Interview with Hongvan Vu
Born in Bronx, New York to a set of immigrant parents, I was incredibly lucky to have the opportunities that I did and still do have. All of my blessings can be partly attributed to my family’s decision to move to the United States in 1995. As the very first granddaughter
Uncle Huy and Grandpa at Capitol Hill
in my family to go to college, I have a privilege that many others do not get. I chose to major in history with minors in American studies and political science. I became interested in their fields my senior year of high school in 2016. But these fields have led me to become very jaded at the age of 23. As I study the patterns of society and the people of which society is made up and see everything that is occurring on the news, it is almost a natural reaction to become pessimistic. But as I conducted this interview with my mom, however, dewy-eyed like her answers were, they were refreshing and I saw from her eyes, what the American Dream really was for her and for my family.
Prior to coming to the United States, my family lived in Vietnam. My mom, Hongvan, “Van,” along with her four siblings, Yen, Anh, Huy, and Dat, was born and raised in Saigon, otherwise known as Ho Chi Minh City. After serving a six-year jail sentence for fighting on the Southern side with America, my grandfather was released and contacted to move to the US with the entire family under a green card. However, “he refused” because the family had a business that taught people how to repair motorcycles. The school was successful enough to provide them housing, a steady stream of income, food, and entertainment. For my grandparents, that was enough.
For those in Vietnam, America was very elusive. Many believe it to be a “paradise” or something comparable to “heaven.” People in Vietnam believe that the US is able to “make money very easily” because those who come to the US and return to Vietnam are often seen spending lots of money and giving it away as gifts or charity. Even though my family was never poor, they were not well off either. My mom and her siblings were able to live comfortably and their needs were always provided for but this does not mean that things were necessarily easy either.
My grandma paid two gold bars to send off two of her daughters, Yen and Anh, to Australia with her sisters in 1989 in the midst of the Cambodian-Vietnamese War. It was much too hard to look after five children on her own as my grandpa was still in prison at this point. At the early age of ten, my mom started working at an embroidery store while simultaneously attending school. Additionally, my grandma had to take care of her parents. My great grandparents owned a drug store of sorts but were too old to work. The communist government in Vietnam also made things increasingly difficult because the government was regulating commerce, foods, and business, so “even though you have money to hire people, you don’t want to hire anybody to work for you.” As a single mother, it was difficult for my grandma to run a business on her own, too but was able to push through the hardships and started selling rice and grains to restaurants and bakeries.
Even though my grandpa originally refused to move to the US, he eventually agreed. It was not until the last time my grandparents were contacted that my mom and Uncle Dat pushed them to go to America. My grandparents’ reservations about moving to the US were not unfounded as my grandma had a younger brother, Ong Dong, or Uncle Dong, living in the US with his family of five. It was likely much harder for Uncle Dong as the first in the family to move permanently to the United States. Despite all his complaints about America, telling my grandparents “don’t go” to America, with a push from my mom and Uncle Dat, my grandparents agreed to move to the US. Uncle Dat was quite young at the time and wanted to come to the US to study. My mom was engaged to my dad and wanted to follow him since he came to the US during the Vietnam War and had been living in New York.
On October 24, 1995, my mom, Hongvan Vu, my uncle Dat Vu, my grandma, and my grandpa landed at Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. for the very first time. They were picked up by my grandma’s younger brother, Ong Dong, or Uncle Dong. Uncle
Grandparents with Ong Dong
Dong and his family of five moved to the US roughly five to six years prior. Luckily, my grandparents had Uncle Dong to help guide them through the process of moving. Uncle Dong got my grandparents an apartment in Arlington, VA. The apartment was close to a Vietnamese Catholic church that my family still attends mass at frequently to this day. My mom would often go to ESL classes “every night” and “met a lot of Vietnamese people who just came to the United States as me.” The network of family and people with similar experiences certainly helped to shape my mom’s experience and first impressions of the US.
In general, my mom felt very welcomed in America. One story she told me was of this American man, who saw that her hair was newly wet in the middle of winter and told her “don’t go outside when it’s cold,” “you’re gonna get sick because your hair is wet.” She felt so embraced in the US that she completely forgot about everyone else back in Vietnam. Besides from the infrequent phone calls back to Vietnam, my mom did not have a second thought about her old friends or extended family in Vietnam. “Life just swept me away” and because everyone had separate lives, there was not much communication.
Mom’s new life involved work and family. Her first job in America was at Best Western where she worked as a bus girl. Mostly her role entailed serving water and such for about six dollars an hour. before moving onto security jobs at Argen Bright and MVM. My mom
Mom and Me
also had the opportunity to attend NOVA, where she took ESL classes with my grandpa and Uncle Dat. After getting married though, she quit working at MVM and moved to New York to live with my dad in 1997 and several months later, birthed a daughter in 1998 followed by a son in 2001. My mom would eventually move my brother and I back to Virginia while my dad stayed and worked in New York. No matter how unconventional, my parents made sure that we saw each other as much as possible, with my dad taking the bus almost every weekend. To this very day, I remember that a Greyhound bus ticket costs roughly $32 dollars cause my dad would always make me purchase it for him.
While it was not stated in the interview, I’ve heard so many stories of how my mom used to work even while pregnant with me simply because she cannot stand staying at home doing nothing, likely a habit she picked up after constantly being on her feet and working her entire life. But this is the time in her life where she picked up a new hobby, nails. My mom met a woman, Co Ngoc, who she is still very good friends with, and went to Co Ngoc’s salon to learn how to do nails. And that’s how I am able to get free manicure and pedicures today.
Essentially a single mother, my brother and I were very lucky to have our grandparents who would come pick us up from school every single day and we stayed at their house until my mom got back from work, which was often late into the night. We ate, we did homework, we slept, we did everything at my grandparents house. Eventually, my mom would open up her own nail salon in Burke, VA when I was in sixth grade which made it slightly easier as she was her own boss and could come and go as she pleased.
Things would be difficult for a while with a new business and the passing of my dad when I was in seventh grade. For myself, I felt pressure as the eldest child and the eldest grandchild to do well in everything, set an example for my brother and my cousins, and overall, just be the best. I often resented all the burdens I felt like was being put on me and this definitely put a strain in my relationship with my mom. I hated how controlling she was. I hated that I had all these responsibilities that my brother never did, not just cause he was the youngest but also cause he was a male. And often, my mom’s reasonings were nonsense but I sucked it up. Because she’s a single mother. Because she was working all day. Because if I didn’t help her, who would?
With such a hectic lifestyle, my mom rarely gets the time to watch tv. Most times, when she is “watching tv,” it’s simply background noise as she cooks and cleans. I often badger her to take more interest in the world around her, to sit down and read a news article or to even watch a video clip of the news but there just isn’t enough time in the day for her to do so. Keeping updated with current events is something I try to prioritize but is not something that is necessarily important for my mom. As she says in her interview, she never pays attention to politics. Up until recently, politics used to be for men and for the wealthy. Wealthy people, even well off people, have time to sit around reading and analyzing the news. The poor and middle class are constantly working and when they get home, the last thing they probably want to do is talk about politics. Of course things have changed as news travels much faster and it is all on one device but all of this is to simply say that despite all the antagonizing I give my mom for not caring about politics, I recognize that I have the privilege to be able to study these fields of social sciences and to have the time, energy, and resources available to do so.
One of the most important things my mom instilled in me is family. In Vietnam, “family is very important. Always helping each other.” Prior to college, all the hours I was not in school or sleeping, was surrounded by family. We ate dinner together every single night
Tết and Trung Thu
without fail. I was lucky enough to have my grandparents around because they taught us everything from the Vietnamese language, to Vietnamese culture, and Vietnamese holidays, like Tết and trung thu, which is the Autumn Festival and Lunar New Year respectively. These are important holidays that are a big part of Vietnamese culture because it celebrates family but also is a avenue that we use to “express your respect” for your elders.
The bond I have with my family has has helped me push through college because even though I am going to college for my future, it is also for my family. I see how hard my family has worked to get us where we are today and it is my turn to pull my weight. According to my mom’s standards, my family is “doing a lot better” from when they were still in Vietnam and for the most part, “everyone’s mostly successful.” So now it’s the responsibility of the second generation, my cousins, my brother and I, to continue and make the most of the opportunity that they have given us.
My brother’s Marine graduation this past summer
American Dream has come to be defined by some form of social mobility and possibly a house with a white picket fence. I would like to argue that the American Dream is defined by those who come to America in search of fulfillment of their dreams. I can’t say that my family has moved upward socially or economically in any significant way. My house has no white picket fence. It barely has a lawn. But that house brings me so much comfort when I come back from school. Even though I only interviewed my mom to hear her immigration story, it ended up being my family’s story because it took everyone’s effort to get us where we are today. By all accounts, there isn’t anything more special about my family’s immigration story than others. But like so many other immigration stories, it is a story of hardship, perseverance, and accomplishment.
Okay, can you introduce yourself? Like, what’s your name?
My name is a Hongvan Vu. I am Vietnamese. Came to the United States in 1995, October the 24th. With my family, my dad, my mom, my brothers.
Okay. How old are you now?
I’m 53 now.
And how old were you when you came?
I came here to the United States when I was 26 years old. Pretty young.
Okay.
Not too young, much. Younger. Yes.
Okay, so where did you live before you came to the US?
I live in Saigon. I was born in Saigon, also.
Okay, so why did you come to the US? Like what specific circumstances?
Because my dad was in the military, in the south, work with the America and 1975 is the war ended and my dad was in jail for six years. He’s allowed to come to the United States with the green card, with the whole family. But at first he refused. He didn’t want to go because after he got out from the jail, he go to learn a career and then he opened his own business. So he had a school to teach people to repair motorcycle. So because of that, and we have a house in Saigon, in Ho Chi Minh City, so he doesn’t want to give up his business and the house. So he decided not to go. So by, they call us for a few time to see if they, if we want to go but he refused a few times until the last time. They said if we don’t go, then they gonna take the paper where we cannot go anymore. So I myself and my youngest brother really want to go so we push them to go because you know my brother he wants to study.
Did grandma wanna go?
My mom, no.
Why?
Yeah because also, my uncle who live here always called them and said to them “don’t go, don’t go” because he think over here like you work, work, work all the time. Doesn’t have time for yourself and then like you don’t know English and stuff like that so it harder so he always said “don’t go, don’t go” because he can see our family in Vietnam, in Saigon, is not bad. I mean, it’s not, we’re not rich but we are medium-Uh, what is it called?
Middle class?
Middle class.
And we were fine in Vietnam but I want to go because I have my fiancee live in America, in New York. And my younger brother want to go because he wanna study and have a better life.
Wait but if you didn’t come here-
Also, I want to change my life. I was so shy so I want to do something. I want to change my life.
if you didn’t come here to the US, was dad going to go back to Vietnam?
Of course. He gonna-
If I don’t come with my family
Oh, he was gonna sponsor you?
Yeah, he’s gonna sponsor me, yeah. because if we marry, he can bring me here, yes.
So what, what did you hear about the US before you moved?
Before when it was Vietnam, I like anything from the US. Anything, like clothes. I like dream about US. I think this is the paradise or something.
Is that why you shop so much?
In Vietnam, we all buy-
Whenever somebody from the US come back to my country is like we are “ohhh, you know they are from foreign country” and they like you know, something like that we cannot reach, like everybody in Vietnam really want to go to the US.
What expectations did you have before coming?
A new life, better life. And you know that when I was young. I think there’s a lot of things that I wanna-
I don’t think much, actually. I don’t think much. I just want to have something change.
Did you see pictures of US before?
Yeah. From people, yeah.
What did people tell you about the US?
We always think the US as heavan, like “oh, you know they have everything. They have money.” We think they make money very easily, you know? Stuff like that. So everybody, because everybody who from here, come back to Vietnam and they always spend money like a lot. A lot. They always have money and they give this people money, they give that [people money]. So we are waiting like the people who live in the US really rich. So we think because we like having money stuff like that.
So then we’re your expectations or what you thought of the US true?
Somehow.
Some? Like what?
Wait. What do you mean?
So, mom, for example, you said earlier that you thought people in the US have a lot of money.
Oh, not really. But I think when I come to the US, I think if you work hard then you have money. If you’re not lazy, then you never been without money. If you know, if you don’t, like the people who learn they can work less hard, who go to the school, they can work less hard and they have more money but then if we don’t go to school, so we work a little-
We have to work more, but the life still okay if we working hard.
What was your life there like in Vietnam?
In Vietnam? My life in Vietnam is good. I don’t worry too much about money because my family is okay. My mom always gives me money when I need it. And then-
You sound like me.
Because-
Because I help-
Oh, I have jobs too. I will do embroidery. I do embroidery to make money myself.
I was working when I was 10 years old and go to school. I worked as embroider and then I think I like to work more so I stopped going to school, maybe, when I finished 12th grade. Yeah. So I, I work and then my mom don’t take the money from me like she gave me all the money that I make. So I can spend-
You took my money.
and, and oh, and then yeah, and then I help her with-
We opened a school so I help her to collect money from the people like a secretary. I do a secretary for her. My job is pretty easy. After we open the school, then my employer at that time not good anymore so I stopped doing that. So my job is only-
Only like doing the school thing for her during the day. And also, I like to study whatever so I study a lot of stuff like cooking, baking, makeup. I study everything because my mom, you know, she very good so whatever I want to study, she let me go study for it. So yeah. I love my mom.
So, um, in Vietnam, like what was going on historically at the time?
At what time?
Like around when you left.
After 1975, a lot of people tried to escape from the country. I have two sister escape in 1989 by boat.
With who?
With my uncle and my aunt. My mom because she-
When my dad was in jail, my mom has five kids and it too-
a little bit too much for her, even though she has money but it’s not easy because of communists. The communist don’t want the people who have money so you have to like-
even though you have money to hire people but you don’t want to hire anybody to work for you because you have to work as everybody else. You don’t want to show that you have money and stuff like that. So it’s a little bit too much for her with five kids so she, at that time, she, her business is buying rice. Like at that time, everyone like have to go to buy rice from the government. Like every house had to specifically, like how many kilogram one house had to have. So at that time, it’s pretty hard so we have to eat like khoai, like yam, instead of the rice too. So everyone, a lot of people have to eat instead of the rice, we have to eat a lot of pasta. We don’t have enough rice, so pasta.
Pasta? Really?
And then they sell a lot of wheat flour. So we have too many wheat flour so I make a lot of things-
bread?
to eat with like bread and stuff-
not bread because we don’t have machine.
Yes, so my mom-
Buôn bán kieu là cái gì? Like you buy rice and then you sell it to someone else. And then you earn in between, you make your benefit. So like you buy a pound of rice-
So it’s like this. Back then, everyone, each house was allowed by the government to buy rice with a certain amount of money. So grandma went to buy rice. She bought the rice and then would sell it back to someone else. So lets say that there is this house that has money but they do not want to eat rice from the government because it tasted bad. Because it was so bad, they would sell it to grandma. When they sell it to grandma, because they are well off, they go buy good rice because the government’s rice is bad. So grandma buys rice from them and then sells it to someone else who will then take that rice and trade it. That’s what “buôn bán” means. I am not sure how to say “buôn bán” in English. But basically, that is what it is.
Wait, so your grandparents? Where were they?
My grandparents?
Yeah.
They at home or they have-
They didn’t work?
No. They old. So, they have like, tạp hóa, a store that sells things. What do you call it? Like a small store.
What is tạp hóa?
Tạp hóa typically sells oils, rice-
Oh, like a medicine store? A drug store?
Vietnam has stores where you can buy books, anything, you can buy in there.
Oh, kinda like 7/11?
Yeah, kind of 7/11. Yeah, you can buy-
Not like a lot like 7/11 but some kind of. Kinda like that. You can buy food, you can buy this and that, like pencils, notebooks, and journals, yeah.
So then did you sell that place when you left? Oh wait. My great grandparents stayed in Vietnam, right?
Yeah, your great grandparents stayed.
No, no no, no. At that time, my grandparents, your great grandparents, were old so they didn’t work. They just stayed at home.
So why didn’t they come here?
No, because no, nobody sponsor them and they too old. They don’t want to go.
Oh.
If they want-
If they want to, the uncles and aunts in Australia-
Well they did go to Australia on vacation. Grandpa, my grandparents and go to Australia but they not gonna live there. They like Vietnam better cause-
But no-
Oh, wait, Ba Nga is in Vietnam. I forgot.
Yeah.
Ba Nga lived with my grandparents. We live in a different house. They live in different house. We don’t live in the same house. But very close.
Okay, can you tell me about the government in Vietnam before you left?
The government at that time?
Yeah.
It’s-
I think it’s nothing much about-
Like before, right before the war, it was bad. But I left 1995, so it’s open a little bit. Not open a lot like now.
What do you mean by open?
Open like easier.
To go travel?
Not yet. At that time, not a lot of people can travel yet. They still very strict. Yeah, I don’t know about that time. What happened then?
The government, I don’t, I don’t care too much about politics so.
Okay, um. So can you tell me about the process that you had to go through?
The process?
Yeah, so like, Ong Dong put in a sponsorship for you guys, but like what did you have to do to be able to move here? Like did you have to do an interview?
Oh, we do paperwork, interview. Yeah, we have interview.
The interview, like what questions did you have to answer?
Oh, I don’t remember.
Okay.
But interview and then we had to get a health check up. Go to have your physical checkup and stuff like that to see-
in Vietnam?
in Vietnam. Before you go.
Okay, so when you first got to the US, where did you land?
In Virginia. At the National Reagan airport. Yeah. And we said, “Ah, America’s is here.”
Do you remember?
Yeah, and then my uncle pick us up. And then after that-
Oh, he drove? He had his license?
Of course, yeah. He’s been here a while.
How long is a while?
A few year. I think maybe five or six? Yeah, I’m not sure. I don’t remember. But then we said “Wow.” And then he bring us to an apartment that he rented for us.
Where?
It’s in Arlington, Virginia, close to the Vietnamese church where we can go every week to the church. And then there’s a school right there; elementary school, that we, every night, of like, maybe a week later we go there to learn ESL every night. And it was fun when we meet new people and then start speaking English and stuff like that. Yeah.
Okay. Um, can you share a memorable experience about what it was like or how you felt when you first came here?
I felt good. Oh, and because then I see my fiance too. So he brought me around Virginia and stuff like that. And then-
But he was living in New York, right?
Yes, he come like weekly, every week. Maybe, sometimes, twice a month but yeah and the-
I think at that time, mostly we cook a lot. I remember my mom bring some money from Vietnam so we spend more than, more than we have from the U S. government give us. So we eat, we cook and we call people come to eat and then we go shopping.
Of course you do.
We go shopping.
So we got help from the government. I think they give us like $800 per person at that time.
Only, only once?
8 for 8 months.
It was you, grandma and grandpa, and Uncle Dat?
Yeah.
$800 for each of you?
Yeah.
How did you spend all of that money?
Oh, you have to pay for the rent. You know how much is the rent?
No, I’m not-
I mean on shopping and food.
No, we don’t-
We don’t-
Oh, we spend more than that. The rent and then electricity, water, and gas, whatever. And then you know like cooking is not cheap.
Cooking is expensive too. And then we go buy, so-
My, my mom bring money too, and then she says she spend bunch of her money. Her own money.
Wow. I kind of remember-
I only remember the apartment, like I only have one memory.
Oh, I think when you born, the apartment is different. A little bit move up already. Not, not at the first one. The one that we, I married and then you live there a while is Greenbrier. It’s different.
Ah, okay. So when you came here, did you experience any like “culture shock?”
Like what?
Like the culture in Vietnam is very different from the culture in the United States. Like was it surprising for you?
What is culture?
Culture is like… Um, I don’t know. Like the food, like the way people act. For example, i the US, there are a lot of white people whereas in Vietnam, there are next to none.
No. What does white people have to do with-
Oh, when I come here-
Like-
Okay, here, it’s super diverse, right? But when I go to JMU, it’s like mostly white people and they-
Everyone, they act different so like I got culture shock like my first year.
Really?
Yeah.
Why they act different? You live in the United States for your whole life.
Yes but I’m surrounded by different, all types of different people here but when I go to JMU it’s a lot of white people, a lot of old people. Like-
So you got a culture shock from that?
Yeah. You don’t eat the same things, you don’t listen to the same music, you don’t talk the same way.
Oh yeah, kind of. I was I was a little bit shy. When I speak English, I was shy.
Yeah. And like your way of thinking is different.
And a little bit, yeah, I was shy and usually when we go to is something, my brother is the one who speak English because he was better than me. In Vietnam, he learned in school more than me about English so yeah, and then we have to take buses everywhere.
At that time, we don’t have car yet.
If you told me to take the bus around here, I wouldn’t know.
Yeah. At that time, we have to take the bus and we have to walk a lot because every time we have to go and do something like, like paperwork and stuff like my uncle always have to bring us and also, when I go to ESL class, I met a lot of Vietnamese people who just come to the United States as me so I met some new friends. I make some new friends.
So you probably didn’t get a big culture shock.
No, not really and then because I feel welcome too because the teachers and people are very nice to us. So we don’t feel like shocked because they actually helping. They are a big help, so yeah. I remember one time I was outside, when it’s cold, and then I checked wash my hair, like wash my hair then there’s American man go by and he said “oh, go inside you’re gonna get sick because your hair is wet. Don’t go outside when it’s cold. Your hair is wet.” Yeah.
Okay, so when you left Vietnam, obviously, you left like family members and friends behind. Do you still talk to them? Do you miss them?
I don’t know why but after I leave Vietnam I don’t even remember anyone.
Oh my God, mom.
I just-
Because it’s busy here and new life. Like life just swept me away. It’s like that. Because all my, because all my family is here. So I always just call one of my brothers over there and then sometimes, I call my aunt, Ba Nga, and talk to my grandparents. Friend? Because I don’t have a lot of close friend anyway, so I only have Co Hong, is the one I usually talk to.
Interesting.
Yeah, because at that time, Co Hong and Bac Hien were my sister-in-laws, so we were very close. And my other friends, everybody after school done. Everyone is spread apart and have their lives so we don’t really talk to each other anymore. I was busy here with new jobs and stuff. So I have new friend here so.
I’m keeping my friends forever. Anyways, um, what did you take with you from Vietnam? And what did you leave behind? If any important things
Take with me? Oh, I don’t know why but we brought a lot of kitchen stuff from Vietnam to bring here. Even like, bowls, plates, spoons, pots. We think we won’t have pots.
You think America doesn’t have it?
Haha, I know. I don’t know why we bring all of that stuff from Vietnam.
Was it pretty like China?
No, it’s just the regular stuff.
Did you leave anything behind?
No-
That was important?
No, no, just the house that I live for all my life.
Okay, what is the hardest part about living in the US?
English? Yeah, I remember my first job at Best Western and I have a manager who always said to me, “talk, talk.” And then, at first, like everybody always said “good morning,” “how are you?” And then I said, “I’m fine, thank you.” But then they keep asking me “how are you?” for the whole day and I was, I was thinking myself “what? These people crazy. Why they all day long, they just ask me “how are you?”” The same people. And so I thought it’s you always ask one time in the morning but no, they ask me all day long and then sometime I answer and they don’t even look at me so I feel weird about that. Now I know, just because the culture, they just say it. They don’t care if you answer or not.
Okay, was it hard for you to become a citizen? Obviously, I know that you’re a US citizen.
No, it’s just the time. I can be a citizen then I’ll be a citizen.
What did you have to do?
Did you have to take like a quiz? Or a test?
Yeah. A test.
Okay, let me quiz you. Who’s the first President of the United States?
George Washington
Um, what’s the capital of the US?
Capital? In DC.
I thought you’re gonna say something else. Other question? I don’t know. Okay. So how did you end up here in Virginia permanently?
Oh, at first, I was here and then I moved to New York, but then I moved back here. After I got married, I moved to New York and live there for four years. And then when my daughter is five years old, which is you, then I think Virginia is much better school. And if if I live in New York, I have to put you in the private school and it costs a lot of money. So I said I’m gonna move here and Minh was, I think, a year and a half at that time so yeah. Yeah, so yes, I-
The first time I came to Virginia was three months after I found my first job. After three months, I got my first job at Best Western, but
I worked there as a bus girl. So I-
The manager, like teach me to do the stuff and my job is just pour water for, for customer. So I got tip money too on that. So I work only five hours a day and then after that, I-
Oh, I actually take, like a quiz at NOVA after a few months, so I got level 002 at NOVA so I went to NOVA to learn ESL at NOVA too. So my first job I worked only a few months. And my dad and my brother also worked at Best Western. And I remember my my day for interview is so funny. Like we, we like three of us like dressed very nicely because we were told that we have to dress nicely for interview. Like I was dressed like with long dress and my dad and my brother with the suits and stuff like that. So when the manager of the Best Western saw us, he takes three of us right away and I remember they pay us like $5.25 cent per hour that time. Yeah, so I worked only three months and then I switched job. So three months at Best Western and then I work at Dallas airport after that as the security guard who checked the customer, the passenger. so yeah, I took a quiz. I saw a manager. His name James and he’s a nice man. So he helped me with my English when I take a quiz. A little bit cheating because he took me in. Yeah, I think somehow so he should get me in.
So I work for Argen Bright. That company’s name is Argen Bright. You know in meantime, I worked and study at the same time but then I find another job. The same, working as a security guard at MVM and Michael is the name of the manager who took me in. He also just take me in. So because he paid more money, that company paid me more money so, so I quit Argen Bright so I go to MVM.
How much?
Argen Bright, at that time they paid $6 something. More than Best Western.
Oh my gosh, $6? That’s nothing.
And then MVM pay, I think $8 something at that time because it’s long time ago. It’s like 1996, 97 something like that.
Mom, it’s not much better now. Literally, the minimum wage in Virginia is $9.50.
No, now Walmart-
That’s not minimum wage though.
I don’t know but now you can find a job everywhere they pay you a lot higher to get you in. Yeah, so yeah, I got jobs. So in 1997-
Oh, yeah. So 1997, I get marry.
Oh, so that’s how you got your citizenship
No, citizenship because I was here for five year. After you live in America for five year, you gets your citizenship. So I married in 1997 and then moved to New York after getting married. So I no more go to school.
Wow, so you dropped out of school for a guy.
For a guy. That is bad. That is bad but I regret now. I thought if I go back I’m gonna learn culinary in New York. When I didn’t make money, I can learn for free and I didn’t know that. And now I regret it.
So why did you not consider living in another state that’s not Virginia? Like why not Maryland?
Just because everybody’s here.
Who’s everybody?
My uncle, my family, my dad, my mom. And it’s nice in Virginia. People friendly. Much better than New York.
Okay, can you tell me how your life has changed since you came to the US?
Oh, it changed a lot. I’m a lot more confident, which I never be before. When I was in my country, I was so shy but now I can talk to strangers, I can speak up for myself if I don’t like anything.
Yeah. And then more confident and I can do what I think I want to do
what has been the most challenging or difficult about moving here?
Moving from Vietnam?
Yeah. How has your life-
Between Vietnam and the US, like what’s different? Like what’s harder?
Better.
It’s better?
Yeah, of course.
But in Vietnam you’re just taking classes.
Taking classes for what?
You said cooking.
Yeah, but just for fun. It’s not like a real career. Just to know the basic but here, I think I challenged myself so I-
How did you challenge yourself?
Yeah, I work this job and then I quit. I work another job in a few months. I change all the time. If somebody pay me more I take the job you know?
What’s your job now?
Oh, I manage a nail salon now. I own a nail salon now. Yeah, I decided in 2010 when I was manager for somebody before and then I think okay, I can do it myself. And when somebody, one of my friends know this store is selling. I like Burke area too and that why I take over and say just try it. You know, you never know.
So obviously I know this, the answer to this, but I’m gonna ask you anyways. Your children. Where were they born?
They’re born in New York
New York? Okay.
St. Vincent hospital.
Do they speak your native language?
Yes, yeah. They do.
Okay. Um how do you think your family’s life would be if you didn’t move to the US? Like me and Minh, Grandpa and Grandma, you, dad.
In Vietnam? You mean if we live in Vietnam?
Yeah
I mean, our life is not bad. I mean, we’re not poor. First of all, we’re not poor in our country. Not as poor. Not-
You know, we’re middle class so I mean, if we live in Vietnam. It’s the same but here you have more chance like, like if you live in, you have United States you can go to any country easier. And then you have more chance like working and stuff. If you don’t work, you have help from the government. In Vietnam, you don’t have that. No, you don’t. Yeah, if you poor and you don’t make money in Vietnam, then you very poor. Nobody really help you at all. So here you can have Medicare, Medicaid helping you so you less worry in the United States. Because if you don’t make money, if you sick and don’t have money, the government help you. If you don’t have food, somebody would have bread or something for you. You don’t-
You’re not afraid of don’t have food or something in the United States. Or you don’t have health care.
So how has the country changed since you moved here?
Vietnam?
The US.
The US?
Yeah.
How it changed?
You’ve been here like, what? 25 years now?
Yeah.
It’s changed a lot.
Really? I don’t pay attention. I think it’s the same.
Really?
Yeah… What changed?
In what ways is the US the same? What do you think is the same?
I don’t think anything changed. It’s just like that. What changed?
I mean, I feel like a lot of like, political stuff.
Oh, I don’t ever pay attention about political. Yeah,
I mean, like, technology has also changed.
Yeah, technology has changed a lot. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Did you even have computers when you moved here?
I think so. Yeah. But very old and thick and stuff. Yeah. We do.
Um, how has your economic status or lifestyle changed since you moved here?
What do you mean? Like did we have money?
Kind of but like the way you live, is it different from Vietnam?
Uh, in Vietnam with here is different. In Vietnam, I don’t really work a lot and then I eat out a lot because in Vietnam, it’s very easy to to eat out. Like you don’t-
Because they sell a lot of stuff that you don’t need to cook but United States, you have to go far to eat. Easier to cook at home and it’s a lot cheaper to work at home, uh to, to cook at home. In Vietnam, its different. Like it cheaper too to eat a home but like something like noodles, pho, nobody cook at home. They always go out to eat if they need it because they sell everywhere. In here, everytime you want to go eat pho, you have to travel farther than in Vietnam. You also have to pay tip and stuff but in Vietnam, you don’t need to pay.
Can you imagine not living, like, if you live in like the Midwest or something? Or the South?
Yeah, it yeah, I’ve been in the West one time and then I feel very not welcome.
No, but like if you wanted to go out and eat pho
Yeah well. No have it.
Yeah, it probably would take around 30 minutes or more to drive to a restaurant.
Then yeah. I have to do it myself.
Are there any specific cultural traditions that you have brought with you? And can you tell me about them and why you celebrate it?
Like what?
Like Tết.
Oh, yeah, there’s Tết and trung thu.
Yeah, what is trung thu?
Autumn Festival. Yeah.
So what do you do?
Autumn festival, we make mooncake and we drink tea. We bring stuff to people houses who are older than us. Like I have to buy cakes to gift to grandma. It is traditional, like you-
Why?
It just like that.
Like, what is it? What does it mean?
Because the cake, mancake, is for Autumn Festival. People eat it.
No, but what’s like the significance of you bringing it to grandma?
Because you just wanna express your respect for that person. Normally it’s just the tradition. Like in Vietnam, the younger people would bring cakes and tea to the houses of people older than them. In order to “biếu.” Over here what is it called? In Vietnam we use the term “biếu.” It’s like…
Honor?
No.
Greet?
It’s like give but it’s just a word that you save for older people. It is like esteemed respect or admiration. Do you understand? Yeah, but you gift presents like a present. Like a present something like that.
Can you explain what Tết is?
Tết is Vietnamese New Year, usually we take like Chinese New Year, the same day. And, and it was fun. And we all we gather together, the whole family, and wish a Happy New Year to each person, giving red envelopes. The older-
My favorite part.
The younger will say something to the older than the older give them a little money.
What kind of something?
Just say okay, “I wish for grandpa and grandma to be strong and live a long time over a hundred” or something like that. And the older will give you some money. Right?
Why is-
Why are those important to you? Like, growing up? Why did you make us like, participate in it?
Because it’s family. A family, so we should be together. And in Vietnam, family is very important. Always helping each other. And especially mother always care about the kids very, a lot. Until they even have other kids and you know, like my mom care about my kids. Until she’s like now 90 years old, almost. And she’s still very-
No she’s not
She 86!
Really?
Yeah. 85 or 86 something like that. Yeah.
I thought she was like 83.
In Vietnam there is a saying, someone who is a mother will worry for you. Will always worry for you. And then a Vietnam people also expect when their kids grow up, they will care about their parents.
Is that supposed to be a message to me?
Yes. Care about their parents.
Maybe if you’re nice I won’t put you in the nursing home.
So in Vietnam, usually a boy, but usually a younger boy, take care of their mom and dad when he even married. So he married and then Mom and Dad usually live with him.
Mhm.
And then you know, watch his kid for him.
So you’re gonna live with Minh, right?
No, I can live with you too. So nowadays, it different. Nowaday, like they like girl more. So they go with girl.
Uh we should go back in time then.
Ahahaha okay.
Did you attend school here?
Yes, NOVA.
For how long?
A year maybe, I think.
Didn’t you say that you went with like Uncle Dat and Uncle Huy and grandpa
Uncle Dat and Uncle Huy didn’t go to school. Oh, there was Dat who went to NOVA. And grandpa also went to NOVA. But Uncle Huy didn’t attend school at NOVA.
Oh, I thought he did.
And then I went to English school. Like learn English at churches.
So what was it like?
It was good. I like it. We have, I have a lot of friends and we gather together and we have fun. Stuff like that
Do I know any of them? Do you still talk to them?
No, The friend that I know… Oh there is Thu at NOVA with the long hair. I know her from NOVA. And then almost when I married so I don’t talk to them anymore.
Oh my gosh, you’re dropping your friends for a man? Mmm.
Busy with my new life
So did classmates and teachers treat you differently because you just immigrated?
No, they were nice to me, yeah
Okay.
Do you feel that our culture or our country appreciates immigrants?
Probably
Probably?
Yeah
Why do you think?
Because immigrants working hard usually. And contribute a lot to further the country.
Yeah, work hard everyone who come to another country I think work harder than American.
Okay
yeah, I think so.
Why?
Because we used to work hard like in Vietnam like Co Be and Aunt Tam. Aunt Tam used to be very poor in Vietnam. Very poor, so now they they make money. Like mommy doesn’t find it that different because I still lived a comfortable life in Vietnam like I do here. I didn’t struggle. But the people who are poor in Vietnam, when they come here is like really there a lot of change. For them, this is really like paradise or heaven. Because Vietnam is so poor and have so many hardships. There is no food. Aunt Tam, when she was little had no food to eat! Did you know that? No food and had to go farm, had to go sell and scour around for small animals to go sell, to make money in order to eat. It was very hard.
What animals?
Went out to capture little shellfish in the sand like crabs and stuff. Then brought them out to sell.
Snails?
Snails, or whatever but anything she could get her hands on, she would bring it out to sell. Then take that money to eat. When she was still young, when she was in her teens, she wasn’t comfortable like the other kids. She said, she was just talking about it this afternoon too, that is was very hard. You wanted to eat and were starving and craving food but you couldn’t eat at all. It isn’t like how it is for you guys over here. Do you understand? You guys are too comfortable. You don’t know what it’s like and can’t truly appreciate what you have. It is like Co Be. In the past Co Be, do you remember?
Yeah.
Back then, it was like that for Co Be too. Yeah, so coming to America is like turning a new page for them. It’s a big chance for those people. For me, who was more privileged, it was already a scary new experience. Of course in Vietnam, I never had to struggle like Co Be and Aunt Tam so coming to America is a big chance for them. So they appreciate it and they work a lot. Anything here, they can work. Even taking out trash. Cause even that job would make them a lot more money compared to in Vietnam. In America, it is very easy to make money if you are hardworking. In America, you just have to be diligent and a hardworker in order to make a lot of money.
What do you think about the future of immigration in the US?
I don’t understand the question.
So like I told you, like, previously, like we talked about, like, the politics in the US, like a lot of people are against immigration. And so that makes people in other countries not want to come because they feel unwelcome. Like, I know you said you felt welcomed.
Yeah, for me, it doesn’t matter because everyone has their own idea of their life so they can choose what they want. And if, if America allow them to come.
I mean, like, America is like known as like, a nation of immigrants. Like it’s made up of a bunch of different people.
Yeah.
But because, you know, some people are making immigrants feel unwelcome, they don’t want to come anymore. So like, do you think that’s gonna impact the country?
What does “impact” mean?
Is that like, is it going to change things? Do you think our immigration numbers going to go down?
No. I don’t think it’s not a big deal. If it does go down, things will remain the same.
Okay, um. How do you feel about immigration in our country today?
a lot of people successful
I mean, more like-
I guess like I said they’re making people feel unwelcome. What do you think about that?
Are you asking me like, because Americans are being unwelcome toward immigrants, how do I feel?
because I’m not an immigrant because I was born here but you are an immigrant.
But to me because I work with customer a lot and I met a lot of people I don’t feel unwelcome here in Virginia. So I don’t really know how I feel. But I think if I feel unwelcome, of course, I’m not gonna like it. I’m gonna think about something else. I’m going to do, maybe go back to Vietnam or something, if I feel unwelcome but in Virginia, a lot of my customer they’re very nice. They always, even yesterday, there’s a lady, she married. She’s a white lady and then, she married a black man. And she even know. She’s against the racism. She welcome, you know, like the people, immigration people. So I never see, very rare-
I mean, black people were forced to come here. African Americans were sold into slavery and forced to come here.
Oh really?
Yeah.
But this lady is white and she married a black man. She said she was only around 20 years old when they got married. And they have been together for over 50 years. Her point was that she doesn’t care about that stuff that are shallow. And then there is also Vicky, my customer. All her friends are African American. She even went to a Black Lives Matter protest.
I think it’s also because we live in Virginia. So like-
Yeah-
Well, more Northern Virginia-
Northern Virginia. So I don’t see a lot of people that unwelcome me so I don’t feel at all but I think if I feel that maybe I consider to go somewhere else or go back to Vietnam because, of course, I’m not gonna like to live in a neighborhood that look at me as something that they don’t like. Of course, I’m gonna think about it if it happened to me, but it not happened yet.
Okay, and then my last question is how do you think your family is doing now compared to when you just moved? Or even before you moved?
Oh, we doing a lot better. My family, I think, everyone mostly successful. Somehow.
Can you give us a summary?
My brother who came with me, now he’s work for the government and he married, had two, three children.
Three children.
They are very smart. And they’re a good student.
It’s annoying how smart they are.
Yeah, they are very smart. I don’t know how can be but Davis is so smart. And he learn crazy. He learned everywhere.
Well, David, the only thing he ever does is math.
Yeah, but no anything else too, like English he good.
I like I mean, he doesn’t have a lot of friends. But
oh, yeah, he does. No?
I don’t know. I don’t know. Anyways, continue with Cau Huy.
So my other brother who came later, he now have a barber shop. And he’s married with two children. And his children is also very good. And one of them is almost finished high school. And his wife also have good job and now she has a lot of customer in my store. And she making good money. And my mom, my dad now retired and we always support them and love them and care for them like very much, all the time.
Okay, what about you?
And I think I am pretty good. I have two kids very nice and kind of-
Minh, I want him to study but then he now changed to military. I think it’s a good thing too. I hope he gonna change his mind.
About what?
Go to school and military together but don’t skip school because you know, like education will give more opportunity for you make more money later. The most thing-
important thing, I think you making good money for your life, you have a better life. So make sure you have a good jobs and stuff. And myself, I think I marry. And now, my husband passed away, of course, but I think my life is good. I’ve been a business owner for like 10 years and I think my business going well. A little bit not well for like a year because of COVID and then my health a little bit go down. So I consider have to care more about my health because I’m afraid I’m gonna get a lot of trouble later. So I have to commit myself and dieting and stuff like that.
Are you happy here? Do you have any regrets?
Yeah, yes, I regret because I didn’t go to culinary school. So I hope if it go back I’m gonna go to culinary school because I really like cooking and baking and stuff like that. I’m gonna change my life. I’m not gonna do nail, I’m gonna do cooking and baking.
Yeah, I mean, America is the land of opportunities.
Yeah. So, but either way it’s not too late. I’m still like, making things happen. Maybe I might plan for later. I’m gonna, but I’m not sure what happens, but I will try.
Okay. That’s the end.
Okay.
Thank you.
You’re welcome.
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