and philanthropist.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Anh Do is a creative director and marketing executive. As Executive Creative Director, Head of Music at Expedia Group, she oversees music supervision and creative strategy for its house of brands: Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo.   Do began her career as a musician, playing in seminal indie band The Tyde, which released albums on Rough Trade Records. Before Expedia Group, Do was a founding partner at IAMSOUND, a hybrid creative studio and visual artist management firm where she was a three-time Clio Music award winner for her work on campaigns for Billie Eilish and Solange. Do also works as a music supervisor on films. Her latest project is HBO’s The Stroll, which premiered June 2023. A Vietnamese refugee, Do is a passionate advocate for inclusion and mentorship.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Gee Q Pham a Southeast San Diego native & rapper has been recording his own music since 2003.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Bao Nguyen is an Emmy-nominated Vietnamese American filmmaker whose work has been seen on HBO, Netflix, the New York Times, ESPN, among many others. He directed BE WATER, a deep dive into the life and journey of Bruce Lee, competed in the U.S. Documentary Competition category at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was invited to other prestigious festivals such as SXSW, Cannes, Telluride, Hot Docs, among many others. It broadcast nationally on ESPN and is the most watched ESPN 30 for 30 film ever. His latest film, THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, a feature documentary about the making of the seminal global hit song, "We Are the World", world premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and launched globally on Netflix on January 29th where it quickly became the number one film globally on the platform. He also recently directed Apple’s first major project in Vietnam, a Shot on iPhone film featuring Vietnam’s hottest singer, tlinh.In addition to his directing work, he is a partner at EAST Films, a production company based in Vietnam looking to elevate Vietnamese cinema domestically and abroad. At EAST, he produced the feature ROM which won the top prize at the 2019 Busan International Film Festival and was one of the highest grossing films in Vietnam in 2020, and MAIKA which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. He is 2011 PBS/WGBH Producers Workshop Fellow, an alumnus of the 2012 and 2014 Berlinale Talent Campus, a Firelight Media Fellow, and a 2022 BAFTA US Breakthrough recipient. He earned his BA in Politics/International Relations at NYU and his MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He is currently repped by CAA and managed by Mosaic.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

M.E.M.O. is an acronym for Medical, Educational Missions & Outreach. A The organization consists of a group of doctors, health professionals, and student volunteers that travel to Vietnam to hold free health clinics in villages. Part of the mission of M.E.M.O is to conduct a preliminary needs assessment, administer vitamins for the severely malnourished population, treat patients to the highest ethical standard, and sponsor referrals to those with needs beyond the mission's capabilities.Every summer a group consisting of doctors, health professionals, and student volunteers from U.C.I., U.S.C & U.C.S.D. chapters of M.E.M.O. travel to impoverished communities in Vietnam. It is during this mission trip that the programs (Dental, Heart, Hope, Scholarship) reach fruition, thanks to the dedicated volunteer members throughout the year as well as the mission goers and doctors who dedicate their expertise as well.M.E.M.O holds free health clinics in rural areas for 3-4 days of the mission trip. During these clinics, trained M.E.M.O. volunteers have the opportunity to partake in the following stations: patient intake, crowd control, triage, dental, pharmacy, consultation, EKG, ultrasound and physical therapy. Through these health clinics, the students have the privilege to not only assist the underserved communities of Vietnam but also have the opportunity to observe and learn first hand from medical professionals. The volunteer doctors can provide primary assessment, prescribe medication and/or transfer patients to the EKG or ultrasound specialists. For patients who require care that are beyond M.E.M.O's capabilities, sponsor referrals to local hospitals are available so that local patients are able to get the necessary treatment.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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

Christina Vo is a Santa Fe-based author whose work delves into themes such as loss, intergenerational trauma, healing, identity, and the notions of home and reconciliation. Her second book, My Vietnam, Your Vietnam, is an intergenerational memoir co-written with her father. Christina is also the author of The Veil Between Two Worlds: A Memoir of Silence, Loss, and Finding Home. With a background in international work, Christina has experience at UNICEF, the World Economic Forum, and various nonprofits. She currently works at Stanford University and holds an MSc from the London School of Economics.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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