Lil PSY from Gangnam Style has been getting hate messages from online bullies when it was revealed that his mother is Vietnamese. We decided to write Lil PSY a Lil Letter to let him know we’re on his side.
Hey Lil Psy – aka Hwang Min-woo – we know people have been saying a lot of nasty things about your Vietnamese heritage. They made you feel inferior and ashamed. We’re here to tell you they couldn’t be more wrong.
The truth is, you are lucky to be born into two great cultures. You know about Korea, but let me tell you about Vietnam. We are a resilient people with one of the longest continuous histories in the world that traces back 20,000 years ago. Today, Vietnamese people are great contributors around the world. Like who? There’s Duy Loan Le, who owns 24 patents, Khoi Vinh, who was the Art Director of the New York Times, Charles Phan, a James Beard winning chef with a restaurant empire, and Chinh Chu, a private equity billionaire and philanthropist. The list goes on.
But your Vietnamese heritage comes with more than just big names and celebrity cohorts. Being Vietnamese means you’re a part of a culture that values family above all else, that embraces education, and that knows how to survive in tough times.
Wear your heritage proud. We hope you’ll one day get a chance to explore your Vietnamese roots. Until then, find your Vietnamese mother and give her a hug. And, hey, don’t forget to call her “me”.
i have a strong believe that this boy wont give a fuck his mother tongue ! let’s see ! he is no more vietnamese and never wants to be. i know many cases like that , kinda psychical symptoms of discrimination shocking . That faggot narrow minded south korean bastards ruined his soul damn them , what goes around comes around
The comment below is a great example why Vietnamese are viewed negatively. Sure, Vietnamese culture has much to praise with many positive attributes. Nevertheless, to be recognized as a superior culture in this global economy, one must possess monetary power, and above all… a rich history of domination. Too bad after 20,000 yrs, the Vietnamese culture have not demonstrated much success due to a lack of organization skills and leadership. Thus we end up only as contributors. Absolutely, there is an increasing number successful Vietnamese. I would tell Lil Psy to put it all into perspective, getting negative publicity is not a bad thing. Turn it around to make yourself, family, and heritage proud by doing everything you can to stay dignified no matter what they say, keep your integrity, and grow up to be an articulated, savy, well cultured person! If you happen to be very successful when you get older, well that’s even better! Chin up my Lil man!