Wonderful sensitive portrait of the lives of Vietnamese boat people, for all
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“We're going on a holiday to Vietnam in 6 months, so I wanted to find out more about it. We went for the first time in 1995, just after the US lifted its trade embargo, so I know that the country has changed massively in the meantime.
I stumbled on the Vietnamese Boat People podcast and have been entranced by it. I've now binge listened to the first 18 eps. I love the host, Tracey Nguyen Mang. She is so intelligent and empathetic. Tracey, and no doubt the whole team behind it, clearly have a large sense of the mission of the podcast, and the Not For Profit organisation behind it. It is creating a community, and no doubt healing and helping the Vietnamese diaspora. I'm from a Jewish South African background, now living in Australia, and I found so much to love and admire in the stories in the podcast. Even without a special interest in Vietnam, these are just really beautifully created, sensitive stories of individuals and their families, going through exceptional hardship, and dealing with them with resilience.
I heard Tracey interviewed on another Vietnam Podcast, The Vietnamese (another good podcast), and I was immediately attracted. She mentioned that the three podcasts which most influenced her in making the VBP were This American Life, Serial and How I Built This. The first two of these are favorites of mine, so I was attracted. Upon listening, I was blown away. I am so impressed by the production quality of the VPB. The episodes are really well edited, with music backing, commentary, and with the many boring bits cut out. They've organised their podcasts into Seasons, each of which has a theme, eg, The 1.5 Generation (a new term for me - it means refugees or immigrants who immigrated when they were children, so they are mid-way between first generation and second generation - I'm one of those, but not from a Vietnamese background).
Some of the episodes which have entranced me:
* Eps 2 and 3, Three Days Old - Tracey interviews her sister, JoAnh, who was 3 days old when her family got on a refugee boat to leave Vietnam from Da Nang. We have just one child. He has a severe disability so he needs a lot more looking after, but Tracey's mum and dad had 8(?) kids to take on a leaky boat and shepherd them to safety in the US, and then to raise them as refugees. Absolutely amazing.
* Ep 11 - Nailed It! Tracey talks to film director Adele Free Pham, who is half Vietnamese and half Western, who made a film documentary about the nail industry, which was apparently started by the Vietnamese. Half of all salons (in teh US, in the world?) are now run by Vietnamese. It seems like it was a perfect industry for refugees - not much training required, not much language required, but no doubt lots of hard work. The Vietnamese community (mainly the women) seem to have made an enormous amount from this opportunity to help establish lives for the first generation and their children. The children seem often to become professionals or otherwise upwardly mobile. An amazing achievement.
* Ep 17 - Be Present - The story of Gene Binh Nguyen, whose father was killed as a soldier in the Vietnam War. The mother took her two kids to the US. They were first settled in a very rough neighbourhood in LA. The mother was one of the first to open a nail salon, and got Gene working in it. They moved to Virginia, where they opened a Nail School, to help other Vietnamese (mainly women) learn to open their own nail salons. Gene now also runs a large nightclub and a restaurant, is founder and president of the new Vietnamese-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Washington, and an inspiring community leader.
There are many more. I can't praise this podcast highly enough.
Geoff Bloom”Read full review »
ZiggyandMicki via Apple Podcasts ·
Australia ·
04/25/23
More reviews of The Vietnamese Boat People
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“Tears are rolling down my eyes as I’m listening to these stories. I was privileged to be raised in America. I went through years of loneliness not understanding why my parents were they way they were. But this podcast helped me visualize my parent’s history, and set my burden free. Thank you.”
via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/23/22
☆
☆
☆
☆
☆
“My mom escaped Vietnam in the 70’s when she was 8 with her dad and three brothers. I’ve always heard bits and pieces of stories, but lately have been wanting to learn more. Listening to these stories is teaching me so much. Thank you!”
ashpeav via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
09/18/20
Do you host a podcast?
Track your ranks and reviews from Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
Get Chartable Analytics »
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
Listen now
Links
Genres
Artwork or description wrong?
Request an update »
Updates may take a few minutes.
Do you host a podcast?
Track your ranks and reviews from Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
Get Chartable Analytics »
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
