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"slug": "50-years-after-the-fall-of-saigon-how-can-vietnamese-american-families-come-to-terms-with-the-past",
"title": "50 Years After the Fall of Saigon, How Can Vietnamese American Families Process the Past?",
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"content": "\u003cp>Growing up in Orange County’s Little Saigon, HaNhi Tran said she didn’t have time for many conversations with her parents about their past in Vietnam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t the norm to talk. They were focused on surviving and working. She was focused on school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t have a lot of time together,” Tran said. “I didn’t even know what to ask.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she knew the broad strokes around what happened to her family in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037680/san-jose-became-home-betty-duong-vietnamese-americans\">April 1975\u003c/a>, or “Black April”: when American soldiers pulled out of South Vietnam and the decades-long war officially ended. Over those years, it’s estimated that approximately \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/29/50-years-on-from-the-fall-of-saigon-and-the-end-of-the-vietnam-war\">2 million Vietnamese civilians\u003c/a> were killed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran knew how harrowing the war was for her parents. Her father, who was in the South Vietnamese military, was imprisoned in a labor camp for years. After his release, he met her mother and the pair fled the country, just the two of them. They arrived in America as refugees by boat — a journey so dangerous \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/lastdays/firstdaysstoryproject/slideshow/boat-peoples-journey/\">many people were lost at sea\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recalling her family’s story makes Tran tear up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have so much gratitude that I’m not sure I knew to have back then,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to go to school here, be a professional, be a lawyer and now giving back to the community in the way that I am, without that sacrifice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Opening up conversations \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Tran is currently the senior manager at Santa Clara County’s \u003ca href=\"https://vasc.santaclaracounty.gov/home\">Vietnamese American Service Center\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county was a major place for refugees to settle after the war, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sccoe.org/news/NR/Pages/NewModelCurriculumUnveiledtoEducators.aspx\">10% of San José residents identify\u003c/a> as Vietnamese American — making it the largest Vietnamese population for a single city outside of Vietnam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://vasc.santaclaracounty.gov/about-us\">VASC was born in 2022 \u003c/a>out of \u003ca href=\"https://files.santaclaracounty.gov/migrated/vha-full-2011_0.pdf?VersionId=htyMDKO7wy0w3nfVLKUp6R3k3X4z17j8\">an earlier county health assessment\u003c/a> that found disparities in mental and physical health care for the Vietnamese population — as well as trouble accessing services due to language barriers. Tran described VASC as a “one stop shop,” helping people access \u003ca href=\"https://vasc.santaclaracounty.gov/services/find-healthcare-services\">resources as varied\u003c/a> as legal help to the senior nutrition programs and internal medicine, but also functioning as a community space where people — especially elders — gather for yoga, dancing and karaoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=forum_2010101909727 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2025/04/GettyImages-515513498-1-1020x574.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am so proud to say in the three years that we’ve existed and operated, we’ve become a really trusted place for the community,” Tran said, adding that VASC also serves other communities like Spanish speakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through the month of April, VASC held a series of events exploring the 50th anniversary of Black April. During these events, Tran saw that some seniors are eager to share their story with the younger generations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re worried … as we move farther and farther away from 1975, that what they experienced, it’s going to be forgotten,” Tran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The passing of this anniversary — which is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037680/san-jose-became-home-betty-duong-vietnamese-americans\">complex within the diaspora itself\u003c/a> — and the attendant media coverage may be bringing up painful memories for many Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans. But if you’re seeing this up-close, how can you sensitively talk about these complicated feelings and events?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of times, this is an experience many people don’t want to revisit.” said Justin Hu-Nguyen, the co-executive director of mobility justice at Bike East Bay who previously worked at the Southeast Asian Development Center in San Francisco. “They want to stay closed, but that is what makes it harder for them to process that trauma and really build forward on it … it seems like yesterday for a lot of them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to community leaders, activists and mental health experts on how to connect with older family and community members about this particular anniversary — balanced with the complexities of navigating your family’s history for your own mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038198\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038198\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Vietnamese American Service Center in San José, stands inside the center on April 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Doing the research …\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Michelle Vo, \u003ca href=\"https://www.michellevolcsw.com/\">a social worker based in Cupertino\u003c/a> whose clients are majority Asian American, is herself is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants — and suggested that \u003cem>before \u003c/em>starting a conversation with elders, younger generations in the diaspora should first try doing their own research about the Fall of Saigon, to put things into context.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My dad was only 12. My mother was only 10,” Vo said — and knowing this, she said,“provides a very compassionate approach of, ‘They were just children trying to survive, or growing up, in such an unstable and traumatizing situation.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran said she became more familiar with the details about Black April — and thus about the context for her family’s history — through her involvement with the Vietnamese American community growing up, and helping with events about Black April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I learned so much that I didn’t know,” she said. “Because I didn’t even know \u003cem>what \u003c/em>questions to ask my parents.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038193\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038193\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Therapist Michelle Vo stands outside of her office in Cupertino on April 24, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Knowing more about the circumstances also helped Tran understand the context of some of the decisions her parents made for her family — and let go of some lingering resentments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that’s just so important: to have a conversation with them where it’s truly about understanding,” she said. “Versus coming from a place of some of this generational trauma [and] defensiveness.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>… while acknowledging the challenges for your own mental health\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Vo said many Asian American children “carry ancestral wounds” of elders who have survived or grown up during war. Guilt is a major emotion her clients struggle with — “guilt of the sacrifice of what our parents and elders did, and then the pressure to uphold and make them proud.”[aside postID=news_12037893 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250412_MIENGAMEMORIES_23-KQED-1020x680.jpg']But Vo said it is important for younger generations to know that they “are not responsible for healing their elders.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a pressure to uphold these unspoken and direct expectations to fulfill the ‘filial piety’ — which is respecting our elders, caring for them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, this can be difficult in many Asian American households, who may have a more collectivist view of family, said Vo. “It’s definitely a privilege to learn from our heritage and the stories of suffering and resilience shared by our elders,” she said — but “it is also a privilege to be given the opportunity to take care of ourselves and forge a path because of their sacrifices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hu-Nguyen also stressed the long-term role of intergenerational trauma for Vietnamese Americans — a phenomenon formally known as the “intergenerational transfer of trauma,” first recognized in the descendants of Holocaust survivors, in which \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11616586/just-like-my-mother-how-we-inherit-our-parents-traits-and-tragedies\">trauma can literally be passed down genetically to the next generations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether you are first generation or 1.5 or second generation, this generational trauma is something that we’re all growing with,” he said. “This is a long haul.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038199\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038199\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Attendees participate in a yoga and dancercise class at the Vietnamese American Service Center in San José on April 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://files.santaclaracounty.gov/migrated/vha-full-2011_0.pdf?VersionId=htyMDKO7wy0w3nfVLKUp6R3k3X4z17j8\">The Santa Clara Vietnamese American health survey\u003c/a> that spurred the creation of VASC found that nearly 1 in 10 Vietnamese adults reported feeling like they might need to see a health professional due to issues with their mental health, emotions, nerves, or alcohol or drugs. Meanwhile, a higher percentage of the county’s Vietnamese middle and high school students reported symptoms of depression than all Asian and Pacific Islanders, white people and students in the county overall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>”Losing your home, losing your country, sometimes the chemical warfare used back then … is very impactful to generations and generations after,” said Hu-Nguyen.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Learning to communicate, listen and watch for cues\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>People can practice active learning skills, like nodding your head, validating comments and avoiding judgement, Vo said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that younger generations can also allow loved ones to share at a “high level, without going into detail.” For example, they could ask holistic questions about their family’s favorite foods from Vietnam, or about their memories of school before the end of the war.[aside postID=news_11616586 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/My-Linh-Le-packing-1180x885.jpg']“Concern about re-traumatization of ‘opening old wounds’ is a very natural worry during any type of anniversary, any grief anniversary, death anniversary,” Vo said. But family members are “not the mental health professionals, so we don’t need to ‘heal’ or ‘solve’ … just be active listeners, with ears perked up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During this conversation, Vo said that it helps to keep track of your elder’s physical cues — in case it’s time to pause and assess how they are feeling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Are they making eye contact?” Vo explained. “Are they breathing a different way? Are they pacing or kind of moving? Are they getting teary?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said many in the community find it difficult to express their feelings verbally, so it can be helpful to be lightly vigilant for family members giving any physical cues for hitting pause on a conversation that’s perhaps getting too intense for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They might say, actually, ‘I’m hungry. Oh, Mom has a headache,’” Vo advised.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Meeting people where they’re at — and decentering therapy\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Vo said one of the most important tips is meeting people “where they are” — and not insisting that elders immediately open up or go to therapy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mental health, she explained, is still “very much stigmatized” in \u003ca href=\"https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/confronting-mental-health-barriers-asian-american-and-2\">Asian and Vietnamese communities\u003c/a>. “We might have our agenda to heal and support, but the best way that we can be compassionate is to be curious about where people would like to go,” she said. “And most importantly, meet people where they are, shoulder by shoulder: ‘I’m here with you.’”[aside postID=news_12037680 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-12-KQED-1020x680.jpg']Vo said people should think on how they’ve seen their elders manage their emotions or discuss vulnerable topics in the past. Younger generations should try asking themselves, “Is this something I even want to talk about? Is it healthy for us to do?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Talking about trauma can be, of course, important,” she said. “However, what is most important is that individuals who \u003cem>experience \u003c/em>that trauma have control over their reaction and emotional responses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is where you can take the lead from your elders, Vo said. If they want to talk, listen attentively. If they don’t, you can reassure them that you are still interested and can perhaps nudge them to talk to someone else in their family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Elders also want to protect their young,” stressed Vo, “so talking about emotions can bring up feelings of shame. And because they have had such a different lived experience here in America, transferring that emotional burden to our children can also be very difficult for elders too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you sense your family member is just not ready to talk with you, you can care for them in other ways, she said. On or around Black April, she said, you could suggest going on walks, having meals together as a family, going on errands or joining them on their favorite activities — just staying present.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Knowing talk therapy may not be for everyone\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hu-Nguyen notes that therapy “is a very Western way of seeing things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How do we really give them the support and really feel included as a community and a way that they can find healing and restoration?” he said. “A lot of people feel, especially elders, [they] haven’t been talking about it. [They] feel that they’re alone in this hurt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “there’s a community there to help,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vo added that not everyone “benefits from externally speaking and processing,” and that “some people and some cultures or generations benefit from a sense of belonging and security of having their families present with them without directly saying it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hu-Nguyen said culturally, some people may find it hard to ask elders intrusive questions. There are ways he recommended to circumvent this feeling, by asking people to write down their stories, share a poem, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037891/how-paris-by-night-became-the-spirit-of-vietnamese-american-life\">watch other stories around Vietnam\u003c/a> or immerse themselves in art projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those things are really important for sharing what’s on their heart and how to approach it — in a way that isn’t as direct or confrontational,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘Leveling expectations’ and finding other spaces\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Flooding someone’s feelings by asking many questions about the past, Vo said, can be “a lot for anyone to experience.” And some younger generations may need to acknowledge that “some people might not feel ready to speak about it, while some folks might not want to ever stop talking about it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vo said that as you prepare to speak with someone, “level your expectations” and “think about how they showed up in the past.”[aside postID=arts_13975100 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/tony-looking-at-urns-4-1020x574.jpeg']“Of course, we will feel disappointed when they don’t show up fully as warm or accepting,” Vo said. In these situations, she said, it’s important for younger generations not just to check their patience and learn “the skills to self-soothe,” but also to have “other spaces to allow us to open up fully.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other spaces could include Vietnamese American community centers and groups. Tran said at VASC, she noticed that some elders were willing to open up about their family history to younger generations \u003cem>not \u003c/em>in their family — especially those who are eager listeners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re more willing to share it because you don’t have the same complications or potential baggage sometimes that exists within a family,” she said. She added that staff members and other community members often work as “proxies” for their younger family members. And it works both ways — for the staff, elders may likely have a similar experience as their parents or grandparents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope that it’s two-way,” she said. “Learning their stories is healing for me and my generation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran said her connection to Vietnamese American communities gave her a “stronger sense of identity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It makes me feel like you want to really honor our collective communities’ resilience,” she said, “but then in some ways it inspires me, and us, to think about other communities that may be facing challenges now — other refugee communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That preservation of history — and connection to culture and traditions — is important, Hu-Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There [was] a moment where I think a lot of the community wanted to close their eyes and not remember it,” he said. “But … here we are, we build our community up from so little to one where people are graduates. We have people in Congress … We have people in leadership roles, entrepreneurs. And that’s such a joy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even more so with the context of where we are and who we are, and who our community was, and who our ancestors are,” he said. “And I think that’s lost if we become ahistorical.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How you can find more resources and support\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Having mental health support that is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13881725/where-to-find-affordable-culturally-competent-therapy-in-bay-area-and-beyond\">culturally competent and familiar with a client’s background\u003c/a> can be a major way to build trust — especially with groups who historically have a stigma surrounding mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a person walks into VASC, “you’ll see that even though we provide behavioral health services, we don’t label it as such,” Tran said. “Because we don’t want them to feel, ‘Oh, my neighbor is going to know my business if I show up to that clinic that has a sign on it that has ‘behavior health.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that the connections VASC is able to make with programming — like exercise classes — allows staff members to build relationships with elders, and then nudge them to the clinic, if the time is right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038194\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038194\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Attendees participate in a yoga and dancercise class at the Vietnamese American Service Center in San José on April 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to the latest data from the American Psychological Association, only \u003ca href=\"https://www.apa.org/workforce/data-tools/demographics\">around 4% of active psychologists in the United States\u003c/a> identify as Asian, compared to 79% white psychologists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another major barrier for Asian American communities in accessing mental health and other resources in California is language — especially when those languages are as varied as, say, Khmer and Lao, Hu-Nguyen said. And without language access or culturally competent resources, people who “need it the most” will be missed entirely, he warned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the hard part is that the diaspora is so diasporic,” Hu-Nguyen said — not every Asian American population around the Bay Area is as dense as Santa Clara’s Vietnamese American community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Talking to your elected officials really helps find resources,” he advised. “Pushing for these community centers to have different language access is really important.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hu-Nguyen said another major way to fill these gaps is directly training young people of the diaspora — whether Cambodian or Burmese or Vietnamese — into mental health and community programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Making sure the community can serve the community is really important,” he said. “They’re the ones that share a narrative with their elders and also carry that. And how do they help process together, as a community?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Physical and mental health resources for Asian American communities in the Bay Area include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.asianmhc.org/\">Asian Mental Health Collective\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.asianmentalhealthproject.com/\">Asian Mental Health Project\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://vasc.santaclaracounty.gov/home\">Vietnamese American Service Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://aaci.org/\">Asian Americans for Community Involvement\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Local churches and temples\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Reaching out to a local nonprofit or community center focused on mental health\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.vacceb.org/\">Vietnamese American Community Center of The East Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://seadcenter.org/\">Southeast Asian Development Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/778/how-to-do-therapy-with-sahaj-kohli\">Brown Girl Therapy\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://searac.org/\">Southeast Asian Community Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.viet-care.org/mental-health-outreach-services\">Viet Care\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ocapica.org/shine.html\">Project SHINE-OC\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The passing of this anniversary and the attendant media coverage may be bringing up painful memories for many Vietnamese Americans. Intergenerational dialogue could help cope with complex and often painful feelings in the Vietnamese diaspora 50 years on.",
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"title": "50 Years After the Fall of Saigon, How Can Vietnamese American Families Process the Past? | KQED",
"description": "The passing of this anniversary and the attendant media coverage may be bringing up painful memories for many Vietnamese Americans. Intergenerational dialogue could help cope with complex and often painful feelings in the Vietnamese diaspora 50 years on.",
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"headline": "50 Years After the Fall of Saigon, How Can Vietnamese American Families Process the Past?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Growing up in Orange County’s Little Saigon, HaNhi Tran said she didn’t have time for many conversations with her parents about their past in Vietnam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t the norm to talk. They were focused on surviving and working. She was focused on school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t have a lot of time together,” Tran said. “I didn’t even know what to ask.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she knew the broad strokes around what happened to her family in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037680/san-jose-became-home-betty-duong-vietnamese-americans\">April 1975\u003c/a>, or “Black April”: when American soldiers pulled out of South Vietnam and the decades-long war officially ended. Over those years, it’s estimated that approximately \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/29/50-years-on-from-the-fall-of-saigon-and-the-end-of-the-vietnam-war\">2 million Vietnamese civilians\u003c/a> were killed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran knew how harrowing the war was for her parents. Her father, who was in the South Vietnamese military, was imprisoned in a labor camp for years. After his release, he met her mother and the pair fled the country, just the two of them. They arrived in America as refugees by boat — a journey so dangerous \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/lastdays/firstdaysstoryproject/slideshow/boat-peoples-journey/\">many people were lost at sea\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recalling her family’s story makes Tran tear up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have so much gratitude that I’m not sure I knew to have back then,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to go to school here, be a professional, be a lawyer and now giving back to the community in the way that I am, without that sacrifice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Opening up conversations \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Tran is currently the senior manager at Santa Clara County’s \u003ca href=\"https://vasc.santaclaracounty.gov/home\">Vietnamese American Service Center\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county was a major place for refugees to settle after the war, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sccoe.org/news/NR/Pages/NewModelCurriculumUnveiledtoEducators.aspx\">10% of San José residents identify\u003c/a> as Vietnamese American — making it the largest Vietnamese population for a single city outside of Vietnam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://vasc.santaclaracounty.gov/about-us\">VASC was born in 2022 \u003c/a>out of \u003ca href=\"https://files.santaclaracounty.gov/migrated/vha-full-2011_0.pdf?VersionId=htyMDKO7wy0w3nfVLKUp6R3k3X4z17j8\">an earlier county health assessment\u003c/a> that found disparities in mental and physical health care for the Vietnamese population — as well as trouble accessing services due to language barriers. Tran described VASC as a “one stop shop,” helping people access \u003ca href=\"https://vasc.santaclaracounty.gov/services/find-healthcare-services\">resources as varied\u003c/a> as legal help to the senior nutrition programs and internal medicine, but also functioning as a community space where people — especially elders — gather for yoga, dancing and karaoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am so proud to say in the three years that we’ve existed and operated, we’ve become a really trusted place for the community,” Tran said, adding that VASC also serves other communities like Spanish speakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through the month of April, VASC held a series of events exploring the 50th anniversary of Black April. During these events, Tran saw that some seniors are eager to share their story with the younger generations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re worried … as we move farther and farther away from 1975, that what they experienced, it’s going to be forgotten,” Tran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The passing of this anniversary — which is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037680/san-jose-became-home-betty-duong-vietnamese-americans\">complex within the diaspora itself\u003c/a> — and the attendant media coverage may be bringing up painful memories for many Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans. But if you’re seeing this up-close, how can you sensitively talk about these complicated feelings and events?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of times, this is an experience many people don’t want to revisit.” said Justin Hu-Nguyen, the co-executive director of mobility justice at Bike East Bay who previously worked at the Southeast Asian Development Center in San Francisco. “They want to stay closed, but that is what makes it harder for them to process that trauma and really build forward on it … it seems like yesterday for a lot of them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to community leaders, activists and mental health experts on how to connect with older family and community members about this particular anniversary — balanced with the complexities of navigating your family’s history for your own mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038198\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038198\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-16-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Vietnamese American Service Center in San José, stands inside the center on April 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Doing the research …\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Michelle Vo, \u003ca href=\"https://www.michellevolcsw.com/\">a social worker based in Cupertino\u003c/a> whose clients are majority Asian American, is herself is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants — and suggested that \u003cem>before \u003c/em>starting a conversation with elders, younger generations in the diaspora should first try doing their own research about the Fall of Saigon, to put things into context.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My dad was only 12. My mother was only 10,” Vo said — and knowing this, she said,“provides a very compassionate approach of, ‘They were just children trying to survive, or growing up, in such an unstable and traumatizing situation.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran said she became more familiar with the details about Black April — and thus about the context for her family’s history — through her involvement with the Vietnamese American community growing up, and helping with events about Black April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I learned so much that I didn’t know,” she said. “Because I didn’t even know \u003cem>what \u003c/em>questions to ask my parents.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038193\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038193\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250424-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Therapist Michelle Vo stands outside of her office in Cupertino on April 24, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Knowing more about the circumstances also helped Tran understand the context of some of the decisions her parents made for her family — and let go of some lingering resentments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that’s just so important: to have a conversation with them where it’s truly about understanding,” she said. “Versus coming from a place of some of this generational trauma [and] defensiveness.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>… while acknowledging the challenges for your own mental health\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Vo said many Asian American children “carry ancestral wounds” of elders who have survived or grown up during war. Guilt is a major emotion her clients struggle with — “guilt of the sacrifice of what our parents and elders did, and then the pressure to uphold and make them proud.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But Vo said it is important for younger generations to know that they “are not responsible for healing their elders.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a pressure to uphold these unspoken and direct expectations to fulfill the ‘filial piety’ — which is respecting our elders, caring for them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, this can be difficult in many Asian American households, who may have a more collectivist view of family, said Vo. “It’s definitely a privilege to learn from our heritage and the stories of suffering and resilience shared by our elders,” she said — but “it is also a privilege to be given the opportunity to take care of ourselves and forge a path because of their sacrifices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hu-Nguyen also stressed the long-term role of intergenerational trauma for Vietnamese Americans — a phenomenon formally known as the “intergenerational transfer of trauma,” first recognized in the descendants of Holocaust survivors, in which \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11616586/just-like-my-mother-how-we-inherit-our-parents-traits-and-tragedies\">trauma can literally be passed down genetically to the next generations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether you are first generation or 1.5 or second generation, this generational trauma is something that we’re all growing with,” he said. “This is a long haul.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038199\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038199\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-09-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Attendees participate in a yoga and dancercise class at the Vietnamese American Service Center in San José on April 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://files.santaclaracounty.gov/migrated/vha-full-2011_0.pdf?VersionId=htyMDKO7wy0w3nfVLKUp6R3k3X4z17j8\">The Santa Clara Vietnamese American health survey\u003c/a> that spurred the creation of VASC found that nearly 1 in 10 Vietnamese adults reported feeling like they might need to see a health professional due to issues with their mental health, emotions, nerves, or alcohol or drugs. Meanwhile, a higher percentage of the county’s Vietnamese middle and high school students reported symptoms of depression than all Asian and Pacific Islanders, white people and students in the county overall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>”Losing your home, losing your country, sometimes the chemical warfare used back then … is very impactful to generations and generations after,” said Hu-Nguyen.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Learning to communicate, listen and watch for cues\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>People can practice active learning skills, like nodding your head, validating comments and avoiding judgement, Vo said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that younger generations can also allow loved ones to share at a “high level, without going into detail.” For example, they could ask holistic questions about their family’s favorite foods from Vietnam, or about their memories of school before the end of the war.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Concern about re-traumatization of ‘opening old wounds’ is a very natural worry during any type of anniversary, any grief anniversary, death anniversary,” Vo said. But family members are “not the mental health professionals, so we don’t need to ‘heal’ or ‘solve’ … just be active listeners, with ears perked up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During this conversation, Vo said that it helps to keep track of your elder’s physical cues — in case it’s time to pause and assess how they are feeling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Are they making eye contact?” Vo explained. “Are they breathing a different way? Are they pacing or kind of moving? Are they getting teary?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said many in the community find it difficult to express their feelings verbally, so it can be helpful to be lightly vigilant for family members giving any physical cues for hitting pause on a conversation that’s perhaps getting too intense for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They might say, actually, ‘I’m hungry. Oh, Mom has a headache,’” Vo advised.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Meeting people where they’re at — and decentering therapy\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Vo said one of the most important tips is meeting people “where they are” — and not insisting that elders immediately open up or go to therapy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mental health, she explained, is still “very much stigmatized” in \u003ca href=\"https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/confronting-mental-health-barriers-asian-american-and-2\">Asian and Vietnamese communities\u003c/a>. “We might have our agenda to heal and support, but the best way that we can be compassionate is to be curious about where people would like to go,” she said. “And most importantly, meet people where they are, shoulder by shoulder: ‘I’m here with you.’”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Vo said people should think on how they’ve seen their elders manage their emotions or discuss vulnerable topics in the past. Younger generations should try asking themselves, “Is this something I even want to talk about? Is it healthy for us to do?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Talking about trauma can be, of course, important,” she said. “However, what is most important is that individuals who \u003cem>experience \u003c/em>that trauma have control over their reaction and emotional responses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is where you can take the lead from your elders, Vo said. If they want to talk, listen attentively. If they don’t, you can reassure them that you are still interested and can perhaps nudge them to talk to someone else in their family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Elders also want to protect their young,” stressed Vo, “so talking about emotions can bring up feelings of shame. And because they have had such a different lived experience here in America, transferring that emotional burden to our children can also be very difficult for elders too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you sense your family member is just not ready to talk with you, you can care for them in other ways, she said. On or around Black April, she said, you could suggest going on walks, having meals together as a family, going on errands or joining them on their favorite activities — just staying present.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Knowing talk therapy may not be for everyone\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Hu-Nguyen notes that therapy “is a very Western way of seeing things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How do we really give them the support and really feel included as a community and a way that they can find healing and restoration?” he said. “A lot of people feel, especially elders, [they] haven’t been talking about it. [They] feel that they’re alone in this hurt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “there’s a community there to help,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vo added that not everyone “benefits from externally speaking and processing,” and that “some people and some cultures or generations benefit from a sense of belonging and security of having their families present with them without directly saying it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hu-Nguyen said culturally, some people may find it hard to ask elders intrusive questions. There are ways he recommended to circumvent this feeling, by asking people to write down their stories, share a poem, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037891/how-paris-by-night-became-the-spirit-of-vietnamese-american-life\">watch other stories around Vietnam\u003c/a> or immerse themselves in art projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those things are really important for sharing what’s on their heart and how to approach it — in a way that isn’t as direct or confrontational,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘Leveling expectations’ and finding other spaces\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Flooding someone’s feelings by asking many questions about the past, Vo said, can be “a lot for anyone to experience.” And some younger generations may need to acknowledge that “some people might not feel ready to speak about it, while some folks might not want to ever stop talking about it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vo said that as you prepare to speak with someone, “level your expectations” and “think about how they showed up in the past.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Of course, we will feel disappointed when they don’t show up fully as warm or accepting,” Vo said. In these situations, she said, it’s important for younger generations not just to check their patience and learn “the skills to self-soothe,” but also to have “other spaces to allow us to open up fully.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other spaces could include Vietnamese American community centers and groups. Tran said at VASC, she noticed that some elders were willing to open up about their family history to younger generations \u003cem>not \u003c/em>in their family — especially those who are eager listeners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re more willing to share it because you don’t have the same complications or potential baggage sometimes that exists within a family,” she said. She added that staff members and other community members often work as “proxies” for their younger family members. And it works both ways — for the staff, elders may likely have a similar experience as their parents or grandparents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope that it’s two-way,” she said. “Learning their stories is healing for me and my generation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran said her connection to Vietnamese American communities gave her a “stronger sense of identity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It makes me feel like you want to really honor our collective communities’ resilience,” she said, “but then in some ways it inspires me, and us, to think about other communities that may be facing challenges now — other refugee communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That preservation of history — and connection to culture and traditions — is important, Hu-Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There [was] a moment where I think a lot of the community wanted to close their eyes and not remember it,” he said. “But … here we are, we build our community up from so little to one where people are graduates. We have people in Congress … We have people in leadership roles, entrepreneurs. And that’s such a joy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even more so with the context of where we are and who we are, and who our community was, and who our ancestors are,” he said. “And I think that’s lost if we become ahistorical.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How you can find more resources and support\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Having mental health support that is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13881725/where-to-find-affordable-culturally-competent-therapy-in-bay-area-and-beyond\">culturally competent and familiar with a client’s background\u003c/a> can be a major way to build trust — especially with groups who historically have a stigma surrounding mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a person walks into VASC, “you’ll see that even though we provide behavioral health services, we don’t label it as such,” Tran said. “Because we don’t want them to feel, ‘Oh, my neighbor is going to know my business if I show up to that clinic that has a sign on it that has ‘behavior health.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that the connections VASC is able to make with programming — like exercise classes — allows staff members to build relationships with elders, and then nudge them to the clinic, if the time is right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038194\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038194\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250429-FALLOFSAIGON-02-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Attendees participate in a yoga and dancercise class at the Vietnamese American Service Center in San José on April 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to the latest data from the American Psychological Association, only \u003ca href=\"https://www.apa.org/workforce/data-tools/demographics\">around 4% of active psychologists in the United States\u003c/a> identify as Asian, compared to 79% white psychologists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another major barrier for Asian American communities in accessing mental health and other resources in California is language — especially when those languages are as varied as, say, Khmer and Lao, Hu-Nguyen said. And without language access or culturally competent resources, people who “need it the most” will be missed entirely, he warned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the hard part is that the diaspora is so diasporic,” Hu-Nguyen said — not every Asian American population around the Bay Area is as dense as Santa Clara’s Vietnamese American community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Talking to your elected officials really helps find resources,” he advised. “Pushing for these community centers to have different language access is really important.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hu-Nguyen said another major way to fill these gaps is directly training young people of the diaspora — whether Cambodian or Burmese or Vietnamese — into mental health and community programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Making sure the community can serve the community is really important,” he said. “They’re the ones that share a narrative with their elders and also carry that. And how do they help process together, as a community?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Physical and mental health resources for Asian American communities in the Bay Area include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.asianmhc.org/\">Asian Mental Health Collective\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.asianmentalhealthproject.com/\">Asian Mental Health Project\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://vasc.santaclaracounty.gov/home\">Vietnamese American Service Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://aaci.org/\">Asian Americans for Community Involvement\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Local churches and temples\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Reaching out to a local nonprofit or community center focused on mental health\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.vacceb.org/\">Vietnamese American Community Center of The East Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://seadcenter.org/\">Southeast Asian Development Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/778/how-to-do-therapy-with-sahaj-kohli\">Brown Girl Therapy\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://searac.org/\">Southeast Asian Community Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.viet-care.org/mental-health-outreach-services\">Viet Care\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ocapica.org/shine.html\">Project SHINE-OC\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cb>Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, April 30, 2025…\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago when American troops pulled out of Saigon. And for hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese who fled and resettled in California, April 30 is a significant day. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037893/for-one-vietnamese-refugee-family-april-30-signifies-day-of-loss-rebirth\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One Southern California family\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> sees it as a day of loss but also, a day of rebirth. \u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A bill that would have lowered the state rent cap won’t be moving forward this year, after its sponsors \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://a25.asmdc.org/press-releases/20250429-assemblymember-kalra-announces-update-ab-1157-affordable-rent-act\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">pulled it this week.\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A federal judge \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/04/border-patrol-injunction/\">has issued a preliminary injunction\u003c/a> to stop Border Patrol agents from making immigration arrests in the Central Valley without a warrant or probable cause that the person will escape before a warrant can be obtained.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2 class=\"routes-Site-routes-Post-Title-__Title__title\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037893/for-one-vietnamese-refugee-family-april-30-signifies-day-of-loss-rebirth\">\u003cstrong>For One Vietnamese Refugee Family, April 30 Signifies A Day Of Loss And Rebirth\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Standing over a gas burner in his outdoor kitchen in South Pasadena, Hong Pham toasted an onion and a whole ginger root until they were smoky and black. Every Vietnamese household needs a kitchen in their backyard or garage to do the “smelly cooking,” he joked, emphasizing that charring the aromatics is key to enhancing the flavor of \u003cem>miến gà\u003c/em>, a Vietnamese chicken and glass noodle soup. The dish is comfort in a bowl — and special to Hong and his family, who are among the diaspora of people who fled Vietnam after the war ended a half century ago and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037680/san-jose-became-home-betty-duong-vietnamese-americans\">settled in places like California\u003c/a>. \u003cem>Miến gà \u003c/em>was one of the first homemade meals his family had together after reuniting at a refugee camp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hong shares a story his father, Tung, told him about the soup’s connection to April 30, the day Saigon fell to communist forces, and his life began to unravel. Because he had served in the South Vietnamese Army, Tung was sent to a Viet Cong re-education camp as punishment for supporting the Americans’ war effort. He endured three years of starvation and hard labor, separated from his family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he got out, Tung tried to make a living as a teacher, but he barely scraped by. In March 1980, he decided to escape, joining the exodus of \u003ca href=\"https://refugees.org/50-years-after-the-fall-of-saigon-refugee-stories-from-vietnam/\">Vietnamese refugees who fled their homeland\u003c/a> by boat. Because he could only afford three spots on an overcrowded fishing boat, Tung took his two eldest kids — Hong, who was almost 6 at the time, and his 9-year-old sister, Tam — and left behind his pregnant wife, Ly, and another daughter, Hong Ngoc, who was barely 2. “My mom and dad were OK with splitting up the family, even though they had no idea when — how — at what point in the future, if ever, they would see each other again,” Hong said. “For them to make that decision [when they were] in their 30s was unimaginable to me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vietnamese refugees consider April 30 a day of mourning. They call it “Black April” because it was the day they lost their country. But for the Phams, it was also a day of rebirth. “So many people were lost at sea … so for our family to be able to reunite like that was really a miracle,” Hong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Bill That Would Cap Rent Pulled From Assembly\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A bill aimed at strengthening renter protections in California has been pulled from consideration for this year.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Assembly Bill 1157, authored by San Jose Assemblymember Ash Kalra, would \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">have capped rent increases at 5% annually, down from the current maximum of 10%. It would have \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">also extended tenant protections to all single-family homes. But Kalra said \u003ca href=\"https://a25.asmdc.org/press-releases/20250429-assemblymember-kalra-announces-update-ab-1157-affordable-rent-act\">he pulled the bill\u003c/a>, saying more work is needed to work on the legislation. He said he plans to re-introduce a new version of the bill next year.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics have warned the bill could make the housing crisis worse by discouraging production.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"entry-title \">\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/04/border-patrol-injunction/\">\u003cstrong>Judge Restricts Border Patrol In California\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A federal court on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction forbidding the Border Patrol from conducting warrantless immigration stops throughout a wide swath of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ruling came in response to an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit filed after the El Centro \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/01/kern-county-immigration-sweep/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Border Patrol traveled to Kern County\u003c/a> to conduct a three-day sweep in January, detaining day laborers, farm workers and others in a Home Depot parking lot, outside a convenience store and along a highway between orchards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ruling prohibits Border Patrol agents from taking similar actions, restricting them from stopping people unless they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in violation of U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/tag/immigration/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">immigration law\u003c/a>. It also bars agents from carrying out warrantless arrests unless they have probable cause that the person is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/02/border-patrol-sued-over-kern-county-raids/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The ACLU filed suit\u003c/a> on behalf of United Farm Workers, arguing that the stops violated the Fourth Amendment. The judge has not decided on the totality of the case, but on Tuesday granted the ACLU’s motion to stop the Border Patrol from conducting similar operations while the case moved through the courts. The injunction is in effect in the jurisdiction of California’s Eastern District, which spans the Central Valley from Redding to Bakersfield.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, April 30, 2025…\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago when American troops pulled out of Saigon. And for hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese who fled and resettled in California, April 30 is a significant day. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037893/for-one-vietnamese-refugee-family-april-30-signifies-day-of-loss-rebirth\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One Southern California family\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> sees it as a day of loss but also, a day of rebirth. \u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A bill that would have lowered the state rent cap won’t be moving forward this year, after its sponsors \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://a25.asmdc.org/press-releases/20250429-assemblymember-kalra-announces-update-ab-1157-affordable-rent-act\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">pulled it this week.\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A federal judge \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/04/border-patrol-injunction/\">has issued a preliminary injunction\u003c/a> to stop Border Patrol agents from making immigration arrests in the Central Valley without a warrant or probable cause that the person will escape before a warrant can be obtained.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2 class=\"routes-Site-routes-Post-Title-__Title__title\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037893/for-one-vietnamese-refugee-family-april-30-signifies-day-of-loss-rebirth\">\u003cstrong>For One Vietnamese Refugee Family, April 30 Signifies A Day Of Loss And Rebirth\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Standing over a gas burner in his outdoor kitchen in South Pasadena, Hong Pham toasted an onion and a whole ginger root until they were smoky and black. Every Vietnamese household needs a kitchen in their backyard or garage to do the “smelly cooking,” he joked, emphasizing that charring the aromatics is key to enhancing the flavor of \u003cem>miến gà\u003c/em>, a Vietnamese chicken and glass noodle soup. The dish is comfort in a bowl — and special to Hong and his family, who are among the diaspora of people who fled Vietnam after the war ended a half century ago and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037680/san-jose-became-home-betty-duong-vietnamese-americans\">settled in places like California\u003c/a>. \u003cem>Miến gà \u003c/em>was one of the first homemade meals his family had together after reuniting at a refugee camp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hong shares a story his father, Tung, told him about the soup’s connection to April 30, the day Saigon fell to communist forces, and his life began to unravel. Because he had served in the South Vietnamese Army, Tung was sent to a Viet Cong re-education camp as punishment for supporting the Americans’ war effort. He endured three years of starvation and hard labor, separated from his family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he got out, Tung tried to make a living as a teacher, but he barely scraped by. In March 1980, he decided to escape, joining the exodus of \u003ca href=\"https://refugees.org/50-years-after-the-fall-of-saigon-refugee-stories-from-vietnam/\">Vietnamese refugees who fled their homeland\u003c/a> by boat. Because he could only afford three spots on an overcrowded fishing boat, Tung took his two eldest kids — Hong, who was almost 6 at the time, and his 9-year-old sister, Tam — and left behind his pregnant wife, Ly, and another daughter, Hong Ngoc, who was barely 2. “My mom and dad were OK with splitting up the family, even though they had no idea when — how — at what point in the future, if ever, they would see each other again,” Hong said. “For them to make that decision [when they were] in their 30s was unimaginable to me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vietnamese refugees consider April 30 a day of mourning. They call it “Black April” because it was the day they lost their country. But for the Phams, it was also a day of rebirth. “So many people were lost at sea … so for our family to be able to reunite like that was really a miracle,” Hong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Bill That Would Cap Rent Pulled From Assembly\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A bill aimed at strengthening renter protections in California has been pulled from consideration for this year.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Assembly Bill 1157, authored by San Jose Assemblymember Ash Kalra, would \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">have capped rent increases at 5% annually, down from the current maximum of 10%. It would have \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">also extended tenant protections to all single-family homes. But Kalra said \u003ca href=\"https://a25.asmdc.org/press-releases/20250429-assemblymember-kalra-announces-update-ab-1157-affordable-rent-act\">he pulled the bill\u003c/a>, saying more work is needed to work on the legislation. He said he plans to re-introduce a new version of the bill next year.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics have warned the bill could make the housing crisis worse by discouraging production.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"entry-title \">\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/04/border-patrol-injunction/\">\u003cstrong>Judge Restricts Border Patrol In California\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A federal court on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction forbidding the Border Patrol from conducting warrantless immigration stops throughout a wide swath of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ruling came in response to an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit filed after the El Centro \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/01/kern-county-immigration-sweep/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Border Patrol traveled to Kern County\u003c/a> to conduct a three-day sweep in January, detaining day laborers, farm workers and others in a Home Depot parking lot, outside a convenience store and along a highway between orchards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ruling prohibits Border Patrol agents from taking similar actions, restricting them from stopping people unless they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in violation of U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/tag/immigration/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">immigration law\u003c/a>. It also bars agents from carrying out warrantless arrests unless they have probable cause that the person is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/02/border-patrol-sued-over-kern-county-raids/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The ACLU filed suit\u003c/a> on behalf of United Farm Workers, arguing that the stops violated the Fourth Amendment. The judge has not decided on the totality of the case, but on Tuesday granted the ACLU’s motion to stop the Border Patrol from conducting similar operations while the case moved through the courts. The injunction is in effect in the jurisdiction of California’s Eastern District, which spans the Central Valley from Redding to Bakersfield.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "‘Beginning of Our Identity’: How San José Became Home for Betty Duong and Vietnamese Americans",
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"headTitle": "‘Beginning of Our Identity’: How San José Became Home for Betty Duong and Vietnamese Americans | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017754/meet-betty-duong-santa-clara-countys-first-vietnamese-american-supervisor\">Betty Duong\u003c/a> said that everyone she speaks with in her Vietnamese American community has a different feeling about April 30, 1975, when American soldiers pulled out of South Vietnam and the war officially ended. But they all agree on its significance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just two years after that day, Duong’s recently married mother fled Vietnam in the middle of the night with her husband on a fishing boat packed with people. She watched helplessly as her brother, who was on board a different vessel, was captured by pirates. Their survival was uncertain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s still a very painful part of time in their lives, that I don’t know if they’ve completely gotten past or processed fully,” Duong, 44, said of her family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For her parents’ generation, that day marks the loss of their home country and a day of mourning. Duong’s peers see it somewhat differently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I talk to my second-generation colleagues and counterparts, they say it was the beginning of our identity as a diaspora,” she said. “It’s how we end up here in America.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Duong stands as an example of the growth and influence of the Vietnamese American diaspora in San José. Beginning with the arrival of tens of thousands of refugees in the years after the war, the community has grown, along with its political power, spurred by a need for cultural understanding and by critical events, like the police killing of a Vietnamese American mother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034774\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12034774 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Betty Duong holding her daughter, Harper, and her marriage photo with her husband, Khai, are displayed in her office at the Santa Clara County Administration Building in San José on April 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Duong grew up in the city and attended local schools before going on to UC Berkeley and Davis. After graduating, she became an attorney and then began work in the public sector for the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last November, she became the first Vietnamese American elected to the office of Santa Clara County Supervisor. Her success, some say, is rooted in her ability to connect with varied voting groups, developed through her own upbringing in the community and her reliance on public services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong was born in San José after her parents arrived here with the help of Santa Clara County’s refugee resettlement program; her uncle, after escaping from the pirates, eventually ended up in Australia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She learned English in school, picking it up faster than her parents, and she often found herself translating for them at parent-teacher conferences, medical appointments and the DMV, an experience children of many immigrants and refugees are familiar with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037737\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12037737 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/ECEFCE9F-8AED-48FC-8C07-64265BE40EB9_KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"508\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/ECEFCE9F-8AED-48FC-8C07-64265BE40EB9_KQED-1.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/ECEFCE9F-8AED-48FC-8C07-64265BE40EB9_KQED-1-160x203.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Duong as a baby, being held by her father, Thông Dương, and her sister, Kathy, being held by her mother, Ngọc Từ, outside of San José State University. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Betty Duong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This was also during the time when police officers and first responders didn’t have a language line or language access, so when 911 was called, I was also volunteered to help translate these very serious situations,” Duong said, something she feels a child should never have to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing up in Section 8 housing in downtown San José, Duong thought the whole world looked like the five-block radius around her, made up largely of Vietnamese and Latino families, with doors left open all day in the warmer months for lack of air conditioning. Many families were reliant on county services to help make ends meet, put food on the table and access medical care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong sings the praises of the county for welcoming Vietnamese refugees with open arms and offering support to her family at a critical time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, her work in public service has been shaped by her family’s experience with poorly implemented or culturally insensitive safety net programs that didn’t consider the different ways people might need assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It always kind of fell short, and it always added a sense of chaos to the world,” she said of the services she received. “It was always somebody else’s call what we were going to eat, how we were going to eat, where we were going to live, how are we going to live and what that entailed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Vietnamese American culture helps define San José and the region, and politicians have understood for many years the value of the group as a coveted voting bloc. About 122,000 residents identify as Vietnamese American, representing more than 10% of the city’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Vietnamese Americans had to make major strides to overcome ignorance, racism, systemic exclusion and cultural and language access barriers along the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>“We weren’t wanted”\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When Duong was growing up, her family experienced blunt racism and bigotry, with people directing slurs at her parents, or telling her father to learn English or go back to his country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vietnamese refugees arrived in America at a fraught time. The country was in an economic recession, and the war itself was causing division, according to Hien Duc Do, a professor of sociology and Asian American studies at San José State University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037728\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12037728 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1072\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2.jpeg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2-800x536.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2-1020x683.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2-1536x1029.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Duong as a toddler with her mom, Ngọc Từ, standing outside an apartment complex on South Fifth Street where they lived at the time, across from San José State University. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Betty Duong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There were people who were happy with the refugees. There were people who weren’t happy with refugees,” said Do, who has written extensively about Vietnamese Americans. “ You have about 100,000 people or so coming from a war-torn country and a lot of them came literally without anything but the clothes on their backs. So for them, it was a very traumatic experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>President Gerald Ford, in his attempt to avoid “ghettoism,” ordered the initial waves of refugees from Vietnam to be dispersed into different areas in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Do said that broke apart networks of extended families and people who had come to know each other in refugee camps, making it harder for them to find stability. Ford’s plan didn’t last long, as groups of refugees eventually coalesced around warm weather areas such as Orange County, the Bay Area, and Texas, according to the Immigration Policy Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are all these laws that were passed against people like us when we first came, because we weren’t wanted, in the same way that every community had gone through that,” Do said. “And sometimes people tend to forget that. Sometimes, success breeds this idea that America is this land of meritocracy, it’s this open society, when in fact it is not. It could be, but it’s not quite there yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Government cheese\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Duong recalls how she and other low-income families received so-called “government cheese” from food banks. “But for a population that’s like 90% lactose intolerant, that was just not a viable option,” Duong said of her family and other Vietnamese Americans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s just one example of the sometimes ham-fisted approaches to public welfare that she experienced growing up. She learned that building effective safety net programs requires collective input and designing empathetically for the unique needs of people with different backgrounds and experiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037745\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2184px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12037745 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2184\" height=\"1536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2.jpg 2184w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-800x563.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-1020x717.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-1536x1080.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-2048x1440.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-1920x1350.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2184px) 100vw, 2184px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Duong’s parents, Thông Dương and Ngọc Từ, seen in front of the old Hammer Theater in San José. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Betty Duong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To receive health care, her mother often had to make elaborate public transit plans, seeing a primary doctor in one area of San José and then being sent to see a specialist across the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She wasn’t alone. Decades later, a 2012 county study showed that Vietnamese Americans still faced physical and mental health challenges, as well as intergenerational conflict and difficulty in navigating county services, according to the county.[aside postID=news_12017754 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/Betty-and-Community-Member-1020x680.jpg']To help address those needs, former Santa Clara County Supervisors Dave Cortese and Cindy Chavez, for whom Duong served as chief of staff, helped spearhead the opening of the Vietnamese American Services Center in 2021 on Senter Road, close to Vietnamese American neighborhoods and businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The center is meant to be a one-stop shop, with culturally competent services for mental and behavioral health, a general health center, dental clinic, pharmacy, social services and nutrition programs for older adults. Duong was the project’s lead for the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why does it take this long for us to have this?” Duong said of equitable services and centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There needs to be more Vietnamese representation. There needs to be more Latino representation. There needs to be more South Asian representation. Our elected bodies don’t look like our communities yet, quite yet,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Duong and so much of the Vietnamese American community, the need for that representation became more urgent about two decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Police killing of Bich Cau Thi Tran\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the summer of 2003, Duong was attending De Anza College when she, like many others in the community, was shaken by the fatal police shooting of a Vietnamese American woman who was experiencing a mental health crisis in her San José home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bich Cau Thi Tran was a small woman weighing less than 100 pounds, and a mother of two young boys who struggled with her mental health. She was killed by San José Police Officer Chad Marshall when he responded to a call about a domestic concern at Tran’s apartment in the Northside neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran was holding a Vietnamese-style vegetable peeler, known as a dao bào. Marshall said later he thought it was a knife, and he thought she was going to kill him. Seconds after confronting Tran, he shot her in the chest, and she died on her kitchen floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034770\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12034770 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Duong, Santa Clara County Supervisor, speaks to KQED reporter Joseph Geha for an interview at the Santa Clara County Administration Building in San José on April 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When the story first broke, we were hearing on TV that this woman attacked the officer with a butcher knife,” Duong said. It was only through testimony in a rare open grand jury proceeding that more details were revealed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And then, when we saw that it was the same vegetable peeler that’s in every single Asian household … it was just really heartbreaking,” Duong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The killing touched off protests, marches and a reckoning within the community about how police treat residents in American communities. It helped propel Madison Nguyen into a San José City Council seat in 2005, becoming the first Vietnamese American person elected in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tam Nguyen, a 45-year resident of San José, attorney and former council member, said before Tran’s killing, the Vietnamese American community was less engaged in local politics, and often treated as an afterthought by power brokers and the establishment in City Hall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because we were poor, we were busy earning a living, we didn’t know about politics or civic engagement. So out of ignorance, out of economic and cultural disadvantage, and also because of the system and how it was designed, to keep Asian people quiet,” Nguyen said. “That was the mentality, and how things were going during the 80s and 90s.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037760\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1804px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12037760 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1804\" height=\"1145\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497.jpg 1804w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497-800x508.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497-1020x647.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497-1536x975.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1804px) 100vw, 1804px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters marched to the civic center about a mile away from Bich Cau Thi Tran’s home. The Vietnamese community and others from around the Santa Clara Valley turned out in force for a vigil and march on City Hall on July 16, 2003, in San José to denounce the fatal police shooting of the single mother. \u003ccite>(Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He recalls being on Mayor Tom McEnery’s Advisory Group on Minority Affairs, which amounted to monthly meetings where the mayor told the group things were going well, but didn’t seek their input.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1990s, Nguyen said the community began clamoring about the lack of Vietnamese American representation on the city council and in city staffing ranks, and the lack of a clear path to apply for city contracts or grants. In response, a city hall emissary was sent to tell the community they were being heard, but not to “burden yourself” by putting up a Vietnamese American candidate for office, and not to confuse “equal rights for equal representation,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s always been that things don’t change until people speak out, get together and act with their votes,” he said. Tran’s killing “woke people up, that we need to stand up, we need to raise our voice, we need to get our act together, get our votes together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Konda, the executive director of the Asian Law Alliance, also helped form the Coalition for Justice and Accountability in the wake of Tran’s killing, calling for greater cultural sensitivity in San José’s policing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Konda said the shooting shifted the sole focus of many in the Vietnamese American community in San José away from the issues in their home country, which were still looming large in the collective consciousness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037773\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12037773\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flags at City Hall in San José, California, on Aug. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“For many of them, they weren’t really looking inward in terms of the politics of local or state government,” Konda said. “This may have been, I don’t know if you want to call it a triggering point, but something that maybe caused some people to kind of think about, ‘Hey, we need to maybe get more involved locally.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong called Tran’s death a “defining moment” for herself and her community, and she still becomes emotional when speaking about her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ms. Tran’s killing — that was the first time that we were faced with this reality that, as a whole, as a community, it was really undeniable at that point that there is a problem, a challenge. There is a rift between police and community in this country,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong, who translated for her community in police interactions as a child, said those experiences inspired her to help develop language access policies in 2014. The county built on that, establishing a dedicated language access unit in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said it was a rare moment that she and her father saw eye to eye on law enforcement during that time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My dad has been very, very, very pro-police, very pro-law and order,” Duong said. However, as more details emerged about the killing, “he and I really agreed that significant missteps, inherent biases, camouflaged racism — these were all at play.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>More representation\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Since then, the community has grown in power and influence, and for decades now, politicians and city and county officials have courted Vietnamese American voters. They often show up to celebrations or events near the Grand Century Mall and the Vietnam Town shopping center in Little Saigon to talk with residents. Some wear traditional Vietnamese clothing known as an ao dai, or carry the flag of South Vietnam, and learn short phrases in Vietnamese to show solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But having a seat at the table is a recent accomplishment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only five Vietnamese Americans have been elected to the San José City Council in 50 years, and Duong is the first to become a county supervisor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037727\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12037727 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/IMG_9346.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/IMG_9346.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/IMG_9346-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/IMG_9346-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/IMG_9346-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Duong family at Betty Duong’s Santa Clara County Supervisor swearing-in ceremony in January 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Betty Duong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Do, the San José State professor, credits Duong’s election victory to her ability to appeal to the common humanity across many different constituencies, not just Vietnamese Americans, which he said represents a maturation for politicians from the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She was able to build this coalition that she’s not only seen as this great, amazing, young politician, but one that really understands how to work the system to benefit all of us, not just her own Vietnamese American community, because that would not have been enough to elect her,” he said. “She really can bridge a lot of these amazing stories from different communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Looking forward, looking back\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This year marks half a century as a Vietnamese American community for so many in San José. As the culture continues to change, newer generations keep the memories and feelings of their elders close at heart, but also hold different concerns, like how to best honor the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong, like so many Vietnamese Americans, said she faces a “constant negotiation” about how to share her Vietnamese American identity with her young, third-generation daughter, and what to reinforce and what to let go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12017798\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12017798\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/Betty-and-Community-Member-scaled-e1745619585830.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Duong won the election to represent Santa Clara County’s District 2, which includes San José, Alum Rock and the East Foothills. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of Betty Duong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Our ancestors, our heritage, why we eat certain foods, why we do certain things, our cultural traditions and ceremonies — that originated in a country called Vietnam,” she said, as she tells her daughter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope that my daughter will learn as much as possible, know as much as I do about her grandparents’ journey to America and how that translates to why we need to take care of each other in community,” Duong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Do noted that over the decades, as groups hold annual remembrances for the Fall of Saigon, there has at times been tension between the generations, or a disconnect about what they experienced. He attributed that to a lack of education in American schools about the war, and that elders may sometimes be hesitant to share details about their trauma, guilt and memories because they want to protect youth from it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So many Vietnamese refugees who ended up in San José were forced to start over professionally, facing major setbacks. Even if they were business professionals, educators or high-ranking military officers in Vietnam, in America, some had to learn new skills to become engineers or assembly line workers, others became janitors and dishwashers, while some opened restaurants and grocery stores, some of which proliferated widely, like Lee’s Sandwiches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The remembrances are important, especially for older generations, “to renew their friendship, to be in community together, to eat together, to cry together, to just to be in a space where they don’t have to explain to people how and why they feel the way that they feel,” Do said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11299999\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11299999\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen signs copies of his new collection of short stories, “The Refugees.” Nguyen came to the United States with his family as a refugee from Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Viet Thanh Nguyen, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and professor who grew up in San José after fleeing Vietnam with his parents at a young age, also spoke of the difficulties Vietnamese Americans face in trying to ensure younger generations know the history of their elders and the war, while allowing them enough freedom from horrific experiences to create their own paths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He drew inspiration from the conclusion of Toni Morrison’s novel about slavery, Beloved, in which she wrote, “This is not a story to pass on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is not a story that we should avoid, but it’s also not a story that we should pass on to another generation. These two things are contradictory, but they exist simultaneously because we haven’t escaped from history yet,” Nguyen said. “And I think that’s true for the Vietnam War. It’s something that we should remember, but it’s also something that we shouldn’t pass on. How do we do that?” he said. “That’s a balancing act that I think is part of our challenge.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is undeniable is the growth of the Vietnamese American community in Santa Clara County in political and cultural prominence, which may have been tough to see in the beginning years after the Fall of Saigon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From my childhood to my adulthood, something shifted at some point where now we were welcomed,” Duong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s night and day. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self that this world gets better, it changes. This life becomes more integrated and surrounded with joy and you would be proud to be Vietnamese American,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Half a century removed from the Fall of Saigon, Vietnamese American culture is woven into the fabric of San José. However, the group faced a rocky path in the South Bay as it grew in influence and political power. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017754/meet-betty-duong-santa-clara-countys-first-vietnamese-american-supervisor\">Betty Duong\u003c/a> said that everyone she speaks with in her Vietnamese American community has a different feeling about April 30, 1975, when American soldiers pulled out of South Vietnam and the war officially ended. But they all agree on its significance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just two years after that day, Duong’s recently married mother fled Vietnam in the middle of the night with her husband on a fishing boat packed with people. She watched helplessly as her brother, who was on board a different vessel, was captured by pirates. Their survival was uncertain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s still a very painful part of time in their lives, that I don’t know if they’ve completely gotten past or processed fully,” Duong, 44, said of her family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For her parents’ generation, that day marks the loss of their home country and a day of mourning. Duong’s peers see it somewhat differently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I talk to my second-generation colleagues and counterparts, they say it was the beginning of our identity as a diaspora,” she said. “It’s how we end up here in America.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Duong stands as an example of the growth and influence of the Vietnamese American diaspora in San José. Beginning with the arrival of tens of thousands of refugees in the years after the war, the community has grown, along with its political power, spurred by a need for cultural understanding and by critical events, like the police killing of a Vietnamese American mother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034774\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12034774 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-20-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Betty Duong holding her daughter, Harper, and her marriage photo with her husband, Khai, are displayed in her office at the Santa Clara County Administration Building in San José on April 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Duong grew up in the city and attended local schools before going on to UC Berkeley and Davis. After graduating, she became an attorney and then began work in the public sector for the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last November, she became the first Vietnamese American elected to the office of Santa Clara County Supervisor. Her success, some say, is rooted in her ability to connect with varied voting groups, developed through her own upbringing in the community and her reliance on public services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong was born in San José after her parents arrived here with the help of Santa Clara County’s refugee resettlement program; her uncle, after escaping from the pirates, eventually ended up in Australia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She learned English in school, picking it up faster than her parents, and she often found herself translating for them at parent-teacher conferences, medical appointments and the DMV, an experience children of many immigrants and refugees are familiar with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037737\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12037737 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/ECEFCE9F-8AED-48FC-8C07-64265BE40EB9_KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"508\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/ECEFCE9F-8AED-48FC-8C07-64265BE40EB9_KQED-1.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/ECEFCE9F-8AED-48FC-8C07-64265BE40EB9_KQED-1-160x203.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Duong as a baby, being held by her father, Thông Dương, and her sister, Kathy, being held by her mother, Ngọc Từ, outside of San José State University. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Betty Duong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This was also during the time when police officers and first responders didn’t have a language line or language access, so when 911 was called, I was also volunteered to help translate these very serious situations,” Duong said, something she feels a child should never have to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing up in Section 8 housing in downtown San José, Duong thought the whole world looked like the five-block radius around her, made up largely of Vietnamese and Latino families, with doors left open all day in the warmer months for lack of air conditioning. Many families were reliant on county services to help make ends meet, put food on the table and access medical care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong sings the praises of the county for welcoming Vietnamese refugees with open arms and offering support to her family at a critical time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, her work in public service has been shaped by her family’s experience with poorly implemented or culturally insensitive safety net programs that didn’t consider the different ways people might need assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It always kind of fell short, and it always added a sense of chaos to the world,” she said of the services she received. “It was always somebody else’s call what we were going to eat, how we were going to eat, where we were going to live, how are we going to live and what that entailed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Vietnamese American culture helps define San José and the region, and politicians have understood for many years the value of the group as a coveted voting bloc. About 122,000 residents identify as Vietnamese American, representing more than 10% of the city’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Vietnamese Americans had to make major strides to overcome ignorance, racism, systemic exclusion and cultural and language access barriers along the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>“We weren’t wanted”\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When Duong was growing up, her family experienced blunt racism and bigotry, with people directing slurs at her parents, or telling her father to learn English or go back to his country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vietnamese refugees arrived in America at a fraught time. The country was in an economic recession, and the war itself was causing division, according to Hien Duc Do, a professor of sociology and Asian American studies at San José State University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037728\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12037728 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1072\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2.jpeg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2-800x536.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2-1020x683.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2025-03-19_151258-2-1536x1029.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Duong as a toddler with her mom, Ngọc Từ, standing outside an apartment complex on South Fifth Street where they lived at the time, across from San José State University. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Betty Duong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There were people who were happy with the refugees. There were people who weren’t happy with refugees,” said Do, who has written extensively about Vietnamese Americans. “ You have about 100,000 people or so coming from a war-torn country and a lot of them came literally without anything but the clothes on their backs. So for them, it was a very traumatic experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>President Gerald Ford, in his attempt to avoid “ghettoism,” ordered the initial waves of refugees from Vietnam to be dispersed into different areas in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Do said that broke apart networks of extended families and people who had come to know each other in refugee camps, making it harder for them to find stability. Ford’s plan didn’t last long, as groups of refugees eventually coalesced around warm weather areas such as Orange County, the Bay Area, and Texas, according to the Immigration Policy Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are all these laws that were passed against people like us when we first came, because we weren’t wanted, in the same way that every community had gone through that,” Do said. “And sometimes people tend to forget that. Sometimes, success breeds this idea that America is this land of meritocracy, it’s this open society, when in fact it is not. It could be, but it’s not quite there yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Government cheese\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Duong recalls how she and other low-income families received so-called “government cheese” from food banks. “But for a population that’s like 90% lactose intolerant, that was just not a viable option,” Duong said of her family and other Vietnamese Americans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s just one example of the sometimes ham-fisted approaches to public welfare that she experienced growing up. She learned that building effective safety net programs requires collective input and designing empathetically for the unique needs of people with different backgrounds and experiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037745\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2184px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12037745 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2184\" height=\"1536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2.jpg 2184w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-800x563.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-1020x717.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-1536x1080.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-2048x1440.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/Photo_2024-11-02_190608_Original-2-1920x1350.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2184px) 100vw, 2184px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Duong’s parents, Thông Dương and Ngọc Từ, seen in front of the old Hammer Theater in San José. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Betty Duong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To receive health care, her mother often had to make elaborate public transit plans, seeing a primary doctor in one area of San José and then being sent to see a specialist across the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She wasn’t alone. Decades later, a 2012 county study showed that Vietnamese Americans still faced physical and mental health challenges, as well as intergenerational conflict and difficulty in navigating county services, according to the county.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>To help address those needs, former Santa Clara County Supervisors Dave Cortese and Cindy Chavez, for whom Duong served as chief of staff, helped spearhead the opening of the Vietnamese American Services Center in 2021 on Senter Road, close to Vietnamese American neighborhoods and businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The center is meant to be a one-stop shop, with culturally competent services for mental and behavioral health, a general health center, dental clinic, pharmacy, social services and nutrition programs for older adults. Duong was the project’s lead for the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why does it take this long for us to have this?” Duong said of equitable services and centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There needs to be more Vietnamese representation. There needs to be more Latino representation. There needs to be more South Asian representation. Our elected bodies don’t look like our communities yet, quite yet,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Duong and so much of the Vietnamese American community, the need for that representation became more urgent about two decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Police killing of Bich Cau Thi Tran\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the summer of 2003, Duong was attending De Anza College when she, like many others in the community, was shaken by the fatal police shooting of a Vietnamese American woman who was experiencing a mental health crisis in her San José home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bich Cau Thi Tran was a small woman weighing less than 100 pounds, and a mother of two young boys who struggled with her mental health. She was killed by San José Police Officer Chad Marshall when he responded to a call about a domestic concern at Tran’s apartment in the Northside neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran was holding a Vietnamese-style vegetable peeler, known as a dao bào. Marshall said later he thought it was a knife, and he thought she was going to kill him. Seconds after confronting Tran, he shot her in the chest, and she died on her kitchen floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034770\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12034770 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_BETTYDUONG_GC-4-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Duong, Santa Clara County Supervisor, speaks to KQED reporter Joseph Geha for an interview at the Santa Clara County Administration Building in San José on April 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When the story first broke, we were hearing on TV that this woman attacked the officer with a butcher knife,” Duong said. It was only through testimony in a rare open grand jury proceeding that more details were revealed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And then, when we saw that it was the same vegetable peeler that’s in every single Asian household … it was just really heartbreaking,” Duong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The killing touched off protests, marches and a reckoning within the community about how police treat residents in American communities. It helped propel Madison Nguyen into a San José City Council seat in 2005, becoming the first Vietnamese American person elected in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tam Nguyen, a 45-year resident of San José, attorney and former council member, said before Tran’s killing, the Vietnamese American community was less engaged in local politics, and often treated as an afterthought by power brokers and the establishment in City Hall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because we were poor, we were busy earning a living, we didn’t know about politics or civic engagement. So out of ignorance, out of economic and cultural disadvantage, and also because of the system and how it was designed, to keep Asian people quiet,” Nguyen said. “That was the mentality, and how things were going during the 80s and 90s.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037760\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1804px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12037760 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1804\" height=\"1145\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497.jpg 1804w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497-800x508.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497-1020x647.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-1408373497-1536x975.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1804px) 100vw, 1804px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters marched to the civic center about a mile away from Bich Cau Thi Tran’s home. The Vietnamese community and others from around the Santa Clara Valley turned out in force for a vigil and march on City Hall on July 16, 2003, in San José to denounce the fatal police shooting of the single mother. \u003ccite>(Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He recalls being on Mayor Tom McEnery’s Advisory Group on Minority Affairs, which amounted to monthly meetings where the mayor told the group things were going well, but didn’t seek their input.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1990s, Nguyen said the community began clamoring about the lack of Vietnamese American representation on the city council and in city staffing ranks, and the lack of a clear path to apply for city contracts or grants. In response, a city hall emissary was sent to tell the community they were being heard, but not to “burden yourself” by putting up a Vietnamese American candidate for office, and not to confuse “equal rights for equal representation,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s always been that things don’t change until people speak out, get together and act with their votes,” he said. Tran’s killing “woke people up, that we need to stand up, we need to raise our voice, we need to get our act together, get our votes together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Konda, the executive director of the Asian Law Alliance, also helped form the Coalition for Justice and Accountability in the wake of Tran’s killing, calling for greater cultural sensitivity in San José’s policing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Konda said the shooting shifted the sole focus of many in the Vietnamese American community in San José away from the issues in their home country, which were still looming large in the collective consciousness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037773\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12037773\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flags at City Hall in San José, California, on Aug. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“For many of them, they weren’t really looking inward in terms of the politics of local or state government,” Konda said. “This may have been, I don’t know if you want to call it a triggering point, but something that maybe caused some people to kind of think about, ‘Hey, we need to maybe get more involved locally.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong called Tran’s death a “defining moment” for herself and her community, and she still becomes emotional when speaking about her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ms. Tran’s killing — that was the first time that we were faced with this reality that, as a whole, as a community, it was really undeniable at that point that there is a problem, a challenge. There is a rift between police and community in this country,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong, who translated for her community in police interactions as a child, said those experiences inspired her to help develop language access policies in 2014. The county built on that, establishing a dedicated language access unit in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said it was a rare moment that she and her father saw eye to eye on law enforcement during that time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My dad has been very, very, very pro-police, very pro-law and order,” Duong said. However, as more details emerged about the killing, “he and I really agreed that significant missteps, inherent biases, camouflaged racism — these were all at play.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>More representation\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Since then, the community has grown in power and influence, and for decades now, politicians and city and county officials have courted Vietnamese American voters. They often show up to celebrations or events near the Grand Century Mall and the Vietnam Town shopping center in Little Saigon to talk with residents. Some wear traditional Vietnamese clothing known as an ao dai, or carry the flag of South Vietnam, and learn short phrases in Vietnamese to show solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But having a seat at the table is a recent accomplishment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only five Vietnamese Americans have been elected to the San José City Council in 50 years, and Duong is the first to become a county supervisor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12037727\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12037727 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/IMG_9346.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/IMG_9346.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/IMG_9346-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/IMG_9346-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/IMG_9346-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Duong family at Betty Duong’s Santa Clara County Supervisor swearing-in ceremony in January 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Betty Duong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Do, the San José State professor, credits Duong’s election victory to her ability to appeal to the common humanity across many different constituencies, not just Vietnamese Americans, which he said represents a maturation for politicians from the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She was able to build this coalition that she’s not only seen as this great, amazing, young politician, but one that really understands how to work the system to benefit all of us, not just her own Vietnamese American community, because that would not have been enough to elect her,” he said. “She really can bridge a lot of these amazing stories from different communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Looking forward, looking back\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This year marks half a century as a Vietnamese American community for so many in San José. As the culture continues to change, newer generations keep the memories and feelings of their elders close at heart, but also hold different concerns, like how to best honor the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong, like so many Vietnamese Americans, said she faces a “constant negotiation” about how to share her Vietnamese American identity with her young, third-generation daughter, and what to reinforce and what to let go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12017798\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12017798\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/Betty-and-Community-Member-scaled-e1745619585830.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Betty Duong won the election to represent Santa Clara County’s District 2, which includes San José, Alum Rock and the East Foothills. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of Betty Duong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Our ancestors, our heritage, why we eat certain foods, why we do certain things, our cultural traditions and ceremonies — that originated in a country called Vietnam,” she said, as she tells her daughter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope that my daughter will learn as much as possible, know as much as I do about her grandparents’ journey to America and how that translates to why we need to take care of each other in community,” Duong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Do noted that over the decades, as groups hold annual remembrances for the Fall of Saigon, there has at times been tension between the generations, or a disconnect about what they experienced. He attributed that to a lack of education in American schools about the war, and that elders may sometimes be hesitant to share details about their trauma, guilt and memories because they want to protect youth from it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So many Vietnamese refugees who ended up in San José were forced to start over professionally, facing major setbacks. Even if they were business professionals, educators or high-ranking military officers in Vietnam, in America, some had to learn new skills to become engineers or assembly line workers, others became janitors and dishwashers, while some opened restaurants and grocery stores, some of which proliferated widely, like Lee’s Sandwiches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The remembrances are important, especially for older generations, “to renew their friendship, to be in community together, to eat together, to cry together, to just to be in a space where they don’t have to explain to people how and why they feel the way that they feel,” Do said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11299999\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11299999\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen signs copies of his new collection of short stories, “The Refugees.” Nguyen came to the United States with his family as a refugee from Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Viet Thanh Nguyen, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and professor who grew up in San José after fleeing Vietnam with his parents at a young age, also spoke of the difficulties Vietnamese Americans face in trying to ensure younger generations know the history of their elders and the war, while allowing them enough freedom from horrific experiences to create their own paths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He drew inspiration from the conclusion of Toni Morrison’s novel about slavery, Beloved, in which she wrote, “This is not a story to pass on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is not a story that we should avoid, but it’s also not a story that we should pass on to another generation. These two things are contradictory, but they exist simultaneously because we haven’t escaped from history yet,” Nguyen said. “And I think that’s true for the Vietnam War. It’s something that we should remember, but it’s also something that we shouldn’t pass on. How do we do that?” he said. “That’s a balancing act that I think is part of our challenge.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is undeniable is the growth of the Vietnamese American community in Santa Clara County in political and cultural prominence, which may have been tough to see in the beginning years after the Fall of Saigon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From my childhood to my adulthood, something shifted at some point where now we were welcomed,” Duong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s night and day. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self that this world gets better, it changes. This life becomes more integrated and surrounded with joy and you would be proud to be Vietnamese American,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Remembering Asian American Advocate and Journalist Nguyễn Quí Đức",
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"content": "\u003cp>Nguyễn Quí Đức, who hosted KQED’s weekly radio program \u003cem>Pacific Time\u003c/em> from 2000 to 2006, died in late November. He was 65 years old, and had been living in Hanoi, Vietnam since leaving the Bay Area in late 2006.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyễn was born in South Vietnam. His memoir, \u003cem>Where The Ashes Are\u003c/em>, describes growing up during the American war, coming to the U.S. as a teenage refugee without his parents and their eventual reunion in San Francisco after his father was released from a prison camp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyễn graduated from San Francisco State University’s journalism program and worked as a host and program director at KALW. He was a frequent commentator and NPR contributor. He received an award from the Overseas Press Club for stories he filed for the network when he first revisited Vietnam in 1989. In addition to journalism, Nguyễn wrote and translated poetry, plays, short stories and essays; created visual art, photography and sculpture; and worked as a community organizer and in advertising.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His longtime friend Tom Lockard wrote, “He was a committed social servant to the Vietnamese community, arriving in San Francisco in the early 1980s. Rather than affiliate with a religious organization doing resettlement, he and his entrepreneurial Vietnamese partners built a self-help network that persists to this day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyễn came to KQED in the summer of 2000 to co-create \u003cem>Pacific Time\u003c/em>, a half-hour weekly radio program that was distributed nationally by Public Radio International. It sought to bridge the Pacific — connecting news, current affairs and arts in East Asia with that of Asian-Americans. KQED listeners will remember Nguyễn’s elegant, compelling presence and voice, which \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> reporter Heidi Benson described as “an urbane baritone with inflections of French, Vietnamese, British English.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At KQED and throughout his life in the U.S., Nguyễn advocated for Asian-American communities and mentored young journalists and creatives. Among those who worked or interned with \u003cem>Pacific Time \u003c/em> are KQED Forum host Mina Kim, novelist and former \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> reporter Vanessa Hua and managing editor of Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program Bernice Yeung. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2006, Nguyễn decided to move back to Vietnam to provide better care for his widowed mother, who was suffering from dementia and could no longer communicate with English-speaking caregivers. He opened a restaurant, bar and gallery space in Hanoi called Tadioto, which became wildly popular among Vietnamese artists and writers as well as expats. \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em> described it as “a mellow version of Rick’s Café Americain in the movie \u003cem>Casablanca\u003c/em>, without its hard edge of hustle and intrigue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyễn Quí Đức died in a Hanoi hospital on Nov. 22, 2023 from complications of an aggressive cancer discovered just a few months before. Bay Area friends are organizing a gathering of remembrance at KQED in January, which will be recorded for later broadcast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Nguyễn Quí Đức, who hosted KQED’s weekly radio program \u003cem>Pacific Time\u003c/em> from 2000 to 2006, died in late November. He was 65 years old, and had been living in Hanoi, Vietnam since leaving the Bay Area in late 2006.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyễn was born in South Vietnam. His memoir, \u003cem>Where The Ashes Are\u003c/em>, describes growing up during the American war, coming to the U.S. as a teenage refugee without his parents and their eventual reunion in San Francisco after his father was released from a prison camp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyễn graduated from San Francisco State University’s journalism program and worked as a host and program director at KALW. He was a frequent commentator and NPR contributor. He received an award from the Overseas Press Club for stories he filed for the network when he first revisited Vietnam in 1989. In addition to journalism, Nguyễn wrote and translated poetry, plays, short stories and essays; created visual art, photography and sculpture; and worked as a community organizer and in advertising.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His longtime friend Tom Lockard wrote, “He was a committed social servant to the Vietnamese community, arriving in San Francisco in the early 1980s. Rather than affiliate with a religious organization doing resettlement, he and his entrepreneurial Vietnamese partners built a self-help network that persists to this day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyễn came to KQED in the summer of 2000 to co-create \u003cem>Pacific Time\u003c/em>, a half-hour weekly radio program that was distributed nationally by Public Radio International. It sought to bridge the Pacific — connecting news, current affairs and arts in East Asia with that of Asian-Americans. KQED listeners will remember Nguyễn’s elegant, compelling presence and voice, which \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> reporter Heidi Benson described as “an urbane baritone with inflections of French, Vietnamese, British English.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At KQED and throughout his life in the U.S., Nguyễn advocated for Asian-American communities and mentored young journalists and creatives. Among those who worked or interned with \u003cem>Pacific Time \u003c/em> are KQED Forum host Mina Kim, novelist and former \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> reporter Vanessa Hua and managing editor of Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program Bernice Yeung. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2006, Nguyễn decided to move back to Vietnam to provide better care for his widowed mother, who was suffering from dementia and could no longer communicate with English-speaking caregivers. He opened a restaurant, bar and gallery space in Hanoi called Tadioto, which became wildly popular among Vietnamese artists and writers as well as expats. \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em> described it as “a mellow version of Rick’s Café Americain in the movie \u003cem>Casablanca\u003c/em>, without its hard edge of hustle and intrigue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyễn Quí Đức died in a Hanoi hospital on Nov. 22, 2023 from complications of an aggressive cancer discovered just a few months before. Bay Area friends are organizing a gathering of remembrance at KQED in January, which will be recorded for later broadcast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "phuong-tam-ngoi-sao-nhac-rock",
"title": "Phương Tâm ngôi sao nhạc Rock",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: The following is a Vietnamese translation of a story KQED originally published on March 11, 2022. Because KQED serves the Bay Area, home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside of Vietnam, we wanted to ensure this multimedia story on music and history was accessible to audiences both in Vietnam and across the diaspora.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Thank you to Trần Đình Thanh Lam and Nguyễn Sĩ Hạnh for the translation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11907898/phuong-tam-sixties-star-of-vietnam-surf-rock-reclaims-her-legacy-at-77\">Read in English.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vào những năm đầu thập niên 1960 ở Sài Gòn, ca sĩ Phương Tâm xuất hiện trên sân khấu các phòng trà và hộp đêm sôi động của thành phố. Cô thể hiện tinh hoa của một thiếu nữ trẻ, với mái tóc đen dài buông thẳng và tà áo dài trắng thanh lịch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Phương Tâm nổi bật từ năm 1964 cho đến 1966. Nhưng sau thời gian đó, cô ấy biến mất trên 50 năm nay. Vì sao?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/W1rDLliHJGc\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bây giờ đã 77 tuổi, Phương Tâm sống ở ngoại ô thành phố San Jose. Trước năm 2019, Tâm không kể lại quá khứ âm nhạc của mình cho ba đứa con nghe. Thực sự, câu chuyện này gần như không thể tin được.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Quá khứ của Phương Tâm\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Lớn lên ở Hóc Môn gần Sài Gòn phồn hoa vào thập niên 1950, gia đình của Nguyễn Thị Tâm ít khi nghe nhạc, nên Tâm thường lắng nghe nhạc ở sau vườn được phát ra từ cái radio của người hàng xóm, họ nghe nhạc thịnh hành của Mỹ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Một thầy bói đã nói rằng Tâm sẽ là người nổi tiếng trong tương lai. Nhưng khi 14 tuổi, Tâm là một học sinh trung bình. Tại sao cô ấy không quan tâm đến việc học, vì cô đã có âm nhạc.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ở Sài Gòn năm 1961, Nguyễn Thị Tâm thi tuyển vào Biệt đoàn Văn nghệ, một đoàn văn hóa nghệ thuật miền Nam Việt Nam: chương trình của chính phủ chiêu mộ các nghệ sĩ biểu diễn tham gia quân đội.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sau một năm, cô đã tìm thấy những người cố vấn có chung niềm yêu thích với âm nhạc phương Tây. Cô ca sĩ lấy nghệ danh là ‘Phương Tâm’, tên nghe có vẻ nữ tính hơn. Một nhạc sĩ nổi tiếng, Nguyễn Văn Xuân, đã nhận cô ấy là một học sinh riêng của mình.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Phương Tâm tìm nhiều cơ hội biểu diễn trong các phòng trà và hộp đêm. Ban ngày cô tập dượt và ban đêm cô biểu diễn cho khán giả người Việt và nước ngoài.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11909171\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11909171\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1418\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-800x591.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-1020x753.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-160x118.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-1536x1134.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phương Tâm trình diễn với ban nhạc Khánh Băng trong đại nhạc hội Hoa Hậu Việt Nam, 1965. \u003ccite>(Nguyễn Ánh 9)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Cô ấy cũng ‘chạy sô’ như những nghệ sĩ biểu diễn khác: 5 giờ chiều tại Căn cứ Không quân Tân Sơn Nhất, 7 giờ tối, tại An Đông, 8 p.m. tại \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=http://taybui.blogspot.com/2015/10/nhac-saigon-ban-em-1963.html&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467898163&usg=AOvVaw2OxcODgSgNn5AlrbFQFsmy\">Capriccio Bar\u003c/a> – sau đó đến \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nhacvangbolero.com/nhung-con-duong-sai-gon-xua-phan-3-duong-catinat-tu-do-tap-2/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467899061&usg=AOvVaw2o-mGX0dk1oQRQ7x9e2XmJ\">Tự Do\u003c/a>. Và cứ thế, mỗi giờ, ba bài hát cho mỗi địa điểm. Vào lúc nửa đêm, cô ấy đã hoàn thành một tập kéo dài một giờ tại Olympia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trong một bài phê bình về âm nhạc, nhà văn \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai_Th%25E1%25BA%25A3o&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467897480&usg=AOvVaw1xNt_E2OTts1FScKu4zwmB\">Mai Thảo\u003c/a> đã viết về sức hút của người thiếu nữ bận trang phục khiêm tốn nầy:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“Nhưng đến khi Phương Tâm cất tiếng hát, cái cảm tưởng về đứa nhỏ hiền lành lạc giữa bầy thú dữ ở ta không còn nữa. Đôi mắt long lanh, bàn tay vỗ nhịp. Phương Tâm lùi lùi, tiến tiến trước máy ghi âm, thoát chốc đã hiện hình trong một vóc dáng mới, cái vóc dáng bây giờ được vẽ bằng những đường lửa cháy, như một trái non đã chín dần dưới ánh nắng mặt trời.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11909174\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11909174\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-%E2%80%9CTWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1942\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1-800x809.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1-1020x1032.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1-160x162.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1-1519x1536.png 1519w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Qua diã nhạc “Twist surf beguine rock” mà Phương Tâm đã hát những tác phẩm của người khác, Phương Tâm học những bản này rất nhanh, thu âm chỉ một lần thôi. Không cần đến hai lần. \u003ccite>(Continental)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Phương Tâm được nhiều nơi mời trình diễn, và nhiều nhạc sĩ nổi tiếng như \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kh%25C3%25A1nh_B%25C4%2583ng&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467896820&usg=AOvVaw2NoJA8x59xkxQagCaSfxxN\">Khánh Băng\u003c/a> thường tập dượt với Tâm trước khi vào phòng thu để thu âm. Những bài hát rock này nhìn chung là những biểu hiện lạc quan và trẻ trung của tình yêu, đan xen với nỗi cô đơn và mất mát, với những ca từ như “chia ly là một phần của cuộc sống” và “chiến đấu trong một cuộc chiến không mong muốn.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cô ca sĩ gặp một người hâm mộ\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11909184\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11909184\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1853\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1.jpeg 1853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1-800x1105.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1-1020x1409.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1-160x221.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1-1112x1536.jpeg 1112w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1-1482x2048.jpeg 1482w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1853px) 100vw, 1853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phương Tâm, hình bài tạp chí Đẹp, Sài Gòn 1965. \u003ccite>(Phương Tâm)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tâm có một người hâm mộ, một sĩ quan đã theo cô từ lúc cô hoạt động từ Phi Trường Tân Sơn Nhất đến những phòng trà như Paramount và Olympia. Một đêm nọ, người sĩ quan này dắt theo một bác sĩ quân đội mới. Lúc đó Hà Xuân Du còn trẻ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sau ba năm kết hôn, sự kết hợp giữa một ca sĩ và người con trai của một gia đình quyền lực gây xôn xao dư luận. Cha mẹ của Du không đến dự lễ cưới.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tâm nói điều này không thành vấn đề. Con gái lớn nhất của Tâm, Hannah, nói lúc đó họ đắm đuối yêu nhau. Nhưng trước khi trở thành vợ, Tâm đã là một ngôi sao rồi.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Một cuộc sống mới bắt đầu\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Khi mới vừa lên đỉnh danh vọng, sau năm 1966, Phương Tâm ngừng đi hát và cũng không có chuyến lưu diễn từ biệt, hoặc một cuộc phỏng vấn cuối cùng. Đến lúc chiến tranh tàn khốc, cô ấy đã có ba đứa con. Hannah nhớ lại kỷ niệm trốn tránh bom đạn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khi Sài Gòn thất thủ năm 1975, cả gia đình di tản bằng máy bay chuyên chở hàng hoá. Họ đã đến được nam Cali. Ở nơi đó, Tâm tìm được việc làm, đa số là may áo quần.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trong khi đó chồng cô đã đi học để lấy lại bằng y sĩ. Cuộc sống vây lúc đầu quanh những đứa con, và dần dần lại hướng về hỗ trợ cho phòng mạch bác sĩ nhi đồng của Du ở thành phố San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11909196\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11909196\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut.jpeg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-800x535.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-1020x682.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-1536x1027.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phương Tâm (bên phải) với con gái Hannah Hà. \u003ccite>(Lê Mỷ)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hannah cũng là bác sĩ như cha của cô. Trên thực tế, tất cả ba đứa con của Tâm đều là bác sĩ. Mặc dầu các con không có khiếu về âm nhạc, cha mẹ của họ vẫn yêu thích âm nhạc. m nhạc là thứ đã đưa họ đến với nhau tại Việt Nam, và nó tiếp tục đóng một vai trò quan trọng trong mối quan hệ của họ tại Hoa Kỳ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quá khứ ca sĩ của Tâm cũng giống như là một bí mật được công khai. Cô không phủ nhận, nhưng cô vẫn hát những bài của người khác chứ không hát những bài tủ của mình. Khi chồng cô dùng Google để tìm cô trên trang mạng thì ông đã tìm ra được nhiều video của những \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v%3D1408772159206973%26ref%3Dsharing&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467893628&usg=AOvVaw26tHHtAGykpSxm7_UVmF3b\">phụ nữ khác tự xưng mình là Phương Tâm\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Năm 2019, chồng của Tâm đã qua đời sau khi đấu tranh với bịnh tình lâu dài.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cái chết của ông là một cột mốc của đời của Tâm và Hannah. Hannah đã đi lùng kiếm tài liệu về quá khứ của mẹ mình. Hannah tiếp tục phát hiện được rất nhiều Phương Tâm giả trên YouTube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah có ý định lập ra một sưu tập của những bản nhạc của Phương Tâm thật, pha trộn tất cả các phiên bản cũ mà cô tìm được, và có thể tải lên YouTube. Nhưng với sự giúp đỡ của nhà sản xuất Mark Gergis và nhờ những mối quan hệ của ông ấy trên toàn thế giới, cuối cùng cô có được một tác phẩm đầy tham vọng hơn. Họ tìm được những ghi âm nguyên bản hiếm có và nhiều cuộn thu âm, sửa lại những bài nhạc, và họ đã tạo ra một an-bum có chất lượng của phòng thu âm: \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://sublime-frequencies.bandcamp.com/album/magical-nights-saigon-surf-twist-soul-1964-1966&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467900044&usg=AOvVaw2s-ucyIziueS1QwXcAD-3_\">Magical Nights\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11909200\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11909200\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-800x800.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-1020x1020.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Magical Nights: Saigon Surf Twist and Soul 1964-1966. \u003ccite>(Sublime Frequencies)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lần đầu tiên Tâm nghe những bản nhạc mới được sửa chữa lại, ví dụ như “\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://sublime-frequencies.bandcamp.com/track/nh-ng-ng-y-qua-bygone-twisted-days&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467894558&usg=AOvVaw1OuwLS2QiswX-lgddQ6-pz\">Những Ngày Qua\u003c/a>” từ năm 1965, Tâm đã khóc. Cô chưa được nghe những bản nhạc này trong 50 năm qua và hầu như đã quên đi chúng. Nhưng khi Hannah tìm ra chúng thì Tâm đã nhớ lại.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tâm nhớ là ai đã chơi bàn phím, ai chơi ghi-ta. Cô nhớ đến tình thân thiết trong buổi điểm tâm sau một đêm hát hò. Cô ước gì chồng của cô, người đã ở bên cạnh cô lúc danh vọng lên ngôi, có thể nghe lại những bài hát này.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tâm vẫn còn hát ở những buổi tiệc karaoke, và có khi trình diễn tại nhà hàng xóm ở thành phố San Jose. Trong quá khứ Tâm thường hay núp sau bóng của chồng cô, nhưng giờ thì Tâm hát một mình và đầy hảnh diện.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cô có một ban nhạc dự bị gồm các nhạc sĩ nghiệp dư Việt Nam đã nghỉ hưu. Cô ấy chủ yếu hát các bài hát của người khác, nhưng bây giờ cô ấy muốn đề cập đến an-bum mới của mình.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Những người khách ở những buổi tiệc này rất thích thú. Một ông nọ đã dự tiệc nầy, ông ấy đã nói rằng dòng nhạc đã đem ông ta trở lại với thời thơ ấu, trước sự tàn khóc của chiến tranh Việt Nam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khi nhà Sản Xuất Gergis xem Tâm trình diễn, ông nói “Đây chính là người phụ nữ trong dĩa nhạc. Đây là chính người phụ nữ của thời đại đó. Đây là một người tràn đầy ánh sáng và tính chất đàn hồi, bà ấy vẫn còn một giọng hát rất hay, rất mạnh mẽ và lòng khát khao để hát nhạc. m nhạc ở trong máu của bà.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah nói: “Tôi không nghĩ rằng mẹ tôi tuyệt vời chút nào. “Và bây giờ, mẹ rất là nóng bỏng!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Và đang sẵn sàng cho chuyến lưu diễn đầy chiến thắng của mình.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Đọc thêm\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11907898/phuong-tam-sixties-star-of-vietnam-surf-rock-reclaims-her-legacy-at-77\">Bài tiếng Anh ở trang mạng KQED của Christine Nguyen\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/28/saigon-twist-meet-phuong-tam-vietnam-first-rocknroll-star\">Bài tiếng Anh đăng trên báo The Guardian của Sheila Ngoc Pham.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://quenoi.com/phuong-tam-ca-si-rocknroll-dau-tien-cua-viet-nam\">Phỏng dịch bài của Sheila Ngoc Pham bởi Nguyễn Sĩ Hạnh.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: The following is a Vietnamese translation of a story KQED originally published on March 11, 2022. Because KQED serves the Bay Area, home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside of Vietnam, we wanted to ensure this multimedia story on music and history was accessible to audiences both in Vietnam and across the diaspora.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Thank you to Trần Đình Thanh Lam and Nguyễn Sĩ Hạnh for the translation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11907898/phuong-tam-sixties-star-of-vietnam-surf-rock-reclaims-her-legacy-at-77\">Read in English.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vào những năm đầu thập niên 1960 ở Sài Gòn, ca sĩ Phương Tâm xuất hiện trên sân khấu các phòng trà và hộp đêm sôi động của thành phố. Cô thể hiện tinh hoa của một thiếu nữ trẻ, với mái tóc đen dài buông thẳng và tà áo dài trắng thanh lịch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Phương Tâm nổi bật từ năm 1964 cho đến 1966. Nhưng sau thời gian đó, cô ấy biến mất trên 50 năm nay. Vì sao?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/W1rDLliHJGc'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/W1rDLliHJGc'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Bây giờ đã 77 tuổi, Phương Tâm sống ở ngoại ô thành phố San Jose. Trước năm 2019, Tâm không kể lại quá khứ âm nhạc của mình cho ba đứa con nghe. Thực sự, câu chuyện này gần như không thể tin được.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Quá khứ của Phương Tâm\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Lớn lên ở Hóc Môn gần Sài Gòn phồn hoa vào thập niên 1950, gia đình của Nguyễn Thị Tâm ít khi nghe nhạc, nên Tâm thường lắng nghe nhạc ở sau vườn được phát ra từ cái radio của người hàng xóm, họ nghe nhạc thịnh hành của Mỹ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Một thầy bói đã nói rằng Tâm sẽ là người nổi tiếng trong tương lai. Nhưng khi 14 tuổi, Tâm là một học sinh trung bình. Tại sao cô ấy không quan tâm đến việc học, vì cô đã có âm nhạc.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ở Sài Gòn năm 1961, Nguyễn Thị Tâm thi tuyển vào Biệt đoàn Văn nghệ, một đoàn văn hóa nghệ thuật miền Nam Việt Nam: chương trình của chính phủ chiêu mộ các nghệ sĩ biểu diễn tham gia quân đội.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sau một năm, cô đã tìm thấy những người cố vấn có chung niềm yêu thích với âm nhạc phương Tây. Cô ca sĩ lấy nghệ danh là ‘Phương Tâm’, tên nghe có vẻ nữ tính hơn. Một nhạc sĩ nổi tiếng, Nguyễn Văn Xuân, đã nhận cô ấy là một học sinh riêng của mình.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Phương Tâm tìm nhiều cơ hội biểu diễn trong các phòng trà và hộp đêm. Ban ngày cô tập dượt và ban đêm cô biểu diễn cho khán giả người Việt và nước ngoài.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11909171\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11909171\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1418\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-800x591.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-1020x753.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-160x118.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-1536x1134.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phương Tâm trình diễn với ban nhạc Khánh Băng trong đại nhạc hội Hoa Hậu Việt Nam, 1965. \u003ccite>(Nguyễn Ánh 9)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Cô ấy cũng ‘chạy sô’ như những nghệ sĩ biểu diễn khác: 5 giờ chiều tại Căn cứ Không quân Tân Sơn Nhất, 7 giờ tối, tại An Đông, 8 p.m. tại \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=http://taybui.blogspot.com/2015/10/nhac-saigon-ban-em-1963.html&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467898163&usg=AOvVaw2OxcODgSgNn5AlrbFQFsmy\">Capriccio Bar\u003c/a> – sau đó đến \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nhacvangbolero.com/nhung-con-duong-sai-gon-xua-phan-3-duong-catinat-tu-do-tap-2/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467899061&usg=AOvVaw2o-mGX0dk1oQRQ7x9e2XmJ\">Tự Do\u003c/a>. Và cứ thế, mỗi giờ, ba bài hát cho mỗi địa điểm. Vào lúc nửa đêm, cô ấy đã hoàn thành một tập kéo dài một giờ tại Olympia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trong một bài phê bình về âm nhạc, nhà văn \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai_Th%25E1%25BA%25A3o&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467897480&usg=AOvVaw1xNt_E2OTts1FScKu4zwmB\">Mai Thảo\u003c/a> đã viết về sức hút của người thiếu nữ bận trang phục khiêm tốn nầy:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“Nhưng đến khi Phương Tâm cất tiếng hát, cái cảm tưởng về đứa nhỏ hiền lành lạc giữa bầy thú dữ ở ta không còn nữa. Đôi mắt long lanh, bàn tay vỗ nhịp. Phương Tâm lùi lùi, tiến tiến trước máy ghi âm, thoát chốc đã hiện hình trong một vóc dáng mới, cái vóc dáng bây giờ được vẽ bằng những đường lửa cháy, như một trái non đã chín dần dưới ánh nắng mặt trời.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11909174\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11909174\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-%E2%80%9CTWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1942\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1-800x809.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1-1020x1032.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1-160x162.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1-1519x1536.png 1519w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Qua diã nhạc “Twist surf beguine rock” mà Phương Tâm đã hát những tác phẩm của người khác, Phương Tâm học những bản này rất nhanh, thu âm chỉ một lần thôi. Không cần đến hai lần. \u003ccite>(Continental)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Phương Tâm được nhiều nơi mời trình diễn, và nhiều nhạc sĩ nổi tiếng như \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kh%25C3%25A1nh_B%25C4%2583ng&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467896820&usg=AOvVaw2NoJA8x59xkxQagCaSfxxN\">Khánh Băng\u003c/a> thường tập dượt với Tâm trước khi vào phòng thu để thu âm. Những bài hát rock này nhìn chung là những biểu hiện lạc quan và trẻ trung của tình yêu, đan xen với nỗi cô đơn và mất mát, với những ca từ như “chia ly là một phần của cuộc sống” và “chiến đấu trong một cuộc chiến không mong muốn.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cô ca sĩ gặp một người hâm mộ\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11909184\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11909184\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1853\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1.jpeg 1853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1-800x1105.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1-1020x1409.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1-160x221.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1-1112x1536.jpeg 1112w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled-1-1482x2048.jpeg 1482w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1853px) 100vw, 1853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phương Tâm, hình bài tạp chí Đẹp, Sài Gòn 1965. \u003ccite>(Phương Tâm)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tâm có một người hâm mộ, một sĩ quan đã theo cô từ lúc cô hoạt động từ Phi Trường Tân Sơn Nhất đến những phòng trà như Paramount và Olympia. Một đêm nọ, người sĩ quan này dắt theo một bác sĩ quân đội mới. Lúc đó Hà Xuân Du còn trẻ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sau ba năm kết hôn, sự kết hợp giữa một ca sĩ và người con trai của một gia đình quyền lực gây xôn xao dư luận. Cha mẹ của Du không đến dự lễ cưới.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tâm nói điều này không thành vấn đề. Con gái lớn nhất của Tâm, Hannah, nói lúc đó họ đắm đuối yêu nhau. Nhưng trước khi trở thành vợ, Tâm đã là một ngôi sao rồi.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Một cuộc sống mới bắt đầu\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Khi mới vừa lên đỉnh danh vọng, sau năm 1966, Phương Tâm ngừng đi hát và cũng không có chuyến lưu diễn từ biệt, hoặc một cuộc phỏng vấn cuối cùng. Đến lúc chiến tranh tàn khốc, cô ấy đã có ba đứa con. Hannah nhớ lại kỷ niệm trốn tránh bom đạn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khi Sài Gòn thất thủ năm 1975, cả gia đình di tản bằng máy bay chuyên chở hàng hoá. Họ đã đến được nam Cali. Ở nơi đó, Tâm tìm được việc làm, đa số là may áo quần.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trong khi đó chồng cô đã đi học để lấy lại bằng y sĩ. Cuộc sống vây lúc đầu quanh những đứa con, và dần dần lại hướng về hỗ trợ cho phòng mạch bác sĩ nhi đồng của Du ở thành phố San Jose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11909196\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11909196\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut.jpeg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-800x535.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-1020x682.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-1536x1027.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phương Tâm (bên phải) với con gái Hannah Hà. \u003ccite>(Lê Mỷ)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hannah cũng là bác sĩ như cha của cô. Trên thực tế, tất cả ba đứa con của Tâm đều là bác sĩ. Mặc dầu các con không có khiếu về âm nhạc, cha mẹ của họ vẫn yêu thích âm nhạc. m nhạc là thứ đã đưa họ đến với nhau tại Việt Nam, và nó tiếp tục đóng một vai trò quan trọng trong mối quan hệ của họ tại Hoa Kỳ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quá khứ ca sĩ của Tâm cũng giống như là một bí mật được công khai. Cô không phủ nhận, nhưng cô vẫn hát những bài của người khác chứ không hát những bài tủ của mình. Khi chồng cô dùng Google để tìm cô trên trang mạng thì ông đã tìm ra được nhiều video của những \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v%3D1408772159206973%26ref%3Dsharing&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467893628&usg=AOvVaw26tHHtAGykpSxm7_UVmF3b\">phụ nữ khác tự xưng mình là Phương Tâm\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Năm 2019, chồng của Tâm đã qua đời sau khi đấu tranh với bịnh tình lâu dài.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cái chết của ông là một cột mốc của đời của Tâm và Hannah. Hannah đã đi lùng kiếm tài liệu về quá khứ của mẹ mình. Hannah tiếp tục phát hiện được rất nhiều Phương Tâm giả trên YouTube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah có ý định lập ra một sưu tập của những bản nhạc của Phương Tâm thật, pha trộn tất cả các phiên bản cũ mà cô tìm được, và có thể tải lên YouTube. Nhưng với sự giúp đỡ của nhà sản xuất Mark Gergis và nhờ những mối quan hệ của ông ấy trên toàn thế giới, cuối cùng cô có được một tác phẩm đầy tham vọng hơn. Họ tìm được những ghi âm nguyên bản hiếm có và nhiều cuộn thu âm, sửa lại những bài nhạc, và họ đã tạo ra một an-bum có chất lượng của phòng thu âm: \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://sublime-frequencies.bandcamp.com/album/magical-nights-saigon-surf-twist-soul-1964-1966&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467900044&usg=AOvVaw2s-ucyIziueS1QwXcAD-3_\">Magical Nights\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11909200\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11909200\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-800x800.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-1020x1020.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Magical Nights: Saigon Surf Twist and Soul 1964-1966. \u003ccite>(Sublime Frequencies)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lần đầu tiên Tâm nghe những bản nhạc mới được sửa chữa lại, ví dụ như “\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://sublime-frequencies.bandcamp.com/track/nh-ng-ng-y-qua-bygone-twisted-days&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1648145467894558&usg=AOvVaw1OuwLS2QiswX-lgddQ6-pz\">Những Ngày Qua\u003c/a>” từ năm 1965, Tâm đã khóc. Cô chưa được nghe những bản nhạc này trong 50 năm qua và hầu như đã quên đi chúng. Nhưng khi Hannah tìm ra chúng thì Tâm đã nhớ lại.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tâm nhớ là ai đã chơi bàn phím, ai chơi ghi-ta. Cô nhớ đến tình thân thiết trong buổi điểm tâm sau một đêm hát hò. Cô ước gì chồng của cô, người đã ở bên cạnh cô lúc danh vọng lên ngôi, có thể nghe lại những bài hát này.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tâm vẫn còn hát ở những buổi tiệc karaoke, và có khi trình diễn tại nhà hàng xóm ở thành phố San Jose. Trong quá khứ Tâm thường hay núp sau bóng của chồng cô, nhưng giờ thì Tâm hát một mình và đầy hảnh diện.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cô có một ban nhạc dự bị gồm các nhạc sĩ nghiệp dư Việt Nam đã nghỉ hưu. Cô ấy chủ yếu hát các bài hát của người khác, nhưng bây giờ cô ấy muốn đề cập đến an-bum mới của mình.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Những người khách ở những buổi tiệc này rất thích thú. Một ông nọ đã dự tiệc nầy, ông ấy đã nói rằng dòng nhạc đã đem ông ta trở lại với thời thơ ấu, trước sự tàn khóc của chiến tranh Việt Nam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khi nhà Sản Xuất Gergis xem Tâm trình diễn, ông nói “Đây chính là người phụ nữ trong dĩa nhạc. Đây là chính người phụ nữ của thời đại đó. Đây là một người tràn đầy ánh sáng và tính chất đàn hồi, bà ấy vẫn còn một giọng hát rất hay, rất mạnh mẽ và lòng khát khao để hát nhạc. m nhạc ở trong máu của bà.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah nói: “Tôi không nghĩ rằng mẹ tôi tuyệt vời chút nào. “Và bây giờ, mẹ rất là nóng bỏng!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Và đang sẵn sàng cho chuyến lưu diễn đầy chiến thắng của mình.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Đọc thêm\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11907898/phuong-tam-sixties-star-of-vietnam-surf-rock-reclaims-her-legacy-at-77\">Bài tiếng Anh ở trang mạng KQED của Christine Nguyen\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/28/saigon-twist-meet-phuong-tam-vietnam-first-rocknroll-star\">Bài tiếng Anh đăng trên báo The Guardian của Sheila Ngoc Pham.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://quenoi.com/phuong-tam-ca-si-rocknroll-dau-tien-cua-viet-nam\">Phỏng dịch bài của Sheila Ngoc Pham bởi Nguyễn Sĩ Hạnh.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "phuong-tam-sixties-star-of-vietnam-surf-rock-reclaims-her-legacy-at-77",
"title": "Phương Tâm, Sixties Star of Vietnam Surf Rock, Reclaims Her Legacy at 77",
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"content": "\u003cp>It was 1945 in Quảng Bình, the thin north-central neck of Vietnam, and \u003ca href=\"https://apjjf.org/2011/9/5/Geoffrey-Gunn/3483/article.html\">famine ravaged the country\u003c/a>. A newborn baby wailed in a sugarcane field, announcing her arrival with a rawness that would later become her signature. Giving birth indoors was thought to be bad luck, so Nguyễn Thị Tâm — or Tâm — was born outside. A fortuneteller said she would be famous one day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, by adolescence, Tâm didn’t seem destined for traditional greatness — which in Vietnam usually meant academic achievement. Her family moved to Hóc Môn, a district outside the southern capital of Saigon. Here, she failed to enter the prestigious Gia Long Girls’ High School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Tâm didn’t care; she had music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By 19, under the stage name Phương Tâm, she shared album covers and marquees with Saigon’s most sought-after singers, musicians and composers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1rDLliHJGc&t=4128s\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Phương Tâm peaked from 1964 to 1966, and then disappeared into obscurity for over 50 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She married a doctor and had three children, living a suburban life in San José. It wasn’t until recently, with the encouragement of her oldest daughter, Hannah Hà, did Phương Tâm at age 77 reclaim her identity as Vietnam’s first rock-and-roll queen.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Growth of a star\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Tâm’s father kept the family’s single radio set on BBC News. So, as an adolescent, Tâm found her musical fix in the cacophony of her village courtyard. It was the late 1950s, and American pop music was beginning to influence Vietnamese tastes — which had previously included folk opera, French jazz and bolero. Tâm lingered by a neighbor’s window listening to songs like Connie Francis’s “Lipstick on your Collar,” and rapidly copied the beats and lyrics she didn’t understand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 16, Tâm won a singing competition and was accepted into Đoàn Văn nghệ Việt Nam, a program to create live entertainment for military personnel. It was good money, but eventually Tâm ditched the propaganda music — and high school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She found mentors who shared her love of Western music. One well-known musician, Nguyễn Văn Xuân, took her on as a private student. He gave all his best students stage names, so Tâm became “Phương Tâm.” It meant “the direction of the heart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11908007\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11908007\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1418\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-800x591.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-1020x753.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-1536x1134.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Miss Vietnam pageant in 1965. Phương Tâm wore traditional áo dài while singing subversive songs. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Nguyễn Ánh 9)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her name change signaled her rise to fame. Phương Tâm headlined the nightclub circuit, and she collaborated with famed composers and musicians, including \u003ca href=\"https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kh%C3%A1nh_B%C4%83ng\">Khánh Băng, one of the first Vietnamese people to perform with an electric guitar\u003c/a>. The \u003ca href=\"https://vietcetera.com/en/jan-hagenkotter-and-saigon-supersound-volume-1\">major Saigon labels\u003c/a> — Sóng Nhạc, Continental and Việt Nam — recorded her songs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her style of singing wasn’t just “sexy-naive,” a common trope that continues to have appeal in Vietnam today, but also at times was downright loud and raucous. In spite (or because) of the subversive nature of the music she sang, Phương Tâm kept her clothing modest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At night I always wore áo dài, but always wore white or beige, not bright,” says Tâm, sitting in her living room in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The áo dài was the wispy national dress of Vietnam, made famous by pictures of schoolgirls. But Phương Tâm wasn’t your average schoolgirl. In a music review from 1962, \u003ca href=\"https://vietnamlit.org/wiki/index.php?title=Mai_Thao\">famed Vietnamese writer Mai Thảo\u003c/a> wrote in “Kịch Ảnh” (“Drama”) magazine about the simmering power of this modestly dressed teen:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“As she steps from the back and moves toward the microphone with glittering eyes her hands clapping to the beat — a new shape emerges. The figure is now drawn with burning flames, like a green fruit ripening before your eyes.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Phương Tâm, like other performers, would chạy số — which literally translates as “run numbers.” The phrase described the high-speed nightclub runs that were common for performers at the time: 5 p.m. at Tân Sơn Nhất Air Base, 7 p.m. at An Đông, 8 p.m. at \u003ca href=\"http://taybui.blogspot.com/2015/10/nhac-saigon-ban-em-1963.html\">the Capriccio Bar\u003c/a> — then to \u003ca href=\"https://saigoneer.com/saigon-heritage/13814-old-saigon-building-of-the-week-the-glitz-and-glam-of-tu-do-nightclub\">Tự Do\u003c/a>. And so on, every hour, three songs per venue. At midnight, she finished with an hour-long set at the Olympia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11908008\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11908008\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1853\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled.jpg 1853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-800x1105.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-1020x1409.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-160x221.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-1112x1536.jpg 1112w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-1482x2048.jpg 1482w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1853px) 100vw, 1853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phương Tâm on the cover of Đẹp magazine \u003ccite>(Courtesy Phương Tâm)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tâm had an admirer, an officer who followed her from one venue to the next. He loved it when Tâm sang “Tenderly.” The officer told her it reminded him of her “enticing lips.” She kept her distance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>November 1963 signaled a significant change for South Vietnam. The president, Ngô Đình Diệm, was assassinated. The details of the event remain murky, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon2/pent6.htm\">American involvement and military presence increased.\u003c/a> The nightclubs catered to a growing military clientele. One night that month, Tâm’s admirer brought along a young new military doctor, Hà Xuân Du. There was something different about the young doctor, Tâm recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He asked me for my address, and the day after, he came to my house,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They started dating, and “Tenderly” became their song. But Phương Tâm and Du’s marriage almost three years later — between a singer and the son of an elite family — was scandalous. Their parents didn’t come to their wedding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They don’t accept me, but … we were already in love,” says Tâm.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A different life\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 1966, as quickly as Phương Tâm ascended to fame, she left her singing career — without a goodbye tour or a last interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tâm followed her husband to \u003ca href=\"https://www.usafpolice.org/danang.html\">Đà Nẵng Air Base, just over 100 miles south of the demilitarized zone\u003c/a> that separated North and South Vietnam. Between 1967 and 1968, the war — and the bombing — intensified. Tâm sheltered with her three children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The rockets would go … the sirens!” recalls Hannah, Tâm’s oldest daughter. “Whenever we would hear the sirens, we would go into the bunker.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah remembers hiding for days at a time in that oppressively hot single room with a refrigerator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the fall of Saigon in 1975, \u003ca href=\"https://media.defense.gov/2012/Aug/23/2001330098/-1/-1/0/Oper%20Frequent%20Wind.pdf\">the family evacuated on a cargo plane.\u003c/a> They eventually arrived in Southern California. There, Tâm found work — mostly random, repetitive piecework for the garment industry. She sewed, but not well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I only knew how to sew in a straight line,” Tâm says with a shrug and an impish laugh. She made $0.10 a garment cutting loose thread. Meanwhile, her husband studied to requalify to practice medicine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d come home every day and there’d be a burnt pot,” says Tâm. Du would try to boil a pot of water for coffee and get distracted either by studying or watching sports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Life for Tâm revolved around the kids and, by 1980, supporting Du’s successful pediatrics practice in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was always cooking, cleaning, going to work, disciplining us, making sure that we were well behaved,” recalls Hannah of that time in her family’s life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually the family acquired the trappings of Vietnamese immigrant success, right down to the white leather couch in the living room. The couple developed strong ties with people in the Vietnamese diaspora, with a special appreciation for music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When my then-boyfriend — now husband — came to visit my mom for the first time, he had to sing two songs on the karaoke machine: ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ and ‘My Way,'” says Hannah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her parents graduated beyond simple karaoke, however. Their parties included a who’s who of Vietnamese pre-1975 musicians, including \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_%C3%81nh_9\">Nguyễn Ánh 9, who ‘d once backed Tâm on the guitar in Vietnam\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11908015\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11908015\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-%E2%80%9CTWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1942\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-800x809.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1020x1032.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-160x162.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1519x1536.png 1519w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The album cover for “TWIST SURF BEGUINE ROCK.” Phương Tâm quickly learned and recorded songs in a single session. There were no second takes. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Cường Phạm)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tâm’s past life as a singer was an open secret. She didn’t deny it — but she stuck to singing other people’s hits, not her own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When her husband Googled her a few years ago, he found v\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1408772159206973&ref=sharing\">ideos that purported to feature Phương Tâm\u003c/a>. “‘Oh, my God, what woman is doing this! Look at this! Who ever put this video up and use your name?'” Hannah remembers her father saying. For Du, there was only one Phương Tâm: his wife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make things more confusing, there was another singer with a similar name, Phương Hoài Tâm, also in San José. This woman ran a skin care salon while performing on the side.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A new chapter\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“My mom and my dad were always a couple,” recalls Hannah. “Wherever they went, over to their friend’s house, it was never without the other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then in 2019, Tâm’s husband Du died after a prolonged illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vietnamese people often make \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdm.org/voyagetovietnam/altars.html\">an altar in their homes to honor the dead.\u003c/a> Commonly, the altar pictures are static: a face either in a formal pose, or a slightly brighter version of a passport photo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in Tâm’s home, her beloved is holding a microphone, singing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Du’s death was a turning point for Hannah and Tâm. Hannah went searching for more information about her mom’s past life. She stumbled across compilations of Vietnamese wartime rock music, including the most successful album to date, called \u003ca href=\"https://www.sublimefrequencies.com/products/576864-saigon-rock-soul-vietnamese-classic-tracks-1968-1974\">“Saigon Rock and Soul: Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968-1974.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album attributed one song, “Magical Night,” to Phương Tâm. Hannah couldn’t be sure it was her mom’s voice. And when she showed Tâm the cover — \u003ca href=\"https://www.sublimefrequencies.com/products/576864-saigon-rock-soul-vietnamese-classic-tracks-1968-1974\">featuring a woman in a menswear jacket, cap and tinted oversized glasses smoking a cigarette\u003c/a> — Tâm’s reaction was swift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, they are liar! I never smoke!” Tâm said, according to Hannah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah contacted \u003ca href=\"http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/people/gergis-mark\">Mark Gergis, the producer and audio archivist who compiled that album\u003c/a>. Gergis, who is originally from Oakland but now lives in London, has spent two decades focused on diasporic Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although he owned one Phương Tâm album, he knew nothing of her backstory. Hannah and Gergis discovered that the version of “Magical Night” on “Saigon Rock and Soul” was actually by Connie Kim, misattributed to Phương Tâm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So to set the record straight, Hannah’s idea was to make her own compilation of \u003cem>real\u003c/em> Phương Tâm songs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really thought it was just going to be extracting songs from YouTube and putting it together,” says Hannah. “Mark said, ‘Oh, no, no, no, we cannot do that. We have to get the original recordings.’ And then I saw the humongous, impossible task in front of us. How are we going to be able to collect these records from 55 years ago?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t easy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These records were in poor condition, most of them having been ravaged by war and time. Who knows what they have been through,” says Gergis, speaking by phone from London.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Restoration was quite a challenge and took significantly longer than any other restoration project I’ve been involved with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah, Gergis and an international collective of music enthusiasts got to work — mostly over Zoom and FaceTime — and meticulously restored a lost musical history. When Hannah told her mom about her plans, Tâm was at first dismissive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She said, ‘Why do you have to do that?'” says Hannah. “‘You have a husband and a job.'” Who would buy the album anyway, Tâm asked her daughter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Hannah felt the urgency to memorialize her mother’s accomplishments while Tâm could still enjoy the attention. In her search, Hannah found fresh examples of other women singing Phương Tâm songs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was so frustrated. I saw so many people’s dishonesty,” says Tâm. “They were taking my name and claiming my songs. I didn’t want to listen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She asked her daughter to get YouTube to change the video. Hannah told her: “No, the only way to change it is: We have to do it ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty-five of the rediscovered and remastered recordings crackle with energy on the new album “Magical Nights: Saigon, Surf, Twist and Soul 1964-1966.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11908011\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11908011\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Magical Nights: Saigon Surf Twist and Soul 1964-1966 captures the short bright career of a born performer. \u003ccite>(Sublime Frequencies)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The songs are rich in verve and atmosphere, with a danceable rock sound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first time Tâm heard the newly restored songs, like “Remember the Night” from 1964, she cried.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She hadn’t heard some of those songs for over 50 years, and had almost forgotten them. But when Hannah found them, Tâm remembered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She remembered who played the keyboard, who played guitar. She remembered the camaraderie of early morning meals after a night singing. She wished her husband Du, who had been with her at the peak of her career, could have heard the songs again, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album was released on streaming services last fall, and the first CD press sold out. Sublime Frequencies has pressed more due to demand. A vinyl release, delayed due to the pandemic, is scheduled for later in spring 2022. Hannah had wanted to release all formats together, but Tâm felt a sense of urgency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah recalls her mother telling her in an email, “My friends are getting old, deaf and dying. Please release now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11908012\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11908012\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tâm and her daughter Hannah \u003ccite>(Courtesy Lê Mỷ)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tâm still sings. She has a backup band of retired Vietnamese amateur musicians who play an underground circuit of parties around the Bay Area. Mostly she sings other people’s songs, but she makes a point now to mention her new album. Sometimes she passes around memorabilia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The guests eat it up. They say that the music takes them back to a time before the worst of the war, when there was the excitement of discovering a world outside their small villages. Tâm, confident in a spangly top, encourages them to join her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003cem>This\u003c/em> was the same woman from the records. This was the same woman from that time,” says producer Gergis, of watching her perform. “This was someone filled with light and resilience, and who still had such a beautiful and powerful voice and desire to sing. Music is in her blood.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t think my mom was cool at all,” says Hannah. “And now she’s, like, hot!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And at 77, Tâm is ready for her victory tour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In 1960s Saigon, Phương Tâm rode the wave of edgy modern music inspired by the California surf sound. Now, age 77, she's performing once again — in San José.",
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"title": "Phương Tâm, Sixties Star of Vietnam Surf Rock, Reclaims Her Legacy at 77 | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It was 1945 in Quảng Bình, the thin north-central neck of Vietnam, and \u003ca href=\"https://apjjf.org/2011/9/5/Geoffrey-Gunn/3483/article.html\">famine ravaged the country\u003c/a>. A newborn baby wailed in a sugarcane field, announcing her arrival with a rawness that would later become her signature. Giving birth indoors was thought to be bad luck, so Nguyễn Thị Tâm — or Tâm — was born outside. A fortuneteller said she would be famous one day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, by adolescence, Tâm didn’t seem destined for traditional greatness — which in Vietnam usually meant academic achievement. Her family moved to Hóc Môn, a district outside the southern capital of Saigon. Here, she failed to enter the prestigious Gia Long Girls’ High School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Tâm didn’t care; she had music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By 19, under the stage name Phương Tâm, she shared album covers and marquees with Saigon’s most sought-after singers, musicians and composers.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/W1rDLliHJGc'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/W1rDLliHJGc'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Phương Tâm peaked from 1964 to 1966, and then disappeared into obscurity for over 50 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She married a doctor and had three children, living a suburban life in San José. It wasn’t until recently, with the encouragement of her oldest daughter, Hannah Hà, did Phương Tâm at age 77 reclaim her identity as Vietnam’s first rock-and-roll queen.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Growth of a star\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Tâm’s father kept the family’s single radio set on BBC News. So, as an adolescent, Tâm found her musical fix in the cacophony of her village courtyard. It was the late 1950s, and American pop music was beginning to influence Vietnamese tastes — which had previously included folk opera, French jazz and bolero. Tâm lingered by a neighbor’s window listening to songs like Connie Francis’s “Lipstick on your Collar,” and rapidly copied the beats and lyrics she didn’t understand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 16, Tâm won a singing competition and was accepted into Đoàn Văn nghệ Việt Nam, a program to create live entertainment for military personnel. It was good money, but eventually Tâm ditched the propaganda music — and high school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She found mentors who shared her love of Western music. One well-known musician, Nguyễn Văn Xuân, took her on as a private student. He gave all his best students stage names, so Tâm became “Phương Tâm.” It meant “the direction of the heart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11908007\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11908007\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1418\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-800x591.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-1020x753.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54217_Tam-in-ao-dai-band-at-Miss-Viet-Nam-pageant-1965-qut-1536x1134.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Miss Vietnam pageant in 1965. Phương Tâm wore traditional áo dài while singing subversive songs. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Nguyễn Ánh 9)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her name change signaled her rise to fame. Phương Tâm headlined the nightclub circuit, and she collaborated with famed composers and musicians, including \u003ca href=\"https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kh%C3%A1nh_B%C4%83ng\">Khánh Băng, one of the first Vietnamese people to perform with an electric guitar\u003c/a>. The \u003ca href=\"https://vietcetera.com/en/jan-hagenkotter-and-saigon-supersound-volume-1\">major Saigon labels\u003c/a> — Sóng Nhạc, Continental and Việt Nam — recorded her songs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her style of singing wasn’t just “sexy-naive,” a common trope that continues to have appeal in Vietnam today, but also at times was downright loud and raucous. In spite (or because) of the subversive nature of the music she sang, Phương Tâm kept her clothing modest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At night I always wore áo dài, but always wore white or beige, not bright,” says Tâm, sitting in her living room in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The áo dài was the wispy national dress of Vietnam, made famous by pictures of schoolgirls. But Phương Tâm wasn’t your average schoolgirl. In a music review from 1962, \u003ca href=\"https://vietnamlit.org/wiki/index.php?title=Mai_Thao\">famed Vietnamese writer Mai Thảo\u003c/a> wrote in “Kịch Ảnh” (“Drama”) magazine about the simmering power of this modestly dressed teen:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“As she steps from the back and moves toward the microphone with glittering eyes her hands clapping to the beat — a new shape emerges. The figure is now drawn with burning flames, like a green fruit ripening before your eyes.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Phương Tâm, like other performers, would chạy số — which literally translates as “run numbers.” The phrase described the high-speed nightclub runs that were common for performers at the time: 5 p.m. at Tân Sơn Nhất Air Base, 7 p.m. at An Đông, 8 p.m. at \u003ca href=\"http://taybui.blogspot.com/2015/10/nhac-saigon-ban-em-1963.html\">the Capriccio Bar\u003c/a> — then to \u003ca href=\"https://saigoneer.com/saigon-heritage/13814-old-saigon-building-of-the-week-the-glitz-and-glam-of-tu-do-nightclub\">Tự Do\u003c/a>. And so on, every hour, three songs per venue. At midnight, she finished with an hour-long set at the Olympia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11908008\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11908008\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1853\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-scaled.jpg 1853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-800x1105.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-1020x1409.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-160x221.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-1112x1536.jpg 1112w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54222_Phuong-Tam-wearing-pink-Dep-Magazine-cover-qut-1482x2048.jpg 1482w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1853px) 100vw, 1853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phương Tâm on the cover of Đẹp magazine \u003ccite>(Courtesy Phương Tâm)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tâm had an admirer, an officer who followed her from one venue to the next. He loved it when Tâm sang “Tenderly.” The officer told her it reminded him of her “enticing lips.” She kept her distance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>November 1963 signaled a significant change for South Vietnam. The president, Ngô Đình Diệm, was assassinated. The details of the event remain murky, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon2/pent6.htm\">American involvement and military presence increased.\u003c/a> The nightclubs catered to a growing military clientele. One night that month, Tâm’s admirer brought along a young new military doctor, Hà Xuân Du. There was something different about the young doctor, Tâm recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He asked me for my address, and the day after, he came to my house,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They started dating, and “Tenderly” became their song. But Phương Tâm and Du’s marriage almost three years later — between a singer and the son of an elite family — was scandalous. Their parents didn’t come to their wedding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They don’t accept me, but … we were already in love,” says Tâm.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A different life\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 1966, as quickly as Phương Tâm ascended to fame, she left her singing career — without a goodbye tour or a last interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tâm followed her husband to \u003ca href=\"https://www.usafpolice.org/danang.html\">Đà Nẵng Air Base, just over 100 miles south of the demilitarized zone\u003c/a> that separated North and South Vietnam. Between 1967 and 1968, the war — and the bombing — intensified. Tâm sheltered with her three children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The rockets would go … the sirens!” recalls Hannah, Tâm’s oldest daughter. “Whenever we would hear the sirens, we would go into the bunker.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah remembers hiding for days at a time in that oppressively hot single room with a refrigerator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the fall of Saigon in 1975, \u003ca href=\"https://media.defense.gov/2012/Aug/23/2001330098/-1/-1/0/Oper%20Frequent%20Wind.pdf\">the family evacuated on a cargo plane.\u003c/a> They eventually arrived in Southern California. There, Tâm found work — mostly random, repetitive piecework for the garment industry. She sewed, but not well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I only knew how to sew in a straight line,” Tâm says with a shrug and an impish laugh. She made $0.10 a garment cutting loose thread. Meanwhile, her husband studied to requalify to practice medicine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d come home every day and there’d be a burnt pot,” says Tâm. Du would try to boil a pot of water for coffee and get distracted either by studying or watching sports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Life for Tâm revolved around the kids and, by 1980, supporting Du’s successful pediatrics practice in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was always cooking, cleaning, going to work, disciplining us, making sure that we were well behaved,” recalls Hannah of that time in her family’s life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually the family acquired the trappings of Vietnamese immigrant success, right down to the white leather couch in the living room. The couple developed strong ties with people in the Vietnamese diaspora, with a special appreciation for music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When my then-boyfriend — now husband — came to visit my mom for the first time, he had to sing two songs on the karaoke machine: ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ and ‘My Way,'” says Hannah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her parents graduated beyond simple karaoke, however. Their parties included a who’s who of Vietnamese pre-1975 musicians, including \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_%C3%81nh_9\">Nguyễn Ánh 9, who ‘d once backed Tâm on the guitar in Vietnam\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11908015\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11908015\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-%E2%80%9CTWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1942\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-800x809.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1020x1032.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-160x162.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/ALBUM-COVER-“TWIST-SURF-BEGUINE-ROCK-1-USE-THIS-1519x1536.png 1519w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The album cover for “TWIST SURF BEGUINE ROCK.” Phương Tâm quickly learned and recorded songs in a single session. There were no second takes. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Cường Phạm)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tâm’s past life as a singer was an open secret. She didn’t deny it — but she stuck to singing other people’s hits, not her own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When her husband Googled her a few years ago, he found v\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1408772159206973&ref=sharing\">ideos that purported to feature Phương Tâm\u003c/a>. “‘Oh, my God, what woman is doing this! Look at this! Who ever put this video up and use your name?'” Hannah remembers her father saying. For Du, there was only one Phương Tâm: his wife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make things more confusing, there was another singer with a similar name, Phương Hoài Tâm, also in San José. This woman ran a skin care salon while performing on the side.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A new chapter\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“My mom and my dad were always a couple,” recalls Hannah. “Wherever they went, over to their friend’s house, it was never without the other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then in 2019, Tâm’s husband Du died after a prolonged illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vietnamese people often make \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdm.org/voyagetovietnam/altars.html\">an altar in their homes to honor the dead.\u003c/a> Commonly, the altar pictures are static: a face either in a formal pose, or a slightly brighter version of a passport photo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in Tâm’s home, her beloved is holding a microphone, singing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Du’s death was a turning point for Hannah and Tâm. Hannah went searching for more information about her mom’s past life. She stumbled across compilations of Vietnamese wartime rock music, including the most successful album to date, called \u003ca href=\"https://www.sublimefrequencies.com/products/576864-saigon-rock-soul-vietnamese-classic-tracks-1968-1974\">“Saigon Rock and Soul: Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968-1974.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album attributed one song, “Magical Night,” to Phương Tâm. Hannah couldn’t be sure it was her mom’s voice. And when she showed Tâm the cover — \u003ca href=\"https://www.sublimefrequencies.com/products/576864-saigon-rock-soul-vietnamese-classic-tracks-1968-1974\">featuring a woman in a menswear jacket, cap and tinted oversized glasses smoking a cigarette\u003c/a> — Tâm’s reaction was swift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, they are liar! I never smoke!” Tâm said, according to Hannah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah contacted \u003ca href=\"http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/people/gergis-mark\">Mark Gergis, the producer and audio archivist who compiled that album\u003c/a>. Gergis, who is originally from Oakland but now lives in London, has spent two decades focused on diasporic Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although he owned one Phương Tâm album, he knew nothing of her backstory. Hannah and Gergis discovered that the version of “Magical Night” on “Saigon Rock and Soul” was actually by Connie Kim, misattributed to Phương Tâm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So to set the record straight, Hannah’s idea was to make her own compilation of \u003cem>real\u003c/em> Phương Tâm songs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really thought it was just going to be extracting songs from YouTube and putting it together,” says Hannah. “Mark said, ‘Oh, no, no, no, we cannot do that. We have to get the original recordings.’ And then I saw the humongous, impossible task in front of us. How are we going to be able to collect these records from 55 years ago?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t easy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These records were in poor condition, most of them having been ravaged by war and time. Who knows what they have been through,” says Gergis, speaking by phone from London.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Restoration was quite a challenge and took significantly longer than any other restoration project I’ve been involved with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah, Gergis and an international collective of music enthusiasts got to work — mostly over Zoom and FaceTime — and meticulously restored a lost musical history. When Hannah told her mom about her plans, Tâm was at first dismissive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She said, ‘Why do you have to do that?'” says Hannah. “‘You have a husband and a job.'” Who would buy the album anyway, Tâm asked her daughter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Hannah felt the urgency to memorialize her mother’s accomplishments while Tâm could still enjoy the attention. In her search, Hannah found fresh examples of other women singing Phương Tâm songs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was so frustrated. I saw so many people’s dishonesty,” says Tâm. “They were taking my name and claiming my songs. I didn’t want to listen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She asked her daughter to get YouTube to change the video. Hannah told her: “No, the only way to change it is: We have to do it ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty-five of the rediscovered and remastered recordings crackle with energy on the new album “Magical Nights: Saigon, Surf, Twist and Soul 1964-1966.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11908011\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11908011\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54223_Magical-Nights-Album-Cover-qut-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Magical Nights: Saigon Surf Twist and Soul 1964-1966 captures the short bright career of a born performer. \u003ccite>(Sublime Frequencies)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The songs are rich in verve and atmosphere, with a danceable rock sound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first time Tâm heard the newly restored songs, like “Remember the Night” from 1964, she cried.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She hadn’t heard some of those songs for over 50 years, and had almost forgotten them. But when Hannah found them, Tâm remembered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She remembered who played the keyboard, who played guitar. She remembered the camaraderie of early morning meals after a night singing. She wished her husband Du, who had been with her at the peak of her career, could have heard the songs again, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The album was released on streaming services last fall, and the first CD press sold out. Sublime Frequencies has pressed more due to demand. A vinyl release, delayed due to the pandemic, is scheduled for later in spring 2022. Hannah had wanted to release all formats together, but Tâm felt a sense of urgency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hannah recalls her mother telling her in an email, “My friends are getting old, deaf and dying. Please release now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11908012\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1616px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11908012\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1616\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut.jpg 1616w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/03/RS54219_Hannah-and-Tam-Photo-Courtesy-Le-My-qut-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tâm and her daughter Hannah \u003ccite>(Courtesy Lê Mỷ)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tâm still sings. She has a backup band of retired Vietnamese amateur musicians who play an underground circuit of parties around the Bay Area. Mostly she sings other people’s songs, but she makes a point now to mention her new album. Sometimes she passes around memorabilia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The guests eat it up. They say that the music takes them back to a time before the worst of the war, when there was the excitement of discovering a world outside their small villages. Tâm, confident in a spangly top, encourages them to join her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003cem>This\u003c/em> was the same woman from the records. This was the same woman from that time,” says producer Gergis, of watching her perform. “This was someone filled with light and resilience, and who still had such a beautiful and powerful voice and desire to sing. Music is in her blood.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t think my mom was cool at all,” says Hannah. “And now she’s, like, hot!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And at 77, Tâm is ready for her victory tour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Golden State Plate: Sriracha’s Journey From Southeast Asia to Southern California",
"headTitle": "Golden State Plate: Sriracha’s Journey From Southeast Asia to Southern California | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Listen to this and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sriracha is everywhere. It’s used to spice up anything from chips and chocolate bars to burgers. Just about every fast food chain has a Sriracha-infused menu option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how did this sauce go from niche condiment to a beloved mainstream staple?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story begins with a Vietnamese refugee who found a home — and just the right peppers — in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Tran is the founder and CEO of Huy Fong Foods, the multi-million dollar company that makes Sriracha. The clear bottle filled with fiery red paste has itself become iconic, with a bright green top and a white rooster on the label. The rooster is there because Tran was born in 1945, and his Zodiac sign is the rooster. It’s also why Sriracha is sometimes referred to as “cock sauce” — and yes, they sell t-shirts with that name on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran got his start in Vietnam, when his brother gave him a chili field. He started making and selling a hot sauce called Pepper Sa-te in 1975. It’s based on a Thai chili sauce named for the coastal town of Si Racha. Tran sold the sauce in glass baby food jars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796236\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796236\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to Huy Fong Foods in Irwindale, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The factory has allowed guided tours since the company was accused of sickening nearby residents with its spicy odors. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They used to sell them actually on bikes. And actually my husband was one of the guys, the boys that helped him sell it to the markets over there. Because in Vietnam everybody makes their own hot sauce,” explained Donna Lam. She’s David Tran’s sister-in-law and the company’s executive operations officer. Many of the company’s officials are related to Tran.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Tien Nguyen, food writer\"]‘He sourced these really fresh peppers. He processed them and they were on your table. That has become the definition of California cuisine. And I really think that he has helped develop this idea of what it means to cook and eat locally and seasonally.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran is ethnically Chinese and was a major in the South Vietnamese army, which made him a target of the Communist regime in Vietnam following the Vietnam War. He fled the country on a Taiwanese freighter called the Huey Fong, which means “gathering prosperity” and inspired the name of his company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran sailed to the U.S., arriving first in Boston, but the cold winters and lack of fresh peppers drove him west. He moved to Los Angeles in 1979 and established his business in Chinatown, delivering the product himself in a blue Chevy van.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is the farmer state. They have a lot of produce. So I start a business in California. Seems like the right choice,” Tran explained matter-of-factly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make Sriracha, Tran uses red jalapeños. They’re no different from green jalapeños, except they’re left on the vine to mature, so they become spicier and sweeter. That’s how Tran made chili sauce back in Vietnam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In Asia, in China, chili must be red, not green. From beginning we using red, we’re not using green pepper,” Tran explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796307\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11796307 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The waiting room at Huy Fong Foods includes giant inflatable Sriracha bottles and cardboard cutouts of company founder David Tran. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Because he insisted on using freshly-picked peppers, food writer Tien Nguyen says Tran is quintessentially Californian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of this California Food Revolution stuff that was happening in the 1970s, where chefs were sourcing locally and seasonally, or trying to source locally and seasonally, he was doing it,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He sourced these really fresh peppers. He processed them and they were on your table. That has become the definition of California cuisine. And I really think that he has helped develop this idea of what it means to cook and eat locally and seasonally,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796315\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11796315 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A variety of t-shirts are for sale at the Huy Fong gift shop. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So why has the sauce become such a hit? Maybe the sweetness and spiciness played well with the American palate. Maybe it was the exotic look of the rooster logo. Or maybe, according to Huy Fong COO Donna Lam, because it’s cheap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“David’s philosophy is to make a rich man’s sauce at a poor man’s price and everybody can get it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lam has another theory though. It’s the feel-good origin story of Sriracha. Tran came to America with nothing and launched a business that makes an estimated $80 million a year — and he happily poses for photos with tour groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just like a guy in a glass office somewhere that’s unapproachable, he’s a very approachable guy,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen has a different theory: as Vietnamese and Thai food became more popular, chefs and foodies sought out Sriracha as well, and eventually, supermarkets started stocking it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For 28 years, Huy Fong got peppers exclusively from Underwood Ranches in Ventura County. But the partnership fell apart in 2016 over allegations of an overpayment and breach of contract. Dueling lawsuits ended this summer when a jury in Ventura County awarded the grower $23.3 million. Huy Fong plans to fight the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the lawsuit with Underwood Ranches, Huy Fong has had to look elsewhere for fresh jalapeños. It now gets its peppers from farms in California, New Mexico and Mexico. The phrase “made in California” was taken off the label.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag=\"golden-state-plate\" label=\"related coverage\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that wasn’t Huy Fong’s first legal battle. Its factory is in Irwindale, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. In 2013, the city filed suit because some neighbors complained about headaches and itchy eyes caused by odors from the plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The local resident, they complain that we make the hot sauce and the spicy, toxic gas make them sick,” Tran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company countersued, and Tran considered moving the company to Texas. Eventually the suit was dropped, the company installed new filters to reduce the smell and the feared “srirachapocalypse” was averted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around that time, Tran’s sauce became a full-blown pop culture phenomenon, with Sriracha flavored everything popping up. Suddenly, there were Sriracha cookbooks, a documentary, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abf7TueHs1k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hip hop shoutouts\u003c/a> and a Sriracha-themed food festival in Los Angeles. Merriam-Webster even added “Sriracha” to its dictionary in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the lawsuits over the odors were dropped, Tran — like a modern-day Willy Wonka — opened his factory for public tours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And now we keep open because a lot of people interesting to see how we make it. After they take a tour, they trust my product,” Tran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796323\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796323\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Huy Fong employee inspects bottles on the assembly line. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A recent tour began in a waiting room with walls covered in pictures of Sriracha fans from around the world. There are cardboard cutouts of Tran and the Sriracha bottle. There’s even a picture of astronauts in a space shuttle posing with a bottle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huy Fong employee Andrea Castillo led the tour group by trolley to the manufacturing facility. The group climbed up a flight of stairs to look down on a conveyor belt. Bright blue fifty-five gallon barrels slid past while workers in white uniforms looked on. The barrels were filled with a mixture of ground chilis, garlic, salt and vinegar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the tour of the factory I noticed a few of the employees wearing Huy Fong t-shirts. On the back of the shirts it read “No Tear Gas Made Here,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 2013 lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Castillo showed the group how the clear plastic bottles were molded, then filled with the bright red paste, labeled, boxed and placed on pallets to be shipped around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796325\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796325\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Huy Fong workers inspect the barrels of Sriracha before the paste is bottled, packaged and shipped to distributors. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So does Tran have a vision for the future? He says he has no plans to sell the company or take on investors, and the company doesn’t spend a dime on advertising. Because Tran named his sauce for the Thai city, he can’t trademark the name, which means there are plenty of copycats. There are no new products in the works, aside from Sriracha and two less-popular sauces, Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All he wants to do, he says, is make what his customers want, and that’s Sriracha.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Sriracha is used to spice up everything from chips and chocolate bars to burgers. But the story of Sriracha’s rise to mainstream condiment began with a Vietnamese refugee who found a home and just the right peppers, in Southern California. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Listen to this and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sriracha is everywhere. It’s used to spice up anything from chips and chocolate bars to burgers. Just about every fast food chain has a Sriracha-infused menu option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how did this sauce go from niche condiment to a beloved mainstream staple?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story begins with a Vietnamese refugee who found a home — and just the right peppers — in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Tran is the founder and CEO of Huy Fong Foods, the multi-million dollar company that makes Sriracha. The clear bottle filled with fiery red paste has itself become iconic, with a bright green top and a white rooster on the label. The rooster is there because Tran was born in 1945, and his Zodiac sign is the rooster. It’s also why Sriracha is sometimes referred to as “cock sauce” — and yes, they sell t-shirts with that name on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran got his start in Vietnam, when his brother gave him a chili field. He started making and selling a hot sauce called Pepper Sa-te in 1975. It’s based on a Thai chili sauce named for the coastal town of Si Racha. Tran sold the sauce in glass baby food jars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796236\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796236\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to Huy Fong Foods in Irwindale, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The factory has allowed guided tours since the company was accused of sickening nearby residents with its spicy odors. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They used to sell them actually on bikes. And actually my husband was one of the guys, the boys that helped him sell it to the markets over there. Because in Vietnam everybody makes their own hot sauce,” explained Donna Lam. She’s David Tran’s sister-in-law and the company’s executive operations officer. Many of the company’s officials are related to Tran.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘He sourced these really fresh peppers. He processed them and they were on your table. That has become the definition of California cuisine. And I really think that he has helped develop this idea of what it means to cook and eat locally and seasonally.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran is ethnically Chinese and was a major in the South Vietnamese army, which made him a target of the Communist regime in Vietnam following the Vietnam War. He fled the country on a Taiwanese freighter called the Huey Fong, which means “gathering prosperity” and inspired the name of his company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran sailed to the U.S., arriving first in Boston, but the cold winters and lack of fresh peppers drove him west. He moved to Los Angeles in 1979 and established his business in Chinatown, delivering the product himself in a blue Chevy van.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is the farmer state. They have a lot of produce. So I start a business in California. Seems like the right choice,” Tran explained matter-of-factly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make Sriracha, Tran uses red jalapeños. They’re no different from green jalapeños, except they’re left on the vine to mature, so they become spicier and sweeter. That’s how Tran made chili sauce back in Vietnam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In Asia, in China, chili must be red, not green. From beginning we using red, we’re not using green pepper,” Tran explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796307\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11796307 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The waiting room at Huy Fong Foods includes giant inflatable Sriracha bottles and cardboard cutouts of company founder David Tran. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Because he insisted on using freshly-picked peppers, food writer Tien Nguyen says Tran is quintessentially Californian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of this California Food Revolution stuff that was happening in the 1970s, where chefs were sourcing locally and seasonally, or trying to source locally and seasonally, he was doing it,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He sourced these really fresh peppers. He processed them and they were on your table. That has become the definition of California cuisine. And I really think that he has helped develop this idea of what it means to cook and eat locally and seasonally,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796315\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11796315 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A variety of t-shirts are for sale at the Huy Fong gift shop. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So why has the sauce become such a hit? Maybe the sweetness and spiciness played well with the American palate. Maybe it was the exotic look of the rooster logo. Or maybe, according to Huy Fong COO Donna Lam, because it’s cheap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“David’s philosophy is to make a rich man’s sauce at a poor man’s price and everybody can get it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lam has another theory though. It’s the feel-good origin story of Sriracha. Tran came to America with nothing and launched a business that makes an estimated $80 million a year — and he happily poses for photos with tour groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just like a guy in a glass office somewhere that’s unapproachable, he’s a very approachable guy,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen has a different theory: as Vietnamese and Thai food became more popular, chefs and foodies sought out Sriracha as well, and eventually, supermarkets started stocking it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For 28 years, Huy Fong got peppers exclusively from Underwood Ranches in Ventura County. But the partnership fell apart in 2016 over allegations of an overpayment and breach of contract. Dueling lawsuits ended this summer when a jury in Ventura County awarded the grower $23.3 million. Huy Fong plans to fight the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the lawsuit with Underwood Ranches, Huy Fong has had to look elsewhere for fresh jalapeños. It now gets its peppers from farms in California, New Mexico and Mexico. The phrase “made in California” was taken off the label.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that wasn’t Huy Fong’s first legal battle. Its factory is in Irwindale, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. In 2013, the city filed suit because some neighbors complained about headaches and itchy eyes caused by odors from the plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The local resident, they complain that we make the hot sauce and the spicy, toxic gas make them sick,” Tran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company countersued, and Tran considered moving the company to Texas. Eventually the suit was dropped, the company installed new filters to reduce the smell and the feared “srirachapocalypse” was averted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around that time, Tran’s sauce became a full-blown pop culture phenomenon, with Sriracha flavored everything popping up. Suddenly, there were Sriracha cookbooks, a documentary, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abf7TueHs1k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hip hop shoutouts\u003c/a> and a Sriracha-themed food festival in Los Angeles. Merriam-Webster even added “Sriracha” to its dictionary in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the lawsuits over the odors were dropped, Tran — like a modern-day Willy Wonka — opened his factory for public tours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And now we keep open because a lot of people interesting to see how we make it. After they take a tour, they trust my product,” Tran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796323\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796323\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Huy Fong employee inspects bottles on the assembly line. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A recent tour began in a waiting room with walls covered in pictures of Sriracha fans from around the world. There are cardboard cutouts of Tran and the Sriracha bottle. There’s even a picture of astronauts in a space shuttle posing with a bottle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huy Fong employee Andrea Castillo led the tour group by trolley to the manufacturing facility. The group climbed up a flight of stairs to look down on a conveyor belt. Bright blue fifty-five gallon barrels slid past while workers in white uniforms looked on. The barrels were filled with a mixture of ground chilis, garlic, salt and vinegar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the tour of the factory I noticed a few of the employees wearing Huy Fong t-shirts. On the back of the shirts it read “No Tear Gas Made Here,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 2013 lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Castillo showed the group how the clear plastic bottles were molded, then filled with the bright red paste, labeled, boxed and placed on pallets to be shipped around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796325\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796325\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Huy Fong workers inspect the barrels of Sriracha before the paste is bottled, packaged and shipped to distributors. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So does Tran have a vision for the future? He says he has no plans to sell the company or take on investors, and the company doesn’t spend a dime on advertising. Because Tran named his sauce for the Thai city, he can’t trademark the name, which means there are plenty of copycats. There are no new products in the works, aside from Sriracha and two less-popular sauces, Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All he wants to do, he says, is make what his customers want, and that’s Sriracha.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "three-refugees-three-journeys-to-california",
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"content": "\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”76LLRzBU4RDjQbdeeFOERfHTYtZztlW2″]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Report Magazine recently won an \u003ca href=\"http://www.spjnorcal.org/new/2017/10/23/2017-excellence-in-journalism-award-winners/\">award\u003c/a> from the Society of Professional Journalists for a show highlighting the stories of three Californians who have journeyed to the U.S. as refugees at different points in history. It originally aired in February 2017 after President Donald Trump announced his initial travel ban and plans to stop admission of certain refugees. We re-aired the show, with updates, in December. Listen to the full show:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/306438245″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One man we profiled fled the Syrian civil war with his family, and recently settled in East Oakland. Another fled Vietnam in the wake of the Vietnam War in 1975, and settled in Los Angeles. A third fled the Holocaust in 1945, and settled in Berkeley after surviving nine Nazi concentration camps.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/06/uprooted-by-war-syrian-family-grows-new-community-in-california/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mohammad Aref Rawoas\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11299887\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11299887 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Mohammad Aref Rawoas shows off his garden in East Oakland. He stands among young figs, lemons, grapes, peas, and loquats. The small side yard pales in comparison to the nearly ten-acre farm the family had in Syria.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mohammad Aref Rawoas shows off his garden in East Oakland. He stands among young figs, lemons, grapes, peas and loquats. The small side yard pales in comparison to the nearly 10-acre farm the family had in Syria. \u003ccite>(Laura Klivans/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Name: \u003c/strong>Mohammad Aref Rawoas\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Home Country: \u003c/strong>Syria\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Home:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Year immigrated: \u003c/strong>2015\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why he fled: \u003c/strong>Syrian civil war\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he \u003ca href=\"https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/11/20/infographic-screening-process-refugee-entry-united-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">had to show\u003c/a> to get in: \u003c/strong>fingerprints, identification cards, photos, iris scans, medical exams, five background checks, dozens of interviews\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”8utHQyS5IDbNF2igAjZJPIROylu0i6Nz”]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he thinks of President Trump’s efforts to limit refugees: \u003c/strong>“We think the world is closed now to refugees because every country has reached its capacity or is closed. Where are people supposed to go? They will either stay inside [Syria] and die in the war, or they will try to get out and flee. If they don’t die inside, they’ll die at sea. We were joyful that doors opened for us, but now, for many people, life has become dark.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Update, December 2017: The family has started a Bay Area catering business called Old Damascus Fare, making mostly Syrian dishes. “We are hoping that the catering business will help us to build a good life in this country,” says his daughter Batool. “We want to move past the struggles that come along with being a refugee, and hope to have an easier life.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/04/viet-thanh-nguyen-on-his-timely-collection-the-refugees/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Viet Thanh Nguyen\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11299999\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11299999 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-800x533.jpg\" alt='Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen signs copies of his new collection of short stories, \"The Refugees.\" Nguyen came to the United States with his family as a refugee from Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen signs copies of his new collection of short stories, “The Refugees.” Nguyen came to the United States with his family as a refugee from Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Name: \u003c/strong>Viet Thanh Nguyen\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Home Country: \u003c/strong>Vietnam\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Home: \u003c/strong>Los Angeles\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Year Immigrated: \u003c/strong>1975\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why he fled: \u003c/strong>Communist victory in the Vietnam War\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he had to show to get in: “\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Obviously we didn’t have the kinds of documents we would have needed because we were war refugees. People who left in a more organized fashion before the final day of the invasion did have to present passports and visas. But people who were just literally jumping on boats to get out, we didn’t have those kinds of documents.”\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”7GpYy7v8pcQtpXZN4ETEmFYdCZKObo1C”]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he thinks of President Trump’s efforts to restrict refugees: \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I wouldn’t want to be in that situation. It’s happening to people that their lives have suddenly been utterly disrupted. The Trump administration has said this is simply a temporary disruption, but obviously if it’s your life and you’ve been cut off from your home, your family, your children, your spouse, it’s devastating.”\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Update, December 2017: Since we first braodcast this interview, Viet Nguyen was awarded a \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/books/la-et-jc-macarthur-fellows-nguyen-20171010-story.html\">Macarthur “Genius” award\u003c/a> for his fiction and cultural criticism. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/05/unlikely-roomates-holocaust-survivor-and-granddaughter-of-nazis-share-a-home-in-berkeley/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ben Stern\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11299998\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11299998 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Ben Stern holds up a copy of a newspaper clipping show him and his wife after they came to the United States as Jewish refugees after World War II. Stern survived two ghettos, nine concentration camps and two death marches.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ben Stern holds up a copy of a newspaper clipping show him and his wife after they came to the United States as Jewish refugees after World War II. Stern survived two ghettos, nine concentration camps and two death marches. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Name: \u003c/strong>Ben Stern\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Home Country: \u003c/strong>Poland\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Home: \u003c/strong>Berkeley\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Year Immigrated: \u003c/strong>1945\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why he fled: \u003c/strong>Holocaust\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he had to show to get in: \u003c/strong>His tattoo from a Nazi concentration camp\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”StxmuMbOy1v903ubZ02BuyhRwNmem4mw”]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he thinks of President Trump’s executive orders: “\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We as American people must say not now, not here. The Constitution offers the freedom of speech and religion. We need to help the people when they reach for a handout.”\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Update, December 2017: In August, Ben Stern\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/08/27/holocaust-survivor-leads-march-in-berkeley/\"> led an anti-racism march\u003c/a> in downtown Berkeley. He’ll be speaking at a \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/free-speech-and-its-limits-unfinished-conversation\">screening\u003c/a> of “Near Normal Man,” a documentary about his life, on January 25 in Berkeley.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "With U.S. refugee policy in the global eye, we hear the stories of three Californians who came here as refugees at three very different points in history.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Report Magazine recently won an \u003ca href=\"http://www.spjnorcal.org/new/2017/10/23/2017-excellence-in-journalism-award-winners/\">award\u003c/a> from the Society of Professional Journalists for a show highlighting the stories of three Californians who have journeyed to the U.S. as refugees at different points in history. It originally aired in February 2017 after President Donald Trump announced his initial travel ban and plans to stop admission of certain refugees. We re-aired the show, with updates, in December. Listen to the full show:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='”100%”' height='”166″'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/306438245″&visual=true&”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false”'\n title='”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/306438245″'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One man we profiled fled the Syrian civil war with his family, and recently settled in East Oakland. Another fled Vietnam in the wake of the Vietnam War in 1975, and settled in Los Angeles. A third fled the Holocaust in 1945, and settled in Berkeley after surviving nine Nazi concentration camps.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/06/uprooted-by-war-syrian-family-grows-new-community-in-california/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mohammad Aref Rawoas\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11299887\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11299887 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Mohammad Aref Rawoas shows off his garden in East Oakland. He stands among young figs, lemons, grapes, peas, and loquats. The small side yard pales in comparison to the nearly ten-acre farm the family had in Syria.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Mohammed-Aref-Rawoas-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mohammad Aref Rawoas shows off his garden in East Oakland. He stands among young figs, lemons, grapes, peas and loquats. The small side yard pales in comparison to the nearly 10-acre farm the family had in Syria. \u003ccite>(Laura Klivans/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Name: \u003c/strong>Mohammad Aref Rawoas\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Home Country: \u003c/strong>Syria\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Home:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Year immigrated: \u003c/strong>2015\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why he fled: \u003c/strong>Syrian civil war\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he \u003ca href=\"https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/11/20/infographic-screening-process-refugee-entry-united-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">had to show\u003c/a> to get in: \u003c/strong>fingerprints, identification cards, photos, iris scans, medical exams, five background checks, dozens of interviews\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he thinks of President Trump’s efforts to limit refugees: \u003c/strong>“We think the world is closed now to refugees because every country has reached its capacity or is closed. Where are people supposed to go? They will either stay inside [Syria] and die in the war, or they will try to get out and flee. If they don’t die inside, they’ll die at sea. We were joyful that doors opened for us, but now, for many people, life has become dark.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Update, December 2017: The family has started a Bay Area catering business called Old Damascus Fare, making mostly Syrian dishes. “We are hoping that the catering business will help us to build a good life in this country,” says his daughter Batool. “We want to move past the struggles that come along with being a refugee, and hope to have an easier life.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/04/viet-thanh-nguyen-on-his-timely-collection-the-refugees/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Viet Thanh Nguyen\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11299999\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11299999 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-800x533.jpg\" alt='Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen signs copies of his new collection of short stories, \"The Refugees.\" Nguyen came to the United States with his family as a refugee from Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Viet-Thanh-Nguyen-1-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen signs copies of his new collection of short stories, “The Refugees.” Nguyen came to the United States with his family as a refugee from Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Name: \u003c/strong>Viet Thanh Nguyen\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Home Country: \u003c/strong>Vietnam\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Home: \u003c/strong>Los Angeles\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Year Immigrated: \u003c/strong>1975\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why he fled: \u003c/strong>Communist victory in the Vietnam War\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he had to show to get in: “\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Obviously we didn’t have the kinds of documents we would have needed because we were war refugees. People who left in a more organized fashion before the final day of the invasion did have to present passports and visas. But people who were just literally jumping on boats to get out, we didn’t have those kinds of documents.”\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he thinks of President Trump’s efforts to restrict refugees: \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I wouldn’t want to be in that situation. It’s happening to people that their lives have suddenly been utterly disrupted. The Trump administration has said this is simply a temporary disruption, but obviously if it’s your life and you’ve been cut off from your home, your family, your children, your spouse, it’s devastating.”\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Update, December 2017: Since we first braodcast this interview, Viet Nguyen was awarded a \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/books/la-et-jc-macarthur-fellows-nguyen-20171010-story.html\">Macarthur “Genius” award\u003c/a> for his fiction and cultural criticism. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/05/unlikely-roomates-holocaust-survivor-and-granddaughter-of-nazis-share-a-home-in-berkeley/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ben Stern\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11299998\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11299998 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Ben Stern holds up a copy of a newspaper clipping show him and his wife after they came to the United States as Jewish refugees after World War II. Stern survived two ghettos, nine concentration camps and two death marches.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/Ben-Stern-1-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ben Stern holds up a copy of a newspaper clipping show him and his wife after they came to the United States as Jewish refugees after World War II. Stern survived two ghettos, nine concentration camps and two death marches. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Name: \u003c/strong>Ben Stern\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Home Country: \u003c/strong>Poland\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Home: \u003c/strong>Berkeley\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Year Immigrated: \u003c/strong>1945\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why he fled: \u003c/strong>Holocaust\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he had to show to get in: \u003c/strong>His tattoo from a Nazi concentration camp\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What he thinks of President Trump’s executive orders: “\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We as American people must say not now, not here. The Constitution offers the freedom of speech and religion. We need to help the people when they reach for a handout.”\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Update, December 2017: In August, Ben Stern\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/08/27/holocaust-survivor-leads-march-in-berkeley/\"> led an anti-racism march\u003c/a> in downtown Berkeley. He’ll be speaking at a \u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/event/free-speech-and-its-limits-unfinished-conversation\">screening\u003c/a> of “Near Normal Man,” a documentary about his life, on January 25 in Berkeley.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Viet Thanh Nguyen is an award-winning writer who grew up in San Jose after immigrating to the United States with his family in 1975 as a refugee fleeing the Communist-controlled country. He is a professor at the University of Southern California and the author of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/forum/2016/05/04/san-jose-native-viet-thanh-nguyen-wins-pulitzer-prize-for-the-sympathizer/\">\"The Sympathizer\"\u003c/a>. \u003cem>His newest book is a collection of short stories called \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://vietnguyen.info/2016/refugee-pain-review-refugees\">\"The Refugees.\"\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>We spoke with Nguyen about his decades thinking about, writing about and living the life of a refugee.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=\"https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/306030181\" params=\"color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" iframe=\"true\" /]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can you start by sharing your memories of coming to the U.S. as a refugee?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I came to the United States in 1975 when I was four years old, and I came as a refugee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The small town we were living in was the first town overrun by the final communist invasion. My father was actually in Saigon on business, and my mother had to make a life and death decision about what to do. So she decided to flee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My brother and I and my mother walked to the nearest port town 184 kilometers away. We were able to get on board a boat or barge and make it to Saigon, find my dad, and then a month later, the communists took Saigon as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So we had to repeat the experience, trying to get out by the airport, trying to get out by whatever means necessary. Finally, we got out on another barge or boat picked up by the U.S. Navy and were taken to Guam and then we flew from there to \u003ca href=\"http://ftig.png.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Fort Indiantown Gap\u003c/a>, in Pennsylvania, which is where my memory really begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So how much of that journey is etched in your memory and how much of it comes from what other people have told you?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember being taken away from my parents at 4 years old and sent to live with a white sponsor family while (the rest of my family) were sent to live with another family. That is a part of the refugee experience -- to be displaced and to have your lives suddenly at the mercy of other people's decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You've said that your family didn't talk much about their refugee experience, or if they did it was through silences. Do you think that that's part of the reason why those stories don't end up getting told? Because it's painful for people to relive those experiences?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That's partially true. I mean I met many second generation Vietnamese-Americans who are not aware of what their parents have gone through. My own students for example, say \"Well I think my parents came on a boat.\" And they don't know and because their parents don't want to talk about it and I understand why. Because someone asks you what was it like and they expect an answer in a couple of minutes and you're supposed to try to convey a lifetime in that couple of minutes to even make sense out of what happened to you. So there's a reluctance to talk. But I think even when people do talk -- and there are people who do talk in Vietnamese about their stories -- the people who cannot speak Vietnamese can't hear it or don't want to hear it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You've talked about people sharing their experiences within the community in Vietnamese, and you've also said that you know you're not writing for a white audience necessarily with your work. How do share those experiences in a way that creates empathy in a climate where some people have the notion that refugees are dangerous?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well I think all novelists, all writers and artists work to create empathy and that's the basic material for what it is that we do. I don't think my work is any different. I mean the problem is not in getting people to read the books or watch the movies. The problem is the distribution of information. And the problem is that either some people live in places where they don't get this information or they don't want to get this information. If somebody picks up my book I've already won half the battle. But I think the real challenge is to get people to pick up the book.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Your new book \"The Refugees\" is a collection of stories that you wrote over two decades. You have a young woman who sees the ghost of her brother. You have this dynamic between two women of the same age within the Vietnamese community in San Jose. They're all stories of Vietnamese refugees, but told from different perspectives.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think there is a great degree of emotional similarity across these different kinds of experiences. And certainly that was what I wanted to try to do with the book, to talk about people whose stories I knew very intimately and whose stories I also knew that most Americans knew nothing about. \u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'We don’t see refugees as courageous. We see refugees as as pitiful. And I think I hope that my own book and the stories of other refugees work to make it clear that they’re not pitiful — that they’re only pitiful because of their circumstances.'\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>So the primary challenge of the of the collection was simply to convey the humanity of these people and their complexities and the nuances. So these stories range the spectrum from older people to younger people, gay and straight men and women and military and so on, to try to convey the fact that we cannot stereotype or flatten out or homogenize even a national or an ethnic population and the diversity of these people is exactly the diversity of other communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What can you tell us about American public opinion at the time that Vietnamese refugees were coming to the U.S. in the '70s and '80s?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, the U.S. just ended a very terrible war with the communists in Vietnam. But I think many Americans saw all Vietnamese as being rather foreign whether they were on the American side or not on the American side. So in 1975 when Congress was admitting Vietnamese refugees into the country, opinion polls show that the majority of Americans didn't want to accept Vietnamese or other Southeast Asian refugees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I notice in your work that you make this distinction between immigrants and refugees. Why is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think it's really important to assert that I am a refugee rather than an immigrant because when my book came out, when \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/books/review/the-sympathizer-by-viet-thanh-nguyen.html?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\">\"The Sympathizer\" \u003c/a>came out so many of the reviews were saying this is an immigrant novel. I understood why they were saying that because the idea of the immigrant experience is absolutely central to the American story or the American mythology. Even though at periodic points in American history the United States has been actually rather anti-immigrant. Nevertheless the idea of the American dream is that we welcome immigrants to these shores. And so the easiest way to make sense out of somebody like me who was born elsewhere is to call me an immigrant which implicitly turns me into a success story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Refugees are much more threatening than immigrants. Immigrants voluntarily come to our country. They've chosen our country. Refugees have been forced out by circumstances and they are the unwanted in the countries that they come from. And that is one of the reasons why I think Americans and other people from other countries have a hard time dealing with refugees because of the stigma that they carry of being unwanted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>On the other hand you have some Americans who feel great compassion for refugees because they're 'legitimate' migrants fleeing war, versus migrants fleeing economic or environmental devastation.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So there's always been that tension within the United States and in other countries obviously. But so far as the question of whether refugees are more desirable than immigrants for some people I think that's absolutely true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You said this is the stuff of fiction what's happening right now with refugee policy. Is there anything that you feel when you look at these experiences of Syrians and people from the Middle East that resonates with the experience of the Vietnamese community back when you came?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the things that I did in doing research for my nonfiction work was to visit a refugee camp in Indonesia. So the Vietnamese refugees who were fleeing -- the so-called \"boat people\" -- were trying to make it to neighboring South-East Asian countries like Indonesia. And it was a very horrible experience you know. And some estimates are that half of the people who went out to sea didn't survive. They just disappeared somewhere. And at this refugee camp there there was a cemetery and there are gravestones marking people who had died when they were 80 and marking people who had died when they were zero or three months. And I think then that we do share something in common with the Syrians for example who were trying to flee their country by boat. The terror, the fear. The odds being stacked completely stacked against you. There's a line in one of my stories I think where I say, you know to be a refugee is to be enormously courageous because you go out on that boat to the open sea knowing that the likelihood is that you're going to die.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But we don't see refugees as courageous. We see refugees as as pitiful. And I think I hope that my own book and the stories of other refugees work to make it clear that they're not pitiful -- that they're only pitiful because of their circumstances. But it takes enormous initiative as well as fear to take your life into your own hands and to risk it in that fashion and that is something that the Vietnamese and the Syrians shared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How do you think your experience growing up as a refugee in California may have been different from the experience of refugees who grew up in other parts of the country?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think that the refugees who ended up in California either because they were put there by government policy or because they voluntarily migrated thought of themselves as lucky because of the weather, because of the diversity, because of the economic and social welfare opportunities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also had the advantage of living in strong Vietnamese-American centers of population. Whereas if you were in some city in Kansas there might've been 100 or 200 Vietnamese people. That made a big difference. You know you didn't grow up feeling alone. You had all of the typical problems of being a refugee but at least you had the community with its churches, its stores its social services, its language. And that helped people to create a sense of home a displaced home not in the old country, but still, a Little Saigon or something like it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So many of your stories touch on dislocation, a sense of not belonging. Do you still feel like a refugee?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I still feel like I am a refugee although I'm not certain whether I'm romanticizing myself. Obviously I am not a refugee in any material sense. I have made the transition as one colleague jokingly says from 'being refugee to bourgeoisie.' And no one would ever mistake me for a refugee unless I said it. But I feel like I've been shaped by my refugee experience and psychologically part of me is a refugee. I don't feel completely at home. I feel like I'm still somewhat of an outsider. And again maybe I cultivate that because being an outsider helps me to be a writer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You've just come off of the great success of \"The Sympathizer\" and now you're moving into this collection of short stories. What's that transition been like? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, it's an unreal experience because it took 20 years from the first words of this book to seeing it published. And I think in the last few years I'd resigned myself to the possibility that the book was never going to be published and I had actually gotten to the psychological mindset of thinking. \"Well I didn't waste 20 years of my life. I used those 20 years to learn how to be a writer.\" It's a feeling of relief more than anything else, seeing it out there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An excerpt from \"The Refugees\":\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>I liked school even summer school. It was like being on vacation from home. And at 3 o'clock I was always a little disappointed to walk the four blocks to the grocery store. My parents owned the new Saigon market where English was hardly ever spoken and Vietnamese was loud. My mother and father rarely left their posts. The cash registers flanking the entrance of a new Saigon. Customers always crowded the market. One of the few places in San Jose were the Vietnamese could buy the staples and spices of home. People haggled endlessly with my mother over everything beginning with a rock sugar which I pretended was yellow kryptonite and ending with the varieties of meat in the freezer from pork chops and catfish with a glint of light in their eyes to shoestring s of chewy tripe and packets of chicken hearts small and tender as button mushrooms. Can we just sell TV dinners, I asked once.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Pulitzer winner Viet Thanh Nguyen reflects on his new collection of short stories, and on why some Americans fear refugees because 'they are living reminders for the fact that the lives we take for granted can be wiped away by one catastrophe.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Viet Thanh Nguyen is an award-winning writer who grew up in San Jose after immigrating to the United States with his family in 1975 as a refugee fleeing the Communist-controlled country. He is a professor at the University of Southern California and the author of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/forum/2016/05/04/san-jose-native-viet-thanh-nguyen-wins-pulitzer-prize-for-the-sympathizer/\">\"The Sympathizer\"\u003c/a>. \u003cem>His newest book is a collection of short stories called \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://vietnguyen.info/2016/refugee-pain-review-refugees\">\"The Refugees.\"\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>We spoke with Nguyen about his decades thinking about, writing about and living the life of a refugee.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='100%' height='166'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/306030181&visual=true&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false'\n title='https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/306030181'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can you start by sharing your memories of coming to the U.S. as a refugee?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I came to the United States in 1975 when I was four years old, and I came as a refugee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The small town we were living in was the first town overrun by the final communist invasion. My father was actually in Saigon on business, and my mother had to make a life and death decision about what to do. So she decided to flee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My brother and I and my mother walked to the nearest port town 184 kilometers away. We were able to get on board a boat or barge and make it to Saigon, find my dad, and then a month later, the communists took Saigon as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So we had to repeat the experience, trying to get out by the airport, trying to get out by whatever means necessary. Finally, we got out on another barge or boat picked up by the U.S. Navy and were taken to Guam and then we flew from there to \u003ca href=\"http://ftig.png.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Fort Indiantown Gap\u003c/a>, in Pennsylvania, which is where my memory really begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So how much of that journey is etched in your memory and how much of it comes from what other people have told you?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember being taken away from my parents at 4 years old and sent to live with a white sponsor family while (the rest of my family) were sent to live with another family. That is a part of the refugee experience -- to be displaced and to have your lives suddenly at the mercy of other people's decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You've said that your family didn't talk much about their refugee experience, or if they did it was through silences. Do you think that that's part of the reason why those stories don't end up getting told? Because it's painful for people to relive those experiences?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That's partially true. I mean I met many second generation Vietnamese-Americans who are not aware of what their parents have gone through. My own students for example, say \"Well I think my parents came on a boat.\" And they don't know and because their parents don't want to talk about it and I understand why. Because someone asks you what was it like and they expect an answer in a couple of minutes and you're supposed to try to convey a lifetime in that couple of minutes to even make sense out of what happened to you. So there's a reluctance to talk. But I think even when people do talk -- and there are people who do talk in Vietnamese about their stories -- the people who cannot speak Vietnamese can't hear it or don't want to hear it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You've talked about people sharing their experiences within the community in Vietnamese, and you've also said that you know you're not writing for a white audience necessarily with your work. How do share those experiences in a way that creates empathy in a climate where some people have the notion that refugees are dangerous?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well I think all novelists, all writers and artists work to create empathy and that's the basic material for what it is that we do. I don't think my work is any different. I mean the problem is not in getting people to read the books or watch the movies. The problem is the distribution of information. And the problem is that either some people live in places where they don't get this information or they don't want to get this information. If somebody picks up my book I've already won half the battle. But I think the real challenge is to get people to pick up the book.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Your new book \"The Refugees\" is a collection of stories that you wrote over two decades. You have a young woman who sees the ghost of her brother. You have this dynamic between two women of the same age within the Vietnamese community in San Jose. They're all stories of Vietnamese refugees, but told from different perspectives.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think there is a great degree of emotional similarity across these different kinds of experiences. And certainly that was what I wanted to try to do with the book, to talk about people whose stories I knew very intimately and whose stories I also knew that most Americans knew nothing about. \u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'We don’t see refugees as courageous. We see refugees as as pitiful. And I think I hope that my own book and the stories of other refugees work to make it clear that they’re not pitiful — that they’re only pitiful because of their circumstances.'\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>So the primary challenge of the of the collection was simply to convey the humanity of these people and their complexities and the nuances. So these stories range the spectrum from older people to younger people, gay and straight men and women and military and so on, to try to convey the fact that we cannot stereotype or flatten out or homogenize even a national or an ethnic population and the diversity of these people is exactly the diversity of other communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What can you tell us about American public opinion at the time that Vietnamese refugees were coming to the U.S. in the '70s and '80s?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, the U.S. just ended a very terrible war with the communists in Vietnam. But I think many Americans saw all Vietnamese as being rather foreign whether they were on the American side or not on the American side. So in 1975 when Congress was admitting Vietnamese refugees into the country, opinion polls show that the majority of Americans didn't want to accept Vietnamese or other Southeast Asian refugees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I notice in your work that you make this distinction between immigrants and refugees. Why is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think it's really important to assert that I am a refugee rather than an immigrant because when my book came out, when \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/books/review/the-sympathizer-by-viet-thanh-nguyen.html?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\">\"The Sympathizer\" \u003c/a>came out so many of the reviews were saying this is an immigrant novel. I understood why they were saying that because the idea of the immigrant experience is absolutely central to the American story or the American mythology. Even though at periodic points in American history the United States has been actually rather anti-immigrant. Nevertheless the idea of the American dream is that we welcome immigrants to these shores. And so the easiest way to make sense out of somebody like me who was born elsewhere is to call me an immigrant which implicitly turns me into a success story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Refugees are much more threatening than immigrants. Immigrants voluntarily come to our country. They've chosen our country. Refugees have been forced out by circumstances and they are the unwanted in the countries that they come from. And that is one of the reasons why I think Americans and other people from other countries have a hard time dealing with refugees because of the stigma that they carry of being unwanted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>On the other hand you have some Americans who feel great compassion for refugees because they're 'legitimate' migrants fleeing war, versus migrants fleeing economic or environmental devastation.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So there's always been that tension within the United States and in other countries obviously. But so far as the question of whether refugees are more desirable than immigrants for some people I think that's absolutely true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You said this is the stuff of fiction what's happening right now with refugee policy. Is there anything that you feel when you look at these experiences of Syrians and people from the Middle East that resonates with the experience of the Vietnamese community back when you came?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the things that I did in doing research for my nonfiction work was to visit a refugee camp in Indonesia. So the Vietnamese refugees who were fleeing -- the so-called \"boat people\" -- were trying to make it to neighboring South-East Asian countries like Indonesia. And it was a very horrible experience you know. And some estimates are that half of the people who went out to sea didn't survive. They just disappeared somewhere. And at this refugee camp there there was a cemetery and there are gravestones marking people who had died when they were 80 and marking people who had died when they were zero or three months. And I think then that we do share something in common with the Syrians for example who were trying to flee their country by boat. The terror, the fear. The odds being stacked completely stacked against you. There's a line in one of my stories I think where I say, you know to be a refugee is to be enormously courageous because you go out on that boat to the open sea knowing that the likelihood is that you're going to die.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But we don't see refugees as courageous. We see refugees as as pitiful. And I think I hope that my own book and the stories of other refugees work to make it clear that they're not pitiful -- that they're only pitiful because of their circumstances. But it takes enormous initiative as well as fear to take your life into your own hands and to risk it in that fashion and that is something that the Vietnamese and the Syrians shared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How do you think your experience growing up as a refugee in California may have been different from the experience of refugees who grew up in other parts of the country?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think that the refugees who ended up in California either because they were put there by government policy or because they voluntarily migrated thought of themselves as lucky because of the weather, because of the diversity, because of the economic and social welfare opportunities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also had the advantage of living in strong Vietnamese-American centers of population. Whereas if you were in some city in Kansas there might've been 100 or 200 Vietnamese people. That made a big difference. You know you didn't grow up feeling alone. You had all of the typical problems of being a refugee but at least you had the community with its churches, its stores its social services, its language. And that helped people to create a sense of home a displaced home not in the old country, but still, a Little Saigon or something like it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So many of your stories touch on dislocation, a sense of not belonging. Do you still feel like a refugee?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I still feel like I am a refugee although I'm not certain whether I'm romanticizing myself. Obviously I am not a refugee in any material sense. I have made the transition as one colleague jokingly says from 'being refugee to bourgeoisie.' And no one would ever mistake me for a refugee unless I said it. But I feel like I've been shaped by my refugee experience and psychologically part of me is a refugee. I don't feel completely at home. I feel like I'm still somewhat of an outsider. And again maybe I cultivate that because being an outsider helps me to be a writer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You've just come off of the great success of \"The Sympathizer\" and now you're moving into this collection of short stories. What's that transition been like? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, it's an unreal experience because it took 20 years from the first words of this book to seeing it published. And I think in the last few years I'd resigned myself to the possibility that the book was never going to be published and I had actually gotten to the psychological mindset of thinking. \"Well I didn't waste 20 years of my life. I used those 20 years to learn how to be a writer.\" It's a feeling of relief more than anything else, seeing it out there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An excerpt from \"The Refugees\":\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>I liked school even summer school. It was like being on vacation from home. And at 3 o'clock I was always a little disappointed to walk the four blocks to the grocery store. My parents owned the new Saigon market where English was hardly ever spoken and Vietnamese was loud. My mother and father rarely left their posts. The cash registers flanking the entrance of a new Saigon. Customers always crowded the market. One of the few places in San Jose were the Vietnamese could buy the staples and spices of home. People haggled endlessly with my mother over everything beginning with a rock sugar which I pretended was yellow kryptonite and ending with the varieties of meat in the freezer from pork chops and catfish with a glint of light in their eyes to shoestring s of chewy tripe and packets of chicken hearts small and tender as button mushrooms. Can we just sell TV dinners, I asked once.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Vietnam Veteran Reconnects With Nurses 45 Years After Rescuing Them",
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"content": "\u003cp>Late in the evening of January 30, 1968, what nurse Carol Portner thought were fireworks celebrating the Vietnamese lunar New Year turned out to be mortar and gunfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It really sounded like fireworks,” Portner says. “And then it sounded like the war was just all over the city, people running and yelling. It was just total chaos, it was total chaos.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>North Vietnamese forces had launched a surprise attack on many South Vietnamese cities in what became known as the Tet Offensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=\"https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/232609119\" params=\"color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" iframe=\"true\" /]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portner was on a USAID mission treating patients with Bubonic plague and tuberculosis in a hospital in the coastal city of Nha Trang. She lived in a run-down French Colonial villa across from a U.S. military compound and was at the house when the attack happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We knew we were in critical danger but we didn’t know what to do,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portner and another nurse, Sally Maxwell, hid behind a steamer trunk in a closet. They covered themselves up with clothes. They could hear the footsteps of North Vietnamese soldiers in the house and even on the stairway up to their second story room. But in the morning, the soldiers who opened the door were American.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was like ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it, somebody’s come to rescue us,’” Portner says. “They gave us their helmets and they gave us their flak jackets and walked us across through all kinds of fire that was going on in the streets.” She had to avoid dead North Vietnamese and American soldiers on the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Army soldiers Ron Paliughi and Ed Smith whisked the nurses to the military compound, and then returned to the street fighting. Portner never saw them again. She knew that several soldiers had been killed that night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10755165\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-10755165\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-800x845.jpg\" alt=\"Ted Kennedy stands next to Maureen Orr and Carol Portner (L-R) during a visit Kennedy made to their hospital in Nha Trang, Vietnam.\" width=\"800\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-800x845.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-400x423.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-1440x1521.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-1180x1246.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-960x1014.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ted Kennedy stands next to Maureen Orr and Carol Portner (L-R) during a visit Kennedy made to their hospital in Nha Trang, Vietnam. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Carol Portner)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I think we were probably just in shock and didn’t want to know if the ones that rescued us were killed,” she says. “I don’t know what our thinking might have been at the time. It was so chaotic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paliughi remembers the event as if it were yesterday. “It was very intense, there was a lot of shooting, a couple of grenades were thrown,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The American unit across the street was having trouble getting into the villa. So Paliughi’s unit was called in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody knew where the nurses were, the thought was they were perhaps dead,” he says. “And we were sent in, my small group was asked to assist the unit in charge of security for this area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they got into the villa, there were bullet holes all over the walls. “We did not find them the first time so we went back in,” Paliughi says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’d thought they’d been abducted because we couldn’t find them, we almost walked out, but then I saw a foot or something behind a big steamer trunk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paliughi and Smith pulled the nurses out and protected them. “If it hadn’t been for those two, none of us would have lived,” Portner says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Nha Trang, Paliughi and Ed Smith deployed north. Smith was sent to the city of Hue. Paliughi says it was one of the bloodiest battles of the Tet Offensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10755171\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10755171 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/HueFighting-800x471.jpg\" alt=\"U.S. Marines taking sniper fire in Hue during the Tet Offensive.\" width=\"800\" height=\"471\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/HueFighting.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/HueFighting-400x236.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. Marines taking sniper fire in Hue during the Tet Offensive. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A lot of atrocities were committed by the North Vietnamese on the civilian population. I think Ed saw a lot of that and was really affected by it,” Paliughi says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But both soldiers survived the war, and came home. They remained good friends and were each other’s best man at their weddings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years ago, Paliughi stood grieving on a hillside in a rural cemetery in Indiana -- at Smith’s burial. He thought back to that New Year’s and the Tet Offensive, and decided as a tribute to Ed, he would find out what happened to the nurses they rescued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Knowing what he went through, I wanted to know that it had some meaning, I guess,” he says. “And I think when you’re an older person you think like that. When you’re a younger person, you don’t think like that. So that really spurred me on to try to find out what happened.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portner understands. “He wanted to know if what he had done and what Ed had done had been worth it in terms of the nurses at least because they had so many other things that went on after the Tet Offensive that I’m sure were just horrendous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'I wanted him to know that we had had wonderful lives, we had had rich and fulfilling lives, we had done some good things with our lives'\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Paliughi had looked for the nurses before but he always used the search terms military nurses. He didn’t realize they actually worked for USAID. Finally he just googled the name of the military compound and up popped a book called \u003ca href=\"http://www.amazon.com/The-Perennial-Wanderer-American-World/dp/1451224591\" target=\"_blank\">The Perennial Wanderer\u003c/a> written by a state department consultant named Steve Orr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one chapter, Orr, then a refugee officer, described how he and his now wife Maureen were also in the villa on the night of the attack. They were hiding under a mattress, terrified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paliughi read the book on his iPad on a sleepless night in Fresno. It gave him the chills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So I emailed him right there at 2 o’clock in the morning and said ‘I’m reading your book and I’m astounded that I found out finally what happened. If you get this email, please get back to me.’ And he did the next morning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turned out that Maureen Orr had worked with Carol Portner and Sally Maxwell in Vietnam. In fact Orr and Portner were good friends in Vietnam but lost touch with each other after they returned to the States. When Maureen heard about Paliughi, she decided to try harder to find Portner. She soon learned that they were both living in Florida, a few hours apart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maxwell had recently passed away. But the others have reunited twice in Florida. Portner says she was thrilled to finally meet Paliughi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had no idea that this man was alive and well, and was the soldier who saved my life,” Portner says. “I always thought it was the soldiers who lived in the MP compound across the street from our villa but it was Ron and his group of soldiers that had been asked to help out the MP group across the street from us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says she knows Paliughi carries the scars of war with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted him to know that we had had wonderful lives, we had had rich and fulfilling lives, we had done some good things with our lives,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just the answer Paliughi needed.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Late in the evening of January 30, 1968, what nurse Carol Portner thought were fireworks celebrating the Vietnamese lunar New Year turned out to be mortar and gunfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It really sounded like fireworks,” Portner says. “And then it sounded like the war was just all over the city, people running and yelling. It was just total chaos, it was total chaos.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>North Vietnamese forces had launched a surprise attack on many South Vietnamese cities in what became known as the Tet Offensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='100%' height='166'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/232609119&visual=true&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false'\n title='https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/232609119'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portner was on a USAID mission treating patients with Bubonic plague and tuberculosis in a hospital in the coastal city of Nha Trang. She lived in a run-down French Colonial villa across from a U.S. military compound and was at the house when the attack happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We knew we were in critical danger but we didn’t know what to do,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portner and another nurse, Sally Maxwell, hid behind a steamer trunk in a closet. They covered themselves up with clothes. They could hear the footsteps of North Vietnamese soldiers in the house and even on the stairway up to their second story room. But in the morning, the soldiers who opened the door were American.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was like ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it, somebody’s come to rescue us,’” Portner says. “They gave us their helmets and they gave us their flak jackets and walked us across through all kinds of fire that was going on in the streets.” She had to avoid dead North Vietnamese and American soldiers on the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Army soldiers Ron Paliughi and Ed Smith whisked the nurses to the military compound, and then returned to the street fighting. Portner never saw them again. She knew that several soldiers had been killed that night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10755165\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-10755165\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-800x845.jpg\" alt=\"Ted Kennedy stands next to Maureen Orr and Carol Portner (L-R) during a visit Kennedy made to their hospital in Nha Trang, Vietnam.\" width=\"800\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-800x845.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-400x423.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-1440x1521.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-1180x1246.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/NursesWithTedKennedy-960x1014.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ted Kennedy stands next to Maureen Orr and Carol Portner (L-R) during a visit Kennedy made to their hospital in Nha Trang, Vietnam. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Carol Portner)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I think we were probably just in shock and didn’t want to know if the ones that rescued us were killed,” she says. “I don’t know what our thinking might have been at the time. It was so chaotic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paliughi remembers the event as if it were yesterday. “It was very intense, there was a lot of shooting, a couple of grenades were thrown,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The American unit across the street was having trouble getting into the villa. So Paliughi’s unit was called in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody knew where the nurses were, the thought was they were perhaps dead,” he says. “And we were sent in, my small group was asked to assist the unit in charge of security for this area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they got into the villa, there were bullet holes all over the walls. “We did not find them the first time so we went back in,” Paliughi says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’d thought they’d been abducted because we couldn’t find them, we almost walked out, but then I saw a foot or something behind a big steamer trunk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paliughi and Smith pulled the nurses out and protected them. “If it hadn’t been for those two, none of us would have lived,” Portner says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Nha Trang, Paliughi and Ed Smith deployed north. Smith was sent to the city of Hue. Paliughi says it was one of the bloodiest battles of the Tet Offensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10755171\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-10755171 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/HueFighting-800x471.jpg\" alt=\"U.S. Marines taking sniper fire in Hue during the Tet Offensive.\" width=\"800\" height=\"471\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/HueFighting.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/HueFighting-400x236.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. Marines taking sniper fire in Hue during the Tet Offensive. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A lot of atrocities were committed by the North Vietnamese on the civilian population. I think Ed saw a lot of that and was really affected by it,” Paliughi says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But both soldiers survived the war, and came home. They remained good friends and were each other’s best man at their weddings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years ago, Paliughi stood grieving on a hillside in a rural cemetery in Indiana -- at Smith’s burial. He thought back to that New Year’s and the Tet Offensive, and decided as a tribute to Ed, he would find out what happened to the nurses they rescued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Knowing what he went through, I wanted to know that it had some meaning, I guess,” he says. “And I think when you’re an older person you think like that. When you’re a younger person, you don’t think like that. So that really spurred me on to try to find out what happened.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portner understands. “He wanted to know if what he had done and what Ed had done had been worth it in terms of the nurses at least because they had so many other things that went on after the Tet Offensive that I’m sure were just horrendous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'I wanted him to know that we had had wonderful lives, we had had rich and fulfilling lives, we had done some good things with our lives'\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Paliughi had looked for the nurses before but he always used the search terms military nurses. He didn’t realize they actually worked for USAID. Finally he just googled the name of the military compound and up popped a book called \u003ca href=\"http://www.amazon.com/The-Perennial-Wanderer-American-World/dp/1451224591\" target=\"_blank\">The Perennial Wanderer\u003c/a> written by a state department consultant named Steve Orr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one chapter, Orr, then a refugee officer, described how he and his now wife Maureen were also in the villa on the night of the attack. They were hiding under a mattress, terrified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paliughi read the book on his iPad on a sleepless night in Fresno. It gave him the chills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So I emailed him right there at 2 o’clock in the morning and said ‘I’m reading your book and I’m astounded that I found out finally what happened. If you get this email, please get back to me.’ And he did the next morning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turned out that Maureen Orr had worked with Carol Portner and Sally Maxwell in Vietnam. In fact Orr and Portner were good friends in Vietnam but lost touch with each other after they returned to the States. When Maureen heard about Paliughi, she decided to try harder to find Portner. She soon learned that they were both living in Florida, a few hours apart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maxwell had recently passed away. But the others have reunited twice in Florida. Portner says she was thrilled to finally meet Paliughi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had no idea that this man was alive and well, and was the soldier who saved my life,” Portner says. “I always thought it was the soldiers who lived in the MP compound across the street from our villa but it was Ron and his group of soldiers that had been asked to help out the MP group across the street from us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says she knows Paliughi carries the scars of war with him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted him to know that we had had wonderful lives, we had had rich and fulfilling lives, we had done some good things with our lives,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Jeffrey Blankfort Celebrates 80th Birthday by Putting His Historic Bay Area Photos Online",
"headTitle": "Jeffrey Blankfort Celebrates 80th Birthday by Putting His Historic Bay Area Photos Online | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>“Look at this guy wearing white bucks! He’s got white bucks on and the cops are dragging him away by the leg” exclaims \u003ca href=\"http://www.stephenehret.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stephen Ehret\u003c/a>, chuckling to himself as he clicks on a photograph of a 1964 San Francisco sit-in. “That’s a great picture. We need to get that up on the website,” Ehret observes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jeffrey Blankfort, whose photograph we have been discussing, turns to me and says, “See? This is what happens; there are too many photographs to choose from.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10140560\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-caddy.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-caddy.jpg\" alt=\"1964 sit-in at a Cadillac dealer in San Francisco; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\" width=\"640\" height=\"501\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10140560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-caddy.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-caddy-400x313.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-caddy-300x234.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">1964 sit-in at a Cadillac dealer in San Francisco; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We’re sitting in Ehret’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.icbbuilding.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sausalito art studio\u003c/a> among large-scale paintings of California landscapes. Ehret uploads scanned images to his friend’s online portfolio, which went live for the first time this year in honor of Blankfort’s 80th birthday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Ehret clicks, Blankfort regales me with stories of his photographic adventures, “You’ve got to tell me when to stop, I could go on forever,” Blankfort laughs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early 1960s, “before anybody had long hair,” Blankfort got his start as a photojournalist by documenting San Francisco sit-ins. These \u003ca href=\"http://www.naacp.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NAACP\u003c/a> demonstrations, like the one the buck-clad protester attended at the former Cadillac Agency on Van Ness, were a part of a critical effort to end racist hiring practices in the city, not only at car dealerships but also at hotels and restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are kids that go to school in the city and don’t know anything about the sit-ins. It’s a crime,” says Blankfort. This outrage drives Blankfort to share his photographs with the next generation to fill in the gaps in what he calls “sanitized history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the beginning of his career, Blankfort’s photographs have been shown in galleries and published in periodicals, books and retrospectives around the world. After getting his teaching credential later in life, Blankfort discovered his photographs could take on new significance in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At \u003ca href=\"http://www.wccusd.net/richmond\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Richmond High School\u003c/a>, Blankfort’s pictures of \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Black Panthers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Berets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Brown Berets\u003c/a> bridged the gap between history and modern struggles for many of his African-American and Latino students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10140561\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-panthers.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-panthers.jpg\" alt=\"Brown Berets and Black Panthers in Oakland, 1968; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10140561\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-panthers.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-panthers-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-panthers-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brown Berets and Black Panthers in Oakland, 1968; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Blankfort says, “The black students did not want to hear about Martin Luther King, but when I talked to them about the Black Panthers, some of them had family in the Panthers, and suddenly they wanted to listen. And the attitude of the class changed so much when I would bring my photographs in. They didn’t relate to the South, they related to what went on in the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the past three years, Blankfort has worked with artist Stephen Ehret and educator \u003ca href=\"http://www.allmindsmatter.com/About.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Caitlin Hoffman\u003c/a> to organize his countless photographs into a digital portfolio. The next step is to create more educational presentations that Blankfort can take to local campuses where students can benefit from his historical knowledge and first-hand accounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every student should know that until 1964 the Bay Area was just as racist as the South,” says Blankfort. Even today, Blankfort believes the Bay Area still has a long way to go towards attaining true equality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in 1934, Blankfort feels lucky to have grown up in a progressive household during a troubled era. His father worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood and produced the first African-American musical, \u003ca href=\"http://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/jump-for-joy-duke-ellingtons-celebratory-musical/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Jump for Joy\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, starring \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Duke Ellington\u003c/a>. He ended up blacklisted and struggled to support his family without compromising his politics. Blankfort says, “My father was a very principled person, as was my mother and I got a lot inspiration from them. They taught me not to keep a set of double books in life. If you have parents like that you know you can’t sell out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Identifying as an independent leftist, Blankfort puts his politics before his career, although they often intersect. Arrested five times — but never convicted — Blankfort was on a first name basis with some local police. Attending protests equipped with a helmet, a gas mask and his camera, Blankfort quickly learned how to pre-focus his camera so he could be ready at a moment’s notice. More than a few of his photographs were used to absolve the wrongfully accused or to provide restitution for the abused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In many cases, there would be no historical record of these events if Blankfort had not been there with his camera. “Today everyone has a cell phone camera, but there weren’t as many photographers at the time,” he says. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After traveling to Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Blankfort maintains that it is San Francisco in the early ’60s that truly stole his heart — and for keeps. He remembers the exact moment when he realized he had to live in San Francisco: It was while walking to the waterfront from \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraph_Hill,_San_Francisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Telegraph Hill\u003c/a> when he discovered someone playing bagpipes in their car at two o’clock in the morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10140562\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-window.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-window.jpg\" alt=\"1965 protest in Oakland; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\" width=\"640\" height=\"440\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10140562\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-window.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-window-400x275.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-window-300x206.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">1965 protest in Oakland; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact if it weren’t for San Francisco, Blankfort believes he never could have become a professional photographer. Thanks to what is now known as the \u003ca href=\"http://harveymilkphotocenter.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Harvey Milk Photography Center\u003c/a>, Blankfort was able to learn how to use a darkroom through observation and trial and error. In the early ’60s the scene in Sausalito was the center of his artistic career and the Bay Area remains his home base. He still recognizes familiar faces while grabbing a bite to eat at what used to be one of his favorite coffee houses, and greets another local, Arthur Sheradan, with a fist bump. Blankfort explains, “He was one of the leaders of the 1965 anti-war march from Berkeley to Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s the faces he no longer sees that remind Blankfort that many of his contemporaries are no longer with us. He recently attended the memorial for the influential Bay Area activist, \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Kochiyama\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yuri Kochiyama\u003c/a>, who held the dying \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Malcolm X\u003c/a> in her arms. “I’ve led — I think — a very privileged life. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had all these experiences and met a lot of amazing people along the way — some famous and many not — and been in the right places at the right times,” Blankfort adds, “and I’m still here!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Browse \u003ca href=\"http://jeffblankfortphotography.com/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">30 different galleries of Blankfort’s photography\u003c/a> now available on his website jeffblankfortphotography.com. You can also contact Blankfort from the site to inquire about educational presentations.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>“Look at this guy wearing white bucks! He’s got white bucks on and the cops are dragging him away by the leg” exclaims \u003ca href=\"http://www.stephenehret.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stephen Ehret\u003c/a>, chuckling to himself as he clicks on a photograph of a 1964 San Francisco sit-in. “That’s a great picture. We need to get that up on the website,” Ehret observes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jeffrey Blankfort, whose photograph we have been discussing, turns to me and says, “See? This is what happens; there are too many photographs to choose from.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10140560\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-caddy.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-caddy.jpg\" alt=\"1964 sit-in at a Cadillac dealer in San Francisco; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\" width=\"640\" height=\"501\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10140560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-caddy.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-caddy-400x313.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-caddy-300x234.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">1964 sit-in at a Cadillac dealer in San Francisco; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We’re sitting in Ehret’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.icbbuilding.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sausalito art studio\u003c/a> among large-scale paintings of California landscapes. Ehret uploads scanned images to his friend’s online portfolio, which went live for the first time this year in honor of Blankfort’s 80th birthday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Ehret clicks, Blankfort regales me with stories of his photographic adventures, “You’ve got to tell me when to stop, I could go on forever,” Blankfort laughs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early 1960s, “before anybody had long hair,” Blankfort got his start as a photojournalist by documenting San Francisco sit-ins. These \u003ca href=\"http://www.naacp.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NAACP\u003c/a> demonstrations, like the one the buck-clad protester attended at the former Cadillac Agency on Van Ness, were a part of a critical effort to end racist hiring practices in the city, not only at car dealerships but also at hotels and restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are kids that go to school in the city and don’t know anything about the sit-ins. It’s a crime,” says Blankfort. This outrage drives Blankfort to share his photographs with the next generation to fill in the gaps in what he calls “sanitized history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the beginning of his career, Blankfort’s photographs have been shown in galleries and published in periodicals, books and retrospectives around the world. After getting his teaching credential later in life, Blankfort discovered his photographs could take on new significance in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At \u003ca href=\"http://www.wccusd.net/richmond\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Richmond High School\u003c/a>, Blankfort’s pictures of \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Black Panthers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Berets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Brown Berets\u003c/a> bridged the gap between history and modern struggles for many of his African-American and Latino students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10140561\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-panthers.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-panthers.jpg\" alt=\"Brown Berets and Black Panthers in Oakland, 1968; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10140561\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-panthers.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-panthers-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-panthers-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brown Berets and Black Panthers in Oakland, 1968; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Blankfort says, “The black students did not want to hear about Martin Luther King, but when I talked to them about the Black Panthers, some of them had family in the Panthers, and suddenly they wanted to listen. And the attitude of the class changed so much when I would bring my photographs in. They didn’t relate to the South, they related to what went on in the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the past three years, Blankfort has worked with artist Stephen Ehret and educator \u003ca href=\"http://www.allmindsmatter.com/About.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Caitlin Hoffman\u003c/a> to organize his countless photographs into a digital portfolio. The next step is to create more educational presentations that Blankfort can take to local campuses where students can benefit from his historical knowledge and first-hand accounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every student should know that until 1964 the Bay Area was just as racist as the South,” says Blankfort. Even today, Blankfort believes the Bay Area still has a long way to go towards attaining true equality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in 1934, Blankfort feels lucky to have grown up in a progressive household during a troubled era. His father worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood and produced the first African-American musical, \u003ca href=\"http://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/jump-for-joy-duke-ellingtons-celebratory-musical/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003ci>Jump for Joy\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, starring \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Duke Ellington\u003c/a>. He ended up blacklisted and struggled to support his family without compromising his politics. Blankfort says, “My father was a very principled person, as was my mother and I got a lot inspiration from them. They taught me not to keep a set of double books in life. If you have parents like that you know you can’t sell out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Identifying as an independent leftist, Blankfort puts his politics before his career, although they often intersect. Arrested five times — but never convicted — Blankfort was on a first name basis with some local police. Attending protests equipped with a helmet, a gas mask and his camera, Blankfort quickly learned how to pre-focus his camera so he could be ready at a moment’s notice. More than a few of his photographs were used to absolve the wrongfully accused or to provide restitution for the abused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In many cases, there would be no historical record of these events if Blankfort had not been there with his camera. “Today everyone has a cell phone camera, but there weren’t as many photographers at the time,” he says. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After traveling to Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Blankfort maintains that it is San Francisco in the early ’60s that truly stole his heart — and for keeps. He remembers the exact moment when he realized he had to live in San Francisco: It was while walking to the waterfront from \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraph_Hill,_San_Francisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Telegraph Hill\u003c/a> when he discovered someone playing bagpipes in their car at two o’clock in the morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10140562\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-window.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-window.jpg\" alt=\"1965 protest in Oakland; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\" width=\"640\" height=\"440\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10140562\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-window.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-window-400x275.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/blankfort-window-300x206.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">1965 protest in Oakland; Photo by Jeffrey Blankfort\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact if it weren’t for San Francisco, Blankfort believes he never could have become a professional photographer. Thanks to what is now known as the \u003ca href=\"http://harveymilkphotocenter.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Harvey Milk Photography Center\u003c/a>, Blankfort was able to learn how to use a darkroom through observation and trial and error. In the early ’60s the scene in Sausalito was the center of his artistic career and the Bay Area remains his home base. He still recognizes familiar faces while grabbing a bite to eat at what used to be one of his favorite coffee houses, and greets another local, Arthur Sheradan, with a fist bump. Blankfort explains, “He was one of the leaders of the 1965 anti-war march from Berkeley to Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s the faces he no longer sees that remind Blankfort that many of his contemporaries are no longer with us. He recently attended the memorial for the influential Bay Area activist, \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Kochiyama\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yuri Kochiyama\u003c/a>, who held the dying \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Malcolm X\u003c/a> in her arms. “I’ve led — I think — a very privileged life. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had all these experiences and met a lot of amazing people along the way — some famous and many not — and been in the right places at the right times,” Blankfort adds, “and I’m still here!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"id": "baycurious",
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"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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},
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},
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"order": 8
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"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"order": 1
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"title": "Forum",
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"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
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"meta": {
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"source": "WNYC"
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"jerrybrown": {
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
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"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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