“I’m afraid that my child won’t understand the culture (s)he came from.”
This is one of the main concerns I’ve heard from parents since I started working with OneVietnam Network. We’re reaching the era of 2nd generation Vietnamese Americans—those who were born here and have never stepped foot in their homeland.
I’ve always believed that the best way to experience culture is first hand. You have to be in it and feel it all around you to be able to really understand it. The Jewish community knows this well.
A great example of that is their Birthright Israel trip:
Taglit-Birthright Israel provides the gift of first time, peer group, educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults ages 18 to 26. Taglit-Birthright Israel’s founders created this program to send thousands of young Jewish adults from all over the world to Israel as a gift in order to diminish the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world; to strengthen the sense of solidarity among world Jewry; and to strengthen participants’ personal Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish people.
A foundation, running completely off of donations from their community and government, has sent over 260,000 young people back to their homeland for a 10-day, fully-paid trip so that they can understand who they are, know where they come from, and build a connection with their community.
Pretty much any Jewish young adult can apply for this – as long as (among a few more restrictions) you have never been on a study program or lived there past the age of 12. Even if you have visited with your parents in the past, you’re still encouraged to apply so that you can experience the country with your peers.
That’s another place where I think the Jewish community hits the nail on the head. Traveling without your parents is a completely different experience. Though I’ve never been to Vietnam without mine, I do remember one moment that changed things. We were in Nha Trang and I decided to break away from everyone, so I grabbed my things and headed to the beach. For the first time on that trip, I was alone—no parents, no aunts and uncles. For the first time, my experience of Vietnam was not filtered through the memories of my elders. Running through my head were no longer thoughts of why we left Vietnam, but rather why I wanted to return to this beautiful country. This was all from two hours of being in Vietnam “alone.” Imagine what a whole trip could do.
So my question is: Will the Vietnamese community ever pull together enough to be able to send their children home with their peers? Can we get to the point where hardworking parents, without the extra income, will still be able to send their kids back to Vietnam with the help of their community? Does it even have to be a program initiated in conjunction with the government, like Birthright Israel was? Will we ever find that unity to be able to expose our children to the place we were fortunate enough to know and love so that they can fall in love with it too?
I know that the Vietnamese community and the Jewish community are not perfect comparisons—our cultures are different, and Vietnamese Diaspora history hasn’t spanned nearly as many centuries as that of the Jewish community. But, I don’t think our love for our Vietnamese culture and our want for our children to know their homeland are any less. So, here’s to hoping.
Lana, thank you for raising our awareness with this article. I think this is a wonder idea that we, the Vietnamese Diaspora, should try to emulate. However, this idea needs an organization to own the program and make it a viable entity. I feel many in the Vietnamese Diaspora want their children to not lose their Vietnamese heritage and would strongly support the program. I believe we can garner supports and donations for the program once its purpose is known. Additionally, I propose a scholarship could be implemented to assist those who can’t afford the cost. I envision the program would also be a way of helping many of the younger generations who are aimlessly struggling to find their identity, especially those less fortunate.
I suggest part of the trip focuses on Vietnamese culture and history, and part of the trip comprises of some charitable work for the poor and needy, or other “hands-on” activity to help the poor people of Vietnam. I believe the most profound experience of the trip will probably come from helping the poor people of Vietnam. I think direct experience of the poor in Vietnam will open the participants’ eyes to the immediacy and unassumingness of life. I am hopeful that the participants will help them connect with their past, and gain insights into that will be life-changing for them.
It seems to me OneVietnam Network would be a good place to help get the ball rolling. Someone give this project a name and let’s spread the word to make this idea a reality.
I’m hoping, too.
Jewish people are generally financially capable of doing such program and with that said money and Jews goes hand in hand. I’m writing from a first gen born abroad. I think its comes down to the individual ‘Viet kieu’ themselves to find their root. As human we are driven by curiousity. This has led me on my recent trip to vietnam discovering 300 odd years of ancestral history (we came along and kicked some poor cambo out and seized their land lulzz). This is much rewarding than being a pimple face Vietnamese born American trying to be a nigga and rapping inwhich we ever so come accross on YouTube.
I love the idea of a regular (annual or so) trip back to Vietnam, and believe there are already foundations organizing such trips, albeit for specific purposes (Operation Reunion for Babylift adoptees comes to mind). A peer group trip similar to Birthright Israel is possible, I believe, and would be an even better experience with less risks than going back on your own – what if you’re faced with not a beautiful country, but an alien land with horrible culture shocks as in ‘Daughter from Danang’? However there are a few things to consider.
Funding first. I understand that the source would be mainly from the community and, if we’re lucky, from outside donations, and I also understand that the overseas community doesn’t trust the Vietnamese government enough to ask for support as in the Israeli or the Irish case. But if we work hard enough at the Vietnamese end, we can have, say, homestay hosts and local youths as guides, all volunteer; not only will it reduce the cost, but living within the culture itself is certainly more than just reading leaflets.
That leads us to the second question of what to do during the trip. Contrary to Robert’s ideas, I personally dislike the idea of more charitable work. If you want to have a life-changing experience or simply want to ‘help the poor’, any place from the African countries to charity work in your own hometown will do. Focusing too much on charity only helps to perpetuate the stereotypes, of non-diaspora Vietnamese as needy and helpless, and of overseas Vietnamese as rich money-bestowers. The participants may choose to come back to do charity work on their own, but please, don’t force it upon their first-time visit.
About the culture. I hardly think a 10-day trip can help you experience culture first-hand, except maybe a very readymade, museumized form of culture and from a touristy point of view. Believe it or not, there is no fixed ‘Vietnamese culture’ and what you would find here will be very different from the version you get from parents and the media. I would prefer a 3-mo to 1-yr stay (I’ve seen a lot of people saying they choose to extend their 1-year stay because they feel they haven’t understood the culture well enough), but then the best thing would be finding a job to support yourself (living expense in Vietnam is cheap) as well as immersing in the culture, and avoiding the risk which Marianne Smallwood mentioned: ‘It’s easy for expats to move to Vietnam, get fed up with little things that accompany living in Hanoi, and then become insular with other expats (frequenting the same ‘nice’ places or just staying in).’ (http://www.expatinterviews.com/Marianne-Smallwood.html) For the same reason I’ll advise a group of 2 to 3 rather than 10. Or we can have many options on the table.
I would love to be involved if OneVietnam can start such a program, and I know tons of youngsters in Vietnam who are dying to be able to communicate to overseas Vietnamese in a way other than YouTube flame wars.
I suggest this experience should not be viewed as another item to check off in one’s ‘to do’ list. I suggest this is more than just to ‘help the poor.’ Instead it would fulfill two purposes. One, yes, it would allow the participants to assist the poor people in Vietnam. Two, it would help the participants themselves. Not every second generation Vietnamese Americans are financially successful with a high school or college education. There are some young Vietnamese Americans on the lower economic spectrum that can benefit from the trip.
Also, I think there is a difference between helping the poor in “African countries” (and “your own hometown”) and the poor in Vietnam. In both areas you mentioned, there are many more humanitarian organizations from the U.N. to the U.S. to local groups. In Vietnam, are there as many foreign organizations that will lend assistance to the poor? If we don’t help our own people, who will?
I don’t think using half of the trip to provide the poor assistance will perpetuate the stereotypes you mentioned. I believe if the work is genuine and sincere in its purpose the disadvantaged will gladly receive aid and not reject the offer. Stereotyping may be something the “rich money-bestowers” have the privilege to do, but the poor may be suffering too much to care about labeling.
I agree, “don’t force it upon” them. I hope, though, that if the participants were given the choice of spending half their time helping the poor, they would choose the option. Experiencing the daily struggle of the poor in Vietnam would be a part of learning about Vietnam. Have two tracks; one would go do work for the poor, the other would go do other activities. Let them choose.
I think this program would work better for those in their teen age years rather than the twenties set. Expatriates are old enough to do as they wish, whether “frequenting the same ‘nice’ places or just staying in.”
I do very much like your idea of “homestay hosts and local youths as guides, all volunteer.” Yes, the idea is “living within the culture itself”—even if that culture includes the poor.
This seems a good idea to me and one that I don’t think is financially out of reach at all. One model that occurred to me this morning (my best thoughts occur in the first 5 minutes of the day . . . after that, it’s all downhill) are the foreign language classes in the high school my son went to. The Spanish, German, and French classes all arrange a two to four week trip to either Spain, Germany, or France (obviously) at the end of the school year in which they not only visit but take a class at one of the universities there. There is, of course, no requirement that they have any ancestral link to those countries. But my point is that the cost is not out of reach. Furthermore, being a school thing, financial assistance is available as well as tax credits for people who want to donate to the class trip (at least in Arizona, not sure how this works in other states). Unfortunately, there are no Vietnamese language classes at the Arizona schools, but . . . . LA, San Jose, Houston, Seattle?? Are the populations large enough there to support it? Even if it’s a school club, like the Vietnamese students club or something? Just thinking out loud of ways to get some partial gov’t funding. Anyway, I think it just needs someone to get it going and drive it as Robert said. It would be a great experience for the kids.
Awesome article Lana. I was thinking about this too. I have heard something similar w/ Taiwanese—private cruises for young people to simultaneously explore their roots and a sort of matchmaking experience 🙂
I think a private model (and some subsidized trips for those who meet income requirements) could actually be quite viable. I imagine different programs geared for different audiences, incorporating language immersion (before departure and throughout the trip), sightseeing of cultural sites, and some kind of service project–maybe flexibility to allow accompaniment of local family members. Key is authenticity–an experience unique and meaningful to those of us. Can even make it an exchange program. I think the Viet Kieu NGO community and the expat Viet Kieu organizations would be a great resources—all the pieces there–just have to pull it all together. Biggest risk factor is political–from both sides and sustainable funding. As mentioned, our community is actually rather disadvantaged.
Indeed, Viet Kieu are now entering their 3rd generation. As a 2nd generation, I struggle to keep up my own language skills, much less pass it on to my own children.
I personally believe whether or not the younger generation wants to get to know Vietnam more is really up to the parents. There are some older generations who left the country and waiting for it’s political down fall to come back and wave the ” I told you so flag.”. Or those who try their best to teach their children to love a country and culture they may not know or remember, but appreciate it since it is where their parents are from, what they know and love. As for following the examples of the Jews, the major difference is that the Jewish government supports their people’s return and views it as a way to solidify that connection with their people no matter where they reside. vietnam is still a developing country and some of the basic are not accessible to it’s citizens, so it is understandable why the focus is not there from the government’s perspective. While I understand that not everyone has the financial means to travel to Vietnam frequently, I do believe that if there is a deep desire to explore and get to know their parent’s homeland, they will find a way to make it happen.
I’m glad to hear you were able to experience Vietnam, in some small way, through your eyes, unfiltered and of all places, my beloved Nha Trang. I hope you get a chance to return and explore it some more.
I totally support this idea although I’m not sure if it’s feasible. As a Vietnamese moving to USA recently, I love to see the strong tie between oversea Vietnamese and mainland Vietnamese. I understand that oversea Vietnamese have strong sense of heritage and they want their children to apprecicate their root. Unfortunately there are some political issues going on that separate our community. When I step into a Vietnamese community in USA, I don’t feel being as welcomed as I was in the Chinese community (my wife is a Chinese). One side the Vietnamese government, although is increasingly opened, still keeps an cautious eye on American Vietnamese. But the anti-Communism sentiment among American Vietnamese is really unfortunate. I believe that we Vietnamese are mostly apolitical and we should not discriminate anyone based on his/her political stance. I wish the American Vietnamese could look at Vietnam at least as a country with a flag, a government, people with respect and keep their political campaign in proper places.
Let’s me know any comment if you agree or disagree with it.
Thank you.
This is a wonderful idea. The Jewish model for the symbiotic relationship between the diaspora and the motherland is very powerful, sustainable, and beneficial to all parties. I think it would serve the Vietnamese community well to try and take a few pages from that model, beyond this great idea of the Birthright trip, to bridge the gap between the two communities, by focusing on what unite us rather than what past is dividing us.
Giới thiệu về chùa Kỳ Quang II:
Chùa Kỳ Quang II nằm ở 154/4A Lê Hoàng Phái, P.17, Quận Gò
Vấp là một trong những địa chỉ vàng của thành phố Hồ Chí Minh hôm nay.
Đến đây, bạn sẽ được chứng kiến cuộc sống khó khăn về vật chất, thiếu
thốn về tình cảm của hàng trăm đứa trẻ đang hàng ngày, hàng giờ phải
đấu tranh với bệnh tật, với số phận nghiệt ngã, vươn lên hòa nhập với
cộng đồng
Các em được nuôi dưỡng ở đây phải chịu thiệt thòi hơn chúng bạn bởi
không những phải chịu kiếp mồ côi, bị cha mẹ bỏ rơi, mà còn mang trong
người các chứng bệnh nan y (bại não, thần kinh, dị dạng, mù, câm,
điếc, nhiễm chất độc da cam…và gần đây còn có cả thêm các em mắc HIV
dương tính hoặc đã phát triển thành AIDS cũng gia nhập vào cái tập thể
trẻ bất hạnh ấy).
Đến đây, bạn sẽ được chứng kiến sự hy sinh thầm lặng, những tấm lòng
vàng, những trái tim nhân ái của những con người đã cưu mang, chia sẻ,
giành giật với bệnh tật, với tử thần, giúp hồi sinh cho những đứa trẻ
chịu nhiều thiệt thòi trở về với cuộc sống bình thường, tái hòa nhập
dần với cộng đồng.
Người trụ trì và cũng là người sáng lập ra cơ sở đào tạo và hướng
nghiệp cho cô nhi khuyết tật và Phòng khám từ thiện Tuệ Tĩnh Đường mà
không ít người biết đến là Thượng tọa Thích Thiện Chiếu. Ông vốn là
công dân gốc của thành phố, sinh ra ở vùng An Phú Đông (Quận 12). Đi
tu từ thuở thiếu thời (năm 10 tuổi), đến sau 1975 về trụ trì ở chùa Kỳ
Quang II này. Sau chiến tranh, không chỉ vùng đất của phường 17 nơi cư
ngụ của ngôi chùa mà cả Quận Gò Vấp lúc bấy giờ còn rất hoang sơ, sình
lội, là nơi tập trung cư ngụ của những người lao động nghèo.
Với tấm lòng nhân hậu và mong muốn thực hiện tâm nguyện của chư Phật
Thích Ca là “cứu khổ, cứu nạn kiếp nhân sinh”, sư thầy Thích Thiện
Chiếu đã biến chùa Kỳ Quang dần trở thành mái ấm tình thương, nơi trú
ngụ của các em mù, nghèo mồ côi ngày ngày phải lang thang đi ăn xin.
Chúng mách cho nhau và những đứa trẻ khác cùng chung số phận cứ kế
tiếp nhau kéo đến xin ở nhờ ngày càng đông.
Từ năm 1994, được phép của chính quyền địa phương, một Trung tâm từ
thiện chăm sóc cho các em khuyết tật được thành lập. Lúc đầu là 20 em,
sau này đã lên đến con số hàng trăm. Nhiều trường hợp thật thương tâm
bởi chính tay cha, mẹ không muốn nuôi dưỡng đứa con tật nguyền đã mang
đến chùa bỏ lại đứa con thơ mới chỉ hai tháng tuổi, phó thác những
sinh linh bé bỏng cho nhà chùa. Hiện trong số 205 em đang được nuôi
dưỡng tại Trung tâm thì có tới 110 em khiếm thị; số nhiễm chất độc da
cam chiếm tới 40 em; số còn lại bị bại não, chậm phát triển, câm
điếc…và chỉ có 20 em là bình thường. Trong số 4 em bị nhiễm HIV do
cha, mẹ di truyền, có 2 trường hợp mặc dù đã cố gắng nhưng cũng không
thể cứu chữa. 17 bà mẹ nuôi cùng hòa thượng (nhiều cô có chuyên môn
dạy trẻ khuyết tật), các tăng, ni ngày ngày dạy giỗ, nuôi dưỡng, đùm
bọc, chia sẻ nỗi đau và sự thiếu thốn tình cảm với các em. Không chỉ
được nuôi, dạy, các em còn được học nghề, được hướng dẫn luyện tập để
phục hồi chức năng. Thượng tọa đã mời các thầy, cô trường Phổ thông
đặc biệt Nguyễn Đình Chiểu về dạy các em khiếm thị từ lớp 1 đến lớp 5
bằng chữ Braille. Tốt nghiệp tiểu học, các cháu có năng lực sẽ được
chuyển đến trường THPT học cùng các em bình thường. Nhiều em đã được
phẫu thuật mắt, được phục hồi thị giác; không ít em bị bại liệt, câm,
điếc đã ngồi dậy, có em còn tập đi và có thể phát âm và nói được.
Ngoài các lớp khuyết tật, Chùa còn mở thêm 5 lớp học tình thương tiểu
học cho các cháu nghèo, không có điều kiện đến trường. Các cháu đựơc
cấp đồng phục, sách vở, và học theo chương trình phổ thông.
Mình cũng là một phần trong CLB, vì vậy mỗi một cá nhân có trách nhiệm
với CLB, do vậy, anh em cố gắn mỗi người đóng góp tùy vào khả năng của
anh em.
Mọi sự ủng hộ có thể gửi trực tiếp cho tôi, hạn chót là là ngày
08/11/2011 để tổng hợp số tiền đóng góp gửi lên CLB.
Hy vọng anh em cùng nhau góp sức
Ai ở xa nếu gửi bằng tiền mặt với số lượng nhiều thì gửi tài khoản cho mình
Ngân hàng ngoại thương Việt Nam (Vietcombank)
Chủ tài khoản : Nguyễn Minh Lưu
Số tài khoản : 0391000819342.
I would love to help out if you are planning to start something along the lines of Birthright Vietnam. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance! phithinguyen@gmail.com