If you had to guess a Vietnamese person's last name, you'll be right almost half of the time if you say "Nguyen." Yes, the stereotype is true, the majority of Vietnamese people have Nguyen (46%) or Tran (13%) as their last name. About 85% of Vietnamese people have one of the ten last names in the chart above; that's about 75 million of us. A few other things worth noting: … [Read more...] about Infographic: Vietnamese Last Names – How Many Nguyens Are There, Really?
Solutions for Agent Orange
Hundreds of thousands of children in Vietnam are all too familiar with the long-term impact of Agent Orange. Born with missing limbs, life threatening heart conditions, mental challenges and other disabilities, they embody the legacy of war. Nearly four decades after the war, best estimates are that at least three million Vietnamese and hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers … [Read more...] about Solutions for Agent Orange
Tattoo vs Taboo: A Question about Body Art
I grew up with the notion that tattoos and piercings equated to "gangster" and "not lady-like." But is that really the case? During the Zhou Dynasty in China, tattoos were associated with barbarians, criminals, and bandits. Criminals would get the symbol "prisoner" on their faces as punishment. On the other hand, pre-colonized Filipino tribes used tattooing to show rank and … [Read more...] about Tattoo vs Taboo: A Question about Body Art
Questionable Vietnamese Masculinity in Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam
Four score and seven minutes ago (party-on dudes!), I expressed some ambivalent feelings about Vietnamese representation in Luke Nguyen's Vietnam. Given the tantrum-like shit-storm that followed, I was hesitant to write the promised article, "Questionable Vietnamese Masculinity." After all, there's only so many people you can piss off before one of them comes after you. But … [Read more...] about Questionable Vietnamese Masculinity in Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam
Melodies and Motif
Often times, music is one of the first few aspects of a culture that is embraced by people of other cultures. Moreover, most cultures have a very distinct combination of melody, tempo, meter, harmony, texture, dynamics, timbre, and articulation. So, what better way to celebrate Vietnamese American musicians, including both instrumentalists as well as vocalists, than by … [Read more...] about Melodies and Motif