Vietnamese-American Journey

A PART OF HISTORY

ICAN is proud to present stories from South Vietnam by Vietnamese Americans in our initiative titled “South Vietnam: Memories and Perspectives” aimed at bringing the Vietnamese American community together, capturing the history and creating a legacy that would honor the older Vietnamese American generations and anchor the younger generations, and helping our children and grandchildren remember how their ancestors came to America. 

This project engages members of the Vietnamese community in the San Jose area to record and share their stories in the form of written passages and images to ensure that future generations have access to the unique and under-represented perspectives of refugees and immigrants from South Vietnamese individuals: their lives, cultures and journeys through the Vietnam War and its aftermath, the exodus, and the acculturation process in America. 

The curated pieces recognize the Vietnamese American community for our struggles, sacrifices, achievements and contributions to America. Many Vietnamese in the older generations still struggle with the unhealed wounds of the Vietnam War; traumatized by the Communist persecution, haunted by the exodus experience, and distraught by the acculturation challenges and language barriers. They feel lost, forgotten, unappreciated, and brushed aside. We want to capture the older generations’ stories as these are treasured chapters of our journey. Such recognition will bring the generations together, fostering understanding, empathy, respect and trust, and help strengthen the collective voice of the Vietnamese Americans. As part of a healing process and making their mark on an important part of history, these people tell their stories to be recorded and looked back on, in hopes that the future generation will remember their own ties to this history and find a foundation of who they are: Vietnamese American.

ICAN was able to succeed with the help of Andy Nguyen, our Exhibit Coordinator, Iris Dinh, our Content Manager, and Vivian Lee (Website Manager). We appreciate the input, assistance and support from our partner agencies such as Viet Voters, Viet-American Mental Health Network, Vietnam Voluntary Foundation (VIVO), United Vietnamese American Neighbors (UVAN) and others. We’d also like to extend our thanks to the Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR) for showcasing our work at their 2020 Black April event. This project is partially funded by the San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs. 


The Stories.

  • Ba Mươi Lăm Năm Nhìn Lại Con Đường (Viet Only)

    By Hạ Thái Trần Quốc Phiệt

  • The Road To Freedom (Viet and English)

    By Nguyễn Đ. Quyền

  • Visiting My Husband In Reeducation Camp (Viet and English)

    By Hạnh Nguyễn

  • My Pet Cow (Viet and English)

    By Cao Thị Tình

  • Back Into Water (Viet and English)

    By April Ai Han Phan

  • Mơ Ước Vào Đại Học (Viet Only)

    By Vương Ngọc Quyên

  • Cửa Dóng Cửa Mở (Viet Only)

    By MaiLien

  • Picking Up The Pieces: The Aftermath Of The Vietnam War (Viet and English)

    By Thái Phương Nam

  • Thêm Yêu Dân Việt (Viet only)

    By TT

  • Quê Mẹ - Một Lần Đi Là Vĩnh Viễn Chia Ly (Viet only)

    By Lê Thị Minh Vân

  • My Experience With Racism As A Vietnamese American (Viet and English)

  • Tiêng Thét Vang Vọng (Viet only)

    By Anna Trinh Tran

2023 Black April & Vietnamese American History Month:

Interviews with Vietnamese Americans in our Community