The Vietnam Oral History Project

Northern Refugee

2011-02-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

Interviewed MR. DANG NGUYEN on February 6, 2011 at his home in Louisville South End. Interviewed by Thao Tran, Ngoc Uyen Nguyen, and Tuan Anh Vu.

Our oral history journey took us three interviewers to a Sunday afternoon in South Louisville with Mr. Dang Nguyen, an eager storyteller. He seemed to be at the stage in his life where he has made peace with a lot of his past. His experience is unique to our collection in that his family migrated from North Vietnam to the western region of the country during the Vietnam War, under South Vietnamese government’s protection.

His family was granted land and supplies to farm and raise live stocks while provided his services to the military. He was accommodating in answering our questions, supplementing answers with dates and historical facts that not only were of anthropological and political significance, but also of interest to us young Vietnamese Americans—a generation so far removed from this time period. Mr. Dang shared both professional and personal stories. He shared details of his military training days and battlefield experience. He shared happy moments such as that of visitation days, when high school and college girls visited the soldiers on the base, as well as more somber ones.

He spoke of danger as a guaranteed part of war, “We were sitting around talking one day when a bomb fell and killed a comrade right in front of our eyes.” When asked how he coped with moments like those and managed to stay in action without letting the trauma damaged his morale, he replied “We all did what we had to, especially if you were a leader. I was in command of others and I had to show my men the importance of keeping my spirit strong.” Like many others, Mr. Dang also suffered the hardships of the Communist Vietnamese’s “reeducation camp,” though he gave few details of the experience.

He commented that the experience was difficult, but showed little emotions, not even a trace of bitterness. Instead, he seemed to have embraced the practicality of living in the present. In parting, he left us with the advice: hard work is the vehicle to one’s success in life. He elaborated on how his family, in following this work ethics—all the adults started working within a few months of immigrating to the U.S., has managed to do secure a stable, successful life for themselves.

Lan Young

2010-12-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

Interviewed LAN YOUNG on November 29, 2010 at her home with the presence of her husband, JAMES YOUNG. Interviewed by Tuan Anh Vu and Kevin Tran.

*Interviewee requested that no photo be taken.

Most Vietnamese in America came after 1975, they were either part of that initial mass exodus out of Vietnam crossing oceans and mined-borders or they are of the second wave that came under the sponsorship of charity organizations or relatives already living in the States. Lan Young, a resident of Kentuckiana since the age of 23, is a rare exception in that she left Vietnam, by herself, in 1973, two years before the end of the war.

So when the VOH project team became aware of her, we jumped at the opportunity to get her story. Initially very reluctant, she was eventually convinced to participate in the project, partly due the gentle encouragement of her husband, James Young.

Outside of her work hours as a hairstylist, Mrs. Young spends much of her times sharing grandparent duties with her husband in their house in Jeffersonville, where gigantic traditional Vietnamese lacquered paintings and small Buddha statues compliment the oak dining table and the flushed cream colored sofas.

Judging from the house décor and her lingering Vietnamese accent that is coupled with an American southern twain, it is easy to see that despite having lived in America for more than half her life, she still retains her Vietnamese identity.

Before starting the interview, Mrs. Young made it known to us that she will not be divulging too much of her personal life, yet soon after we hit the record button, she was already telling us stories of family turbulence, how she had met her husband “through a steamed-bun”. Or how difficult life was when she had to drop out of school at the age of 16 to work to help feed her younger siblings after her father had passed away, how even at 13, she was already working at brick factory when not in school. Despite the physical hardship, she never stopped to pity herself as she felt that it was her life purpose to work for her family, especially for the education and future of her younger siblings. There was no time for herself or romance.

Yet, James and Lan managed to find each other and later settled in Kentucky. Her life before, during and after the war is filled with stories that are both humorous and sad about her family, her connection to Vietnam, and her amazing ability to cope with the most adverse of circumstances.

Louisville's Restauranteur

2010-10-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

Interviewed HUONG TRAN on Oct. 14, 2010 at her home, which she calls a "free hotel." Interviewed by Khoa Le, Van Tran, Ngoc Uyen Nguyen, Tuan Anh Vu. Photographed by Frank Bui.

Mrs. Tran, affectionately known to many youths in the Vietnamese community as "co Huong" or auntie Huong, is a successful entrepreneur in Louisville noted for her famous vegetarian restaurant Zen Garden located on Frankfort Avenue. Crediting her positive stubbornness, trust in people, and self-imposed pressure to be a good Vietnamese immigrant ambassador as the ingredients to her success, she now enjoys a comfortable life of meditations in the morning, travels on impulse, and good company to her zen-like "free hotel" on the weekends.

Of course, like many immigrants featured in this project, she had to put in her time toiling towards financial success. She recounted with squint eye giggles the early days of coming home from an ice cream packaging factory job in tears from shock of the manual labor that she was not accustomed to as a daughter of a privileged family in Vietnam. Eventually prevailing over the emotional and cultural obstacles with diligence towards her work, she was soon rewarded an opportunity to pursue her "Vietnamese McDonald's" restaurant dream: The Eggroll Machine Restaurant. An inspiration from a simple hamburger lunch she had with her American sponsor at a downtown McDonald's. She shared with us her moment of eureka, "Hm, why serve them when they can serve themselves? It's so easy! (big laugh)". It was only the beginning of her many successful ventures.

Not only did she let in us into her stories of success as a business woman, she also shared with us her private sentiments towards Vietnam. Nostalgic for the good old days of community and human relationships, she confessed to having been disappointed on her return to Vietnam to find that economic progress of Vietnam has somehow regressed the human and communal integrity of the people. Which is why she remains in Louisville. She is someone who values human connectivity and community -- virtues that she senses Louisville still possesses. And like others immigrants who have succeed by the grace of kind Louisvillians, she wants to give back something to a city and people that have given her much of what she has today.

Co Houng is an optimist and with many wonderful stories of her early times in America. Like when her $200 car's entire engine caught on fire but she refused to junk the car for she thought it would be a waste of an entire car for just a broken engine. Or how she cried from her feeling of shame for having taken out a mortage because only the poor in Vietnam borrows. Fortunately, she was consoled by her neighbors that only good people with good credit can borrow in America. For some of us at the interview, these stories and many, many others were truly a cultural clash of comedy. At the end of the interview, we all walked away with a full stomach of delicious vegetarian food and a reinforced appreciation for the power of optimism, trust and hard work.

Participating in U of L Oral History Workshop

2010-10-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

The University of Louisville recently held an Oral History Workshop where Crane House executive director, Bryan Warren and project member, Tuan Vu, were among the participants. The event had a distinguished roster of speakers in the field of oral history such as Tracy K'Meyer, U of L Chair of the History Department and Co-Director of U of L's Oral History Center, Michael Frisch (left), creator of Randforce. Randforce is an organization focused on advancing oral history scholarship and public practice in the digital age. Frish is also a professor of American Studies and History/Senior Research Scholar at the University at Buffalo, SUNY.

During the five-hour event, Tuan and Bryan shared with participants the Vietnamese Oral History Project and were able to extract a handsome amount of useful information and tips. Frisch also stopped by Crane House to view our exhibit. He gave positive feedback, suggested an archival mechanism for interviews, and exchanged stories of his experience with other oral history projects.

Randforce Website: http://www.randforce.com/

The Sculptor and The Widow

2010-10-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Interviewed NGOC PHAN on Oct. 3, 2010 at the Allstate Office in South Louisville, Ky. Interviewed by Van Tran, Quang Le, Tuan Anh Vu. Photographed by Frank Bui.

"Live righteously, live joyously", this is Mr. Phan's personal maxim for the past 52 years. Mr. Phan is a sculptor who has been residing in Louisville for more than half his life, since 1975. Although Mr. Phan is deeply attached to his Vietnamese heritage, he has kept his distance from the Vietnamese community in Louisville. When his wife, who is not of Vietnamese descent, heard about our project, she encouraged him to share his story. She knew that her husband's stories of survival and rebirth had to be told and preserved. We first met this extraordinary couple at the opening of "Tieng Noi Luu Vong" in August. And this past Sunday, it all finally coalesced into a riveting and emotional two-hour interview this past Sunday.

Phan is an idealist, whose whimsical charm, humility and faith are clear. With his captivating style of story-telling, he retold stories of desperate and ominous situations that always eventually ended on the sunny side. Stories like when he had fallen asleep in an American Army jeep as a boy and was fired upon mercilessly by U.S. soldiers who had mistaken him for a Communist guerilla. He was wounded badly, but he miraculously survived with not a pint of hate or anger towards the young and nervous Americans who shot at him. Rather, with a solemn tone and his finger pointing to the ceiling, he exclaimed that "we have to thank all the soldiers -- Vietnamese and Americans. They did not travel half the world to die for nothing.”

His stories captivate you like those good old fashion ghost stories you hear around the campfire. With masterful command of his audience, he recounted how he once had to swim out to sea towards a black dot on the horizon to escape an advancing Communist Army using only a of piece styrofoam as floatation. Exhausted to his physical limit, Mr. Phan finally reached the boat but was met with the butt of an M-16 to his head. He fell straight back to the sea with blood gushing from his head and no strength to swim back to shore. It doesn't end there, of course, but it is only Mr. Phan’s charisma that can do justice and carry the incredible story the rest of the way. A good enough reason to be present at 2011 exhibit.

Mr. phan also shared his experience living as a Vietnamese in Louisville in the 70s and 80s. The loneliness, racial prejudice, uncertainty of the well being of his family in Vietnam, yet also, the sense of rebirth, a second chance, the passionate drive and motivating pride stemming from his Vietnamese identity. "You never stray far from home no matter how long you've been away". He admitted proudly his burst of uncontrollable tears when his foot touched the tarmac of Tan Son Nhat Airport in 1992. He proudly paraded his Hue (central Vietnam) accent, bragged about his Vietnamese cooking and his Kentucky-borned kids who adore all things Vietnam.

Incredible war stories, physical wounds to the body, emotional resilience and recovery, an engaging and contagious spirit, Mr. Phan's life is a story that will sure captivate.

Interviewed NGUYEN NGOC LAN on Sept. 29, 2010 at Home of Nguyen Ngoc Lan in South Louisville, Ky. Interviewed by Tuan Anh Vu. Photographed by Frank Bui.

A mother of three, a Vietnam War veteran widow of two decades, and a community-minded individual. With some reluctance, Mrs. Nguyen was eventual coaxed into giving an interview by a member of the Vietnamese Oral History Project team, Ngoc Uyen, her daughter.

Mrs. Nguyen, once the daughter of a high-ranking military officer with privileges, she spent most of her childhood carefree and untouched by tragedies, poverty, deaths, and violence -- all those things that were quietly omnipresence in Vietnam during that tumultuous time. That is, until the Tet offensive of 1968 when Communist guerillas infiltrated many peacefully unguarded cities in the South of Vietnam, including Saigon. And for the first time, young Ngoc Lan realized that her country was at war. She recounted how afraid she was of the invading Communists, not merely because they might kill her, but because she might be forced to wed one. For the remaining years of the war, Mrs. Nguyen lived relatively comfortable. She went to a prestigious college for advanced mathematics and computer while enjoying most of what the metropolis Saigon had to offer.

During the days of Saigon's collapse in 1975, she relived the terror of the 1968 Tet Offensive as Communist tanks rolled onto the streets of Saigon wavering red flags revealing who was who amongst the neighbors. Once again, afraid to be wedded to a Communist soldier, she was hidden in the house of a man who has lived by their house for as long as she can remember. He was a Communist who had a soft heart and a sense of reciprocity for the family that helped him in the past when he needed food and money. Wanting to escape by boat, her mother did not allow the family to break apart, " 'it's better we die together than live alone separately', my mother used to say".

Much later after the war, she rebuilt her life and married. Her husband, a Vietnamese who was trained as an English teacher in America during the war, taught, as did she, under the new Communist Vietnam. Eventually, they made their way to America, at first California, and then Kentucky. As a stay-at-home wife, she led a comfortable life until the sudden death of her husband. In shock, with little English skill, three kids to nurture, and not even a driver license to go find a job. She was lost and scared. With tears held back, she recounted being angry with herself for not being stronger for the sake of children who still needed her. Eventually, she dusted herself off and began enrolling in night classes at JCC and worked at full-time job. Mrs. Nguyen recounted how close-knit the Vietnamese Community was then when people simply arrived at her steps to offer a drive to the grocery, or company help bare the burden of a widow. No appointments needed. All that is no longer there. The Community doesn't need itself anymore, and for her, it is bittersweet.

Project featured in Leo Weekly

2010-09-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

Our project was featured in this week's Leo. Here are excerpts from the full article by Dominic Russ:

"...the most unique contribution to this oral history archive comes from former South Vietnamese Army soldiers. In the past, (MSU Professor) Ernst had trouble finding any veteran SVA, much less getting them to open up. It took this kind of interest and appreciation on behalf of the Vietnamese community to unlock their stories."

"Ultimately, “Moving Voices” demonstrates how history doesn’t begin with books or television, but with people in a room sharing experiences. It was born out of the simple desire of our community to know where we live and to enrich our collective narrative with all the voices that are yet to be heard."

Project featured in The Courier Journal

2010-09-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

Our project was featured in The Courier-Journal on September 21, 2010. Here is an excerpt from the full article by Elizabeth Kramer:

"Earlier this year, Yung Nguyen was asked to tell his story — of his life growing up in Vietnam, and the wars. While his parents worked to shelter him from the violence, he recalls seeing a bomb explode in restaurant just blocks away from his school and a particular story about a relative.

'He was prosecuted and they tied him up, put him out in the open field under the sun, in an open field,” he said, “and just left him there to die under the sun. But he didn't die right away. It took him a long time to die and eventually his wife actually bribed a soldier to shoot him to end his suffering...”

Opening of Tiếng Nói Lưu Vong: Moving Voices From Vietnam

2010-09-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

The day began early with the humming of foot traffic about the Crane House and the rhythmic taps of keyboards as project members were busy finalizing details for the night's opening. After more than half a year, nine interviews, countless pizza boxes, and a few very late nights scribbling sessions, the 10 member team finally reached a milestone in the project. On August 6th, 1244 South Third Street was abuzz with an enthused audience of Americans and Vietnamese for Tieng Noi Luu Vong: Moving Voices From Vietnam.

Dede Tran and Quang Le gave the introductory address to the demographically diverse crowd in both English and Vietnamese. While Van Tran and Bryan Warren followed with their words of acknowledgements to the project's supporters and to give a special gift to Helen Lang. But the night's most moving voice was that of Tam Duong in her short bi-lingual speech about her reasoning for participating in the project. After the rapturous attention and applause for Tam's speech, the audience began their ascend to the second part of the exhibit which was of the presentations led by Morehead State University professor, John Ernst, of the short sound-slides of the interviewees thus far. Unfortunately, technical problems with audio arose immediately but were eventually bandaged.

Thanks to Thao Tran's resourcefulness and enthusiasm, the audience's attention was diverted away from the technical issue and towards her charm and experience with the project. Following the presentation were some interesting questions and participation from the audience, including a Vietnamese refugee's own story of going back to Vietnam. While the presentation was taking place upstair, members of the project were busy in the photo portion of the exhibit accommodating and engaging the guests. Much of the people who attended the night's opening milled about the floor of the exhibit, as did the project members, until 10pm when the team celebrated their accomplishment with a late night dinner at Vietnam Kitchen thanks to Van Tran and her husband.

Though with the departure of two of the project members who have now gone on to amazing new ventures of their own--Dede Tran, the project lead, is currently pursuing her law degree at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, while Thao Tran will be exploring much of Southeast Asia for the next three months--the team hopes to regather and continue on ahead after a much needed hiatus.

Photos by photographer Andrew Thai:

For even more photos, visit our Facebook page and click on photos page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crane-House/371427277552

The Audio Misadventure of Bryan, Van, Quang, Tam and Tuan

2010-08-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

Date & Time: July-August at various time
Location: Various
Interviewee: Bryan Warren, Van Tran, Quang Le, Tam Duong & Tuan Anh Vu

Oral History Team:
Interviewer 1 – Tuan Anh Vu
Interviewer 2 - Bryan Warren
Photographer - Frank Bui

Summary: Five voices, one mic, multiple rerecording sessions due to Tuan's incompetence with the audio equipment, and many tender hours spent on Audacity, Soundslides, and VDict.com.

Van Tran is a classic immigrant success story, a living proof of that American Dream. Immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in 1984, trained as an engineer in Louisville, climbed her way up the corporate ladder at Humana, and now continuing her success as a workaholic business woman. She was one of the catalysts for this project and it has been her persistence and passion that have kept many of the project members committed and going.

For Van, this project is an opportunity to give thanks to those who have made her immigrant success story possible; the Americans and Vietnamese who participated in the war who are, in her opinion, continue to be under-recognized and ill-thanked.

This endeavor for Van is also an attempt to convey what it means to be the first generation to their progeny by having them listen, watch, and be present during the hurt of conjuring up old tragic memories. "You guys have it so easy here. I want you to appreciate everything you got and all the sacrifices that made it possible".

Likewise for Quang Le, who came as a Vietnamese immigrant, now a successful American entrepreneur, dedicated Crane House volunteer, and one of the few early believers of the project, he wants this project to be a message from him -- and the Vietnamese generation he represents -- to the parent generation to let them know that the privileges and golden chances that they've been enjoying have not been squandered. And like Van, he feels a certain duty to give due thanks to those who came before, who were past victims of war, but in his mind, may be heros for future generations.

A humble and heavy dose of responsibility to bow head and give thanks was a dominant theme for the Vietnamese participants.

It was no different with Tam Duong. A nurse, University of Louisville graduate, and a grateful daughter. Recounting with trembling gratitude and voice the difficulties that arose during the early stages of her family's resettlement in America, she articulated her frustration and confusion at the time from the sudden reversal of familial roles. " I used to be the ones with questions for mom, but then when we came here, I became the one with all the answers for her...I was her interpreter, her cultural guide in America".

Now a grown pensive adult with self-imposed responsibilities, she too, like Quang and Van, wants to seize the occasion to tell the fathers and mothers who left everything, arriving in America with nothing that "their voices, actions, and sacrifices have not been forgotten".

Alongside wanting to convey her sense of indebtedness to her family, Tam also feels that this is an important chance for the Vietnamese to take control of "our story (the Vietnamese experience during the war and after)". She feels that what is learnt in public schools about the Vietnam War isn't enough.

This is a shared opinion with Tuan Anh Vu, who is interested in the "human stories" of the war more so than other aspects that, in his opinion, have been thoroughly examined and dissected in countless textbooks. It is the human faces, the small anecdotes during the interviews that reveals giant pictures, the still lingering cultural accents of the immigrant subjects and their adaptation that are most intriguing for him.

He hopes that the exhibit will also shed light on the Vietnamese presence in Louisville, "why we're here, what we've done, and are doing..."

Of course, without the support and guidance of the Crane House and its staffs, in particular, Bryan Warren, this project might have never existed at all. Bryan outlined clearly the aspirations for the project from his perspective as the Director of The Crane House.

The aim of this project, according to Bryan, is to preserve and document the voices and evidences of a group of immigrants, Louisvillians, Americans, while it is still possible, of their experience before, during and after the immigrant status. "Imagine what it would have been like to have interviewed the Irish, German, Polish immigrants who came here (back in the days)". These archival information would not only be an immensely valuable resource for historians and other academics, but also to the city of Louisville as it is a piece of its heritage preserved for the next generation.

Bryan also eluded to the fact that it is not only about piercing into the past of one group. For the Crane House, "this has very much the potential to be a national model for other project (with immigrant communities)". It is with this hope that many lessons will be learned and methods honed for use with other immigrant communities in Louisville and nationwide.

It is without a doubt that everyone interviewed was hugely delighted of how far this project has gone and is optimistic about its future. Of course, all felt that there are areas for improvements, but these are minor things that are overlapped by the positive aspects such as the privilege to hear the intimate and moving voices of the interviewees and our bonding experience as we highly untrained partcipants learn to put this amazing project together.

John Ernst, The Vietnam War Scholar

2010-07-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Date & Time: Thursday, July 1st at 5 PM
Location: Professor John Ernst's Office at Morehead State University
Interviewee: John Ernst, Vietnam War Scholar

Oral History Team:
Interviewer 1 – Dede Tran
Interviewer 2/Photographer – Tuan Anh Vu

Summary: After a two hour drive with the green and hills of Kentucky flanking both sides of our car windows, we arrived to the vacant summer campus of Morehead State University.

Greeting us from our car was John Ernst with a smile and an escort to his office where the books on the wars of the world were stocked without a gap to spare.

John Ernst is a historian, Vietnam War scholar and a professor of history at Morehead State University. Author of The War That Never Ends and Forging A Fateful Alliance. Trained at the University of Kentucky under one of the leading figures on The Vietnam War, George Herring, author of America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam. John has been a major contributor to the VNOH project, advising on interview questions, as well as participating in an interview with a former Vietnamese operative working with the CIA during the war.

The interview began with the interviewee questioning the interviewers. It'd seem that John, with a certain southern professor sensibility and charm, was just as curious about us, our Vietnamese American experience, as were we of him and his scholarly work. Our scripted interview questions were not only satisfied by his articulate answers but were branched outward to other engrossing and personal subjects by his candid thoughts and words.

John, having been too young for military service, experienced the war in black and white with Walter Cronkite on his grandparents' television set. He elucidated with a grain of franked humor about the America's relationship with The Vietnam War. From how the release of the film Apocalypse Now in 1979, shortly after the end of the war, captured the surreal and dark nature of the war for veterans -- and America, to Rambo and Chuck Norris in the 80s and 90s when an action hero meant a Vietnam Vet.

The reiteration of the importance of understanding the war through different vantage points in order for America to finally come to term with the impacts of the war, both in terms of human casualty and psychological cost, was a strong theme coming from this Vietnam War scholar during our forty minutes conversation. Thus, he applauded the Vietnam Oral History Project for our attempt to facilitate the views and voices that have been, in his words "lost rather than ignored" in the past.

Our conversation with John ended, not in his office but at our car, not because our words ran dry but by the long drive home and the sinking sun, not with a usual formal farewell and thank you but with a raincheck invitation for dinner.

The adventures of Thao, Frank, Uyen & Dede

2010-05-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Interview Date and Time: April 3, 4 p.m.-ish
Interview Location: Homemade Pie and Kitchen on Shelbyville Road
Interviewees: Thao, Frank, Uyen and Dede

Summary: Since we did not have any interview set up for this week, we thought it would be the perfect weekend to interview each other and reflect on the project's progress thus far. It was initially set up as a groupd interview, where we left the recorder in the middle of the table and discussed issues as a group. Eventually, we switched to individually interview where we took turns interviewing each other. Bryan prepared 10 questions for us.

We started with the group's reflection on what we've learned, what we hope to get out of the project, the challenges and possible ideas for improvement. The exciting details will be revealed at the exhibit! (it's been two months, so details are a little hazy).

As a group, we agreed that that biggest challenge is recruiting interviewees who are willing to share their story. Reasons: misunderstandings about the Crane House's mission, paranoina, unwillingness to revisit a painful past, busy schedules, and the list goes on. We brainstormed ideas such as conducting group interviews, recruiting a respected veteran to recruit other veterans, and/or focusing on other groups (civilians).

We also talked about reasons why we chose to be a part of the project, the majority because so we can learn more about our parents' and elders' stories, the minority because his gf made him.

We ended the interview discussing the characteristics and the amazing contributions of our other team members who were not there, mainly Anh Quang, Van, Ha and Tam. We also talked about Frank's photography skills while he was checking out the deserts and ice cream; Dede, Uyen, and Thao while they conveniently stepped outside.

Look for the soundslides of this exciting interview in July at Crane House!

Yung Nguyen, student during the War

2010-04-19T09:16:00.001-07:00

Interview Dates & Times: Sunday, April 16 & 23 at 10 AM
Locations: IVS Office at 10001 Linn Station Rd and his home at 18421 Bridgemore Ln, , Louisville, KY
Interviewee: Yung Nguyen, Student during the War

Oral History Team:

Interviewer 1 – Dede Tran

Interviewer 2 – Quang Le

Recorder & Note Taker – Ha Phan

Photographer & Videographer – Van Tran & Bryan Warren

Summary: Yung Nguyen is a successful and respected entreprenuer and inventor in the Louisville area. He was born in Saigon during the Vietnam War, which confounded his future in Vietnam and eventually led him on a suspensfully dangerous journey to America. On April 16 and 23, he sat down with us to share the salient details of his story about escaping Communism and discovering success in America.

The first part of our interview with Yung took place at the office of IVS, a voting services company he founded. Seated at the helm of the desk, Yung, without hesitation, took us back to post-colonial Vietnam where he said his parents, former civil servants, were forced to flee from their northern hometowns. If they would have remained there, he said, they would have had to endure immediate scorn, abuse, and even the penalty of death under Hanoi's new reign of communism.

With great candor and clairity, he recalled how with only the clothes on their backs, his family trekked to Saigon, the American-back capital city of Southern Vietnam. There, Yung said, he was able to grow up sheltered from his parents' afflictive past and most of the horrific toils of the civil war.

In responding to questions about his wartime political views, Yung was critical of the Communist government. Characteristically careful in choosing his words, Yung censured the government for its excessive control over civil liberities and rights, corruption, and pettiness. He said towns were nearly driven into famine because of the government's inflexibly tight control on the movement of food supply throughout the country.

His stories about the state of Vietnam during and right after the Communist takeover were both thrilling and chilling. But it was the tale of his escape by foot from Vietnam into Communist infested Cambodia then to America that is unbelievably extraordinary.

In our attempts to allure the public with our project, we will save the details of his escape for the exhibit or feel free to come to Crane House and listen to the recording.

Due to time constraints, the first part of his interview ended abruptly as he was recounting his desolate days in Cambodia. A week later we met up with Yung at his east Louisville home to collect the rest of his story.

Below, we are pictured seated in the parlor of his home.

Here, Yung shows us his patents on his victim notification and electronic voting software.

In the end, we learned the story behind the man whom the Louisville Vietnamese community for decacdes has held in high regard because of his accomplishments and community work. His ascent from humble beginnings to deserved prosperity reaffirms that the American dream is still accessible and his close encounters with death make us believe in fate again. His story is sure to please and enlighten when it is featured in our 2011 exhibit.

Vietnam Veteran William LeQuyLai

2010-03-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

Interview Date & Time: Saturday, March 28, 3 - 5:30 PM
Interview Location: Boat People SOS 5330 S. 3rd St., Louisville, KY
Interviewee(s): William LeQuyLai, Vietnamese Veteran
Oral History Team:
Interviewer 1 – Van Tran
Interviewer 2 – NgocUyen Nguyen
Recorder & Note Taker – NgocUyen Nguyen, Van Tran, Ha Phan
Photographer & Videographer – Frank Bui
Forms – Thao Tran
Set up – Deanna Tran
Transcriber/Translator –Ha Phan

Summary: The interview took place on a beautiful sunny Saturday. To our relief, Vietnamese Veteran Mr. William LeQuyLai (bac Lai as we call him in Vietnamese) showed up at 3:15 for his rescheduled interview. The interview kicked off on a hesitant note, as Lai questioned our interviewers, Van & Uyen, on the details of our project and Crane House’s involvement both in the project and the community at large. Van did a great job addressing Lai's concerns, both through answering his direct questions and in a formal greeting she prepared in Vietnamese.

Brian, the executive director of Crane House, arrived with his son Turner and was introduced to Lai. Shortly after, an offer was made to take Lai and members of the Elderly Association on a tour at Crane House in order to assure him that Crane House is a friendly cultural organization with apolitical leanings. Addressing Lai's concerns took a good twenty minutes, which is far longer than the time it took for prepping any other interviewee thus far.

From the very beginning, Lai proved to be an outgoing interviewee, as he started by explaining his reasoning for changing his name to "William" after becoming a U.S. citizen with comical play on words. Having lived through both the French occupation and the Vietnam War, Lai had a lot to share with our team.

Lai’s style of answering was both comical and colorful. His answers were always full of personal stories, interspersed with Vietnamese curse words, French words and English words. Van was the main interviewer for the day, asking most of the questions. Uyen sat in as back-up and support. Frank worked in the background taking pictures and videotaping.

The interview lasted about two hours, longer than the amount of time projected, and it still seemed as though Lai didn’t get to tell all of his stories. For example, the question of how Lai left Vietnam took more than 30 minutes to answer, as Lai had to take us through his life listing his numerous attempts to earn a living after the Vietnam War, in order to sufficiently answer. Surprisingly, it was finally through selling ice cream on the back of his bicycle that Lai finally was able to earn enough money to support his family, made social connections and obtained the opportunity to escape Vietnam as one of the many Boat People.

We took our first break after an hour and a half. The second half of the interview was short, the answers seemed almost rushed due to time constraints and our worries that not all questions would get asked.

We closed the interview with Lai showing us some of his artifacts he’ll be lending to our exhibit. Upon request, Lai read to us a few verses of poetry that he had composed. Despite the years that have passed, he was still able to recall and share jingle-like verses that he had “composed” during his ice cream selling days to attract customers.

Lai is a man of many words and many stories. He gave us many answers, and at times asked that his answered be kept “off the record.” Interviewers struggled to let him tell his story, yet at the same time keep the interview at a desirable pace. Van did a great job for her first interview. Her command of the Vietnamese language and her experience of being a boat person were great assets, as they seem to help her better understand the interviewee’s answers.

Thao worked with Lai to sign off forms that granted us over 30 objects to our exhibit. Lai kept one object, saying he would lend it later.

He also requested that he hear the edited edition of the interview before signing the main form of consent. His caution is understandable (considering all the hardship he has lived through), and we agreed to his conditions.

From this interview we learned that our project needs to be better explained for our interviewees so that they can feel more comfortable sharing their personal stories and that there are unaddressed concerns in the community regarding Crane House and what it stands for.

The interview brought out several other things we need to work on: collaborative efforts between interviewers when doubling up, time management, gaining the trust of our interviewees, explaining the project’s purpose to interviewees.

This report was prepared by NgocUyen Nguyen.

Amerasians Le Thi Kim Nhung and Go Trieu

2010-03-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

Interview Date & Time: March 21, 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Interview Location: 839 Iroquois Ave, Louisville, KY
Interviewee(s): Le Thi Kim Nhung and Go Trieu, Amerasians
Oral History Team:
Interviewer 1 – Quang Le
Interviewer 2 – NgocUyen Nguyen
Recorder & Note Taker – NgocUyen Nguyen, Quang Le
Photographer & Videographer – Frank Bui
Forms – Thao Tran
Set up – Deanna Tran

Summary: This was the first time we interviewed someone at their home. We arrived at Nhung’s home as scheduled. She happily welcomed us and gave us mangos and drinks. We were also greeted by the cutest little dog I've ever seen.

We unfortunately forgot to introduce the entire team to her (we have to remember to do that next time). Anyway, we started by setting up in her living room which posed problems for camera lighting, background noise, and available space. We did our best to work in those conditions.

We began by interviewing Nhung’s friend, Trieu. His story about being an Amerasian was very short yet honest; Quang interviewed him in Vietnamese while Uyen took notes.

Meanwhile, Thao efficiently worked with Nhung to fill out the necessary forms. Nhung donated five photos, immigration documents, and her personal book of handwritten song lyrics.

During her interview, Nhung, a singer, even sang a song traditional Vietnamese song for us. Uyen interviewed her in Vietnamese while Quang took notes. Everyone found Nhung to be extremely articulate and her responses thorough.

Near the end of her interview, Thao and Quang asked additional questions to Nhung about sensitive issues between Amerasians and non-Amerasians. It was a great dialogue and you could tell that Nhung’s responses gave us a better understanding of the Amerasians’ perspective.

The interview lasted for over an hour and included a lot of great photos by our photographer Frank. He snapped shots of the interview, artifacts, inside her home, and outside her home. This variety will serve as a great resource when it comes time to putting together the audio slide shows, the next part of our project.

For our next interview, we need to work on introducing ourselves, stabilizing the audio and remembering to ask all the important questions. Overall, both interviews went well. Nhung seemed to be very happy and gracious about the interview, and said she will help recruit other Amerasians for our project.

This report was prepared by Deanna Tran.

Vietnam Refugee Van Tran

2010-03-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

Interview Date & Time: March 13, 3:00 to 5:00 PM
Interview Location: Boat People SOS, Louisville, KY
Interviewee(s): Van Ly Tran, Civilian during the Vietnam War and Boat Person
Oral History Team:
Interviewer 1 – Thao Tran
Interviewer 2 – Quang Le
Recorder & Note Taker – Ha Phan
Photographer – Frank Bui
Videographer – NgocUyen Nguyen
Set up – Deanna Tran, Bryan Warren

Summary: This was our first sit down interview. But our interviewee William LaiQuyLe, a Vietnamese Veteran, cancelled at the last minute due to illness. So we made the quick decision to interview one of our own committee members, Van Tran, who is herself a refugee of the Vietnam War and part of the Boat People.

The interview took off on a rocky start as the interviewers and interviewee decided on the appropriate language to use with Van. We started with English. Stopped. We started again in Vietnamese because we wanted to test how these questions would sound since most of our interviewees prefer speaking in Vietnamese.

Most of the questions we prepared were asked and the interviewee answered with great detail on her life story, which gave us a very vivid picture of the hardships and struggles that the interviewee went through as a refugee. A few questions were omitted because the interviewee answered them without being asked. We also omitted a few questions on current life here once we realized the interview went on too long. We also added follow up questions to keep the conversation flowing as well as to get a fuller story.

A memorable part of the interview was when our interviewee teared up as she recalled life in the refugee camp. Quang, myself and Uyen also could not contain our tears as Van told us about the horrific ordeals she endured there. We had to stop the tape as everyone dried off their tears. I'm glad for whoever had the insight to bring tissues!

Overall, it was a good first interview and we learned a lot from it. It was good because the interviewee was very honest and open to all the questions asked. She gave a detailed description of her journey as a boat person, her hardships in the refugee camp and her struggles adapting to a new culture. The hardest part as an interviewer was knowing what to say as a follow up after the interviewee told us her story. Not acknowledging the interviewee's story and moving quickly on the next question did not seem very natural. We seem rushed to get all the questions answered instead of getting the story out. Another hard part was how to steer the interviewee's conversation from irrelevant topics to the topic at hand. I found it difficult to cut the interviewee off, as a result the last part of the interview did not stay on course as much.

This report was prepared by Thao Tran and Deanna Tran.

Lunar New Year Interviews

2010-02-22T17:45:00.000-08:00

Interview Date & Time: February 20, 5:00 to 9:00 PM

Interview Location: Americana Community Center, Louisville, KY

Interviewee(s): 13 Vietnamese-Americans, a mix

Oral History Team:

Interviewer 1 – Thao Tran

Interviewer 2 – NgocUyen Nguyen

Interviewer 3 – Deanna Tran

Recorder – Quang Le

Photographer – Frank Bui

Summary: I'm very happy to report that we did 13 interviews yesterday in the midst of TET craziness. 183905 of those were kids under the age of 15. If nothing else, the Vietnamese community in Louisville has been diligent in the production and continuation of the future generations! Seeing them reminded me why this project is so important. It's a way for young Vietnamese to learn about and understand their parents' past and where they come from.

I only hope that long after our parent's & grandparent's generations passed, their stories and struggles will live on. And maybe, just maybe, if one Vietnamese/American child can learn from that, then their struggles and hardships will not be in vain (please excuse the dramatic flair :).

The equipment, though seemingly intimidating, was easy to operate. Our recording booth was occupied with young and older interviewees throughout the night (when I say booth, I meant a chair with a microphone attached that's stationed in the middle of the hall way with, again, 183905 kids in constant motion).

We enlisted a few people from the Amerasian Association as well as an enthusiast from the Elderly Vietnamese Club. Many were intimidated by the presence of a microphone, but I'm surprised at the amount of people who agreed to be interviewed. In-depth interviews will be underway soon!

The hardest task ahead is to organize and to make sense of the many short interviews we conducted yesterday. Due to the madness that was Tet and the excitement that came every time we successfully recruited an interviewee, many names were not recorded properly. I hope we can identify which track belongs to which person. Relating the content of the interviews to the overall project will also be a challenge. But...it's such an exciting feeling to see the ball rolling and picking momentum fast!

This report was prepared by Thao Tran and Deanna Tran.