Vietnamese Cultural Identity

According to the Hay’s addressing model, my cultural identities as a Latina woman of low socioeconomic status makes me part of non-dominant groups. My identities set me apart from the majority population which means that; I am perceived inferior than those of dominant groups. My lineage constitutes of indigenous ancestors that like me, share a darker skin tone that till this day is seen imperfect.

The streets of Ho Chi Minh City are beautiful around the summer time, but my favorite city was Huế, the city of cheap eats. My siblings and I have never been to Vietnam before, so it was an experience for all of us. As we were sitting down in a restaurant, looking at the menu, an old lady came up to us to take our order. My mother used to order for my brothers, so she ordered for them. When the lady looked at me, waiting for me to give her my order, all I could do was point at the picture on the menu and give her a smile. The look on her face was clear displeased. “She was born in America. She doesn’t know Vietnamese,” my father quickly told her, apologizing for my lack of knowledge. I felt embarrassed, lowering my head whenever she came near us. It was not my fault that I did not know my native language, but it was not my fault entirely for being able to learn it all these

Growing up as an Asian American, I often struggle to identify my own cultural identity. Being the first generation of both my mother and father’s side of the family, I more than often get confused between American and Asian culture when applying them to society or at home. While being raised at home, I am largely influenced by culture and traditions from Asian parents and relatives. However, when I go to school or someplace else, I am heavily judged for practicing part of my Asian culture because it is entirely different than western or American. With that being noted, I began to learn and adapt to the western culture in hopes of fitting with society as well of trying to keep my Asian culture intact. As can be seen, this situation I dealt with is the same problem the whole Asian American community faces. Mainly focusing on younger generations like me for example, the Asian American community struggles to adapt to the western culture because they were raised with an Asian influence. Wishing to fit in society and be part of the social norms, the Asian Americans community faces issues that identify their cultural identity.

Since people adapt to culture through learning by observing and imitating, those who grow up in a society have values and beliefs being shaped by that society’s culture. A Vietnamese who grows up in Vietnam would have assumption, behaviors different from a Vietnamese who grows up in United State. Being raised and grown up in Vietnam, I’m also being shaped by our own culture, and have some of biases that may affect my perception. For example, United State seems to be very open-minded about one-night stand, as long as it has the acceptance of both parties, but for a person who was being raised up in a traditional culture like Vietnamese, this kind of things are unaccepted. We are taught to always treasuring ourselves and sexual practice should

Being born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, I was exposed to many different cultures. A few of which were Hispanics and German. They both had different languages and customs. My mom would take us to a festival in San Antonio yearly that was called the “Texas Folklife Festival”. There, our family would experience many different cultures with singing, dancing, food, art, and language. Our family enjoyed learning about the different places others came from and how they celebrated their heritage. Learning to appreciate where others came from and their back ground, gave me a better appreciation for differences.

Learning more about my cultural background lead me to really find myself and find out what my true passion lies on, which is being able to innovate and bring ideas to an industry that is so highly competitive known as business. The thought of me creating

I was never interested in my Vietnamese culture until I came to Vietnam. Looking deeper into my childhood scene, I realized how my trip to Vietnam changed me completely. Back then I was mostly into Korean culture, but coming to Vietnam made me appreciate my culture and be proud of being Vietnamese descent. I struggle in finding my own culture identity because I did not grew up with Asian people. Now that I’m at MSU I met more Asian people and can relate to them on Asian-American issues. I finally found a community I belong and a broad amount of people who share the same problem as I do. Together we raise Asian-Awareness, which was something I never had a chance to do in high

The conference panel I attended was for Dr. Thuy Vo Dang, regarding Vietnamese American identity and the role of archives in shaping epistemology. The speaker mentioned several points regarding how the archive allowed for members of Vietnamese descent to offer their narrative, and essentially give perspective to a community that had inherently omitted and censored itself. It is interesting to have found out that at one point in time, the Vietnamese identity was primarily focused on the Vietnam War, and the Vietnamese were primarily associated with labels such as victims or enemies. From the presentation I learned that the Vietnamese American community identity changed as they adopted a new mentality that stems from them being refugee. The media back then and even today in regards to the Vietnam war had generalized and simplifying the act of being a refugee and being displaced into the US. Vietnamese refugees were characterized as being indebted to the US, and grateful. In addition, the action of becoming a refugee and escaping to the United States were commonly described by various sources to have done so in desperate, cramped, and out of their control. This description appears to have

I found it interesting to read about the immigrant experiences of all the different cultures, because it gave me a chance to look back at all the different people I met in my life and realize there are many different interesting people to still meet. I love to step out of the box; nevertheless, out of my small town living and learn about what other cultures have to offer and the issues they face which are closely related in history. I understand there is a completely different world that shows how different life can be for others and how different cultures values impact life in different areas of the world. I know I will be able to assist an abundance of cultural groups, because I am interested in learning about the cultural values, beliefs,

Growing up in New York City and attending public school my whole life gave me the opportunity to grow up in a diverse environment which in turn has helped to broaden my perspective socially and culturally. These experiences allowed me at a young age to become friends with other immigrants and people whose culture, ethnicity, religion, and experiences were completely different from my own. Friends have taught me things like cultural norms and what is and isn't acceptable in other religions. Another experience that I that changed my perspective was taking the career pathway biomedical science because it helped me see academic courses in a different way. It showed me that school wasn't only tests, solving math problems, and writing essays. In

I was recommended and influenced by peers and Perkins Fellows who have participated in the trip I chose as my preferred trip.

First and foremost, I am Asian American. My background is a blend of Vietnamese from my mother and Chinese from my father. I am bilingual. My native language is Vietnamese. I, however, still do plan on learning other languages which include Chinese and Korean. As for my work experience, I have worked extensively in home renovation. These projects include: general exterior repair, fencing, landscaping, and painting (interior and other applications of paint). I have worked with various contractors during these projects. They range from electricians to plumbers. I do plan on moving from home renovation to working in the technology field. My major of choice is Computer Information Systems. My ideal company to work for is Blizzard Entertainments.

As a Colorado native, I gaze at the sun setting on the distant mountains, watch Aspen trees change color, and appreciate the complexity of snowflakes. This state has always captivated my sense of wonder. While this unquenchable curiosity permeates my whole life, it is most visible in my diverse undergraduate studies – majors in molecular biology and sociology with minors in chemistry, math, and leadership studies. Even more fundamental to my identity, though, is my Vietnamese heritage. Growing up, I ate dinner with three generations at table, tended to my grandparents, and fulfilled my responsibility as the oldest child. This upbringing taught me the importance of cultivating relationships. Moreover, circumstances within my family – such as

I was born in the countryside of Vietnam, and having left when I was four, my memories of my time there are little close to nothing. It’s not uncommon for people to ask me why I don’t speak Vietnamese,

As a multicultural individual, I grew up learning to accept and value the mix of different cultures and backgrounds in my community. Exposure to different cultural perspectives has shaped my own. This intercultural understanding has shaped me into the openminded person I am today. I have an open outlook on the world that is not restricted by the confines of race or gender. I knew now that I was not living in a country with a