Chapter 8: Nguyễn it Ends

Fifty years after the fall of Saigon , we reflect on what our family carries forward—stories, survival, silence, resilience, and love.In this special episode of Growing up Nguyen, we weave together sibling conversation with interviews from our mom, aunts, and uncles to explore how war and displacement shaped our family’s habits, values, and sense of identity—and how those inheritances continue to shape who we are today.From scarcity and sweat equity to healing, joy, and self-discovery, this is a conversation about honoring legacy while choosing what we carry forward.

Bonus Episode, Vietnamese Boat People Podcast: Episode #51 Ngày Về Của Bố Siblings Hương, Karin Hạnh, Hedda Hiếu, and Benjamin Hoàng Nguyễn grew up together in the San Francisco Bay Area in a boisterous Vietnamese American family. In 2019, their father, Nguyễn Khánh Hưng, a first-generation immigrant from Việt Nam, passed away. To pay tribute to their father, the siblings participated in our 3rd Annual Mỹ Việt Story Slam in 2022 with their spoken word piece, “Ngày Về Của Bố” (roughly, “The Day of Dad’s Return”), a reflection on grief and Vietnamese mourning rituals. In this special episode of Vietnamese Boat People, the Nguyễn siblings are at the helm as our first-ever guest hosts. They’ve brought their group dynamic and conversational style to Vietnamese Boat People’s format, in order to delve into their father’s life, legacy, who he was, and his unique and multifaceted experiences. Vietnamese Boat People is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to preserving and continuing the narratives of the Vietnamese diaspora community. Their mission is to empower individuals within this community to share the stories of our community from intergenerational voices. In addition to their award-winning podcast, they have public programs available that empower individuals to preserve their family histories through storytelling workshops, story slams, community blogs, conversation kits, and the journeys map. To learn more, visit www.vietnameseboatpeople.org.

Dissecting a term like racialization isn't easy but we get into it this episode! Hương, Karin Hạnh, Hedda Hiếu, and Benjamin Hoàng share how our Vietnamese-American identity affects what people believe about us and what it means for the stories we tell ourselves.

How do you know you're loved? Hương, Karin Hạnh, Hedda Hiếu, and Benjamin Hoàng talk about what expressions and feelings of love mean and why this quiz can help you better connect with others.

While honoring the two year anniversary of their Bố's (father) passing, Hương, Hạnh, Hiếu, and Benjamin Hoàng have a discussion on grief and their different processes of moving forward. 

Do you speak another language? Tune into Hương, Karin Hạnh, Hedda Hiếu, and Benjamin Hoàng as they discuss the blessings and challenges of a heritage language and whether it's worthwhile.

We’ve talked about what it’s meant for us to be Vietnamese-American throughout several chapters. For this final chapter, we talk about customs and traditions and how we blended several to create and carry out a uniquely Vietnamese-American ceremony--the funeral for Bố, our dad.

12 years later… Hiếu and Hoàng visited Vietnam! They traveled from North to South Việt Nam while riding a moped, dabbling in snorkeling, and even meeting unknown family members. This chapter, they share what it was like for them, years later after Hương and Hạnh's trip, to come face to face with being Vietnamese-American in Việt Nam.

Our first trip to Việt Nam! And the first time meeting our paternal cousins... Well, for three of the crew, at least. From a wedding to the sand dunes, it was quite the journey. Listen in on today’s chapter to hear more about Hương and Hạnh's experiences on the other side of the Pacific Ocean and what it felt like to come face to face with being Vietnamese-American in Việt Nam.

This chapter, we got some confessions. But our real-life confrontations and conversations don’t need to be a secret! In today’s release, we delve into what our experiences have been like growing up Vietnamese in America.