Ivy Phuong Ngo: Escape From the War Torn Vietnam
Profilers: Alexander Trang, Jia Yi Wang, Anushka Shah, Maddoc Shannon, Sebastian Ghattas-Smith
Early Life, Escape Attempts, and Refugee Journey
Ivy Phuong Ngo: Hi, my name is Ivy Phuong Ngo. I was born in Saigon, which is known today as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. My real birthday is May 5th, 1976, but when I arrived in Malaysia at the refugee camp, we didn’t have any paperwork. So, they gave my mom, my sister, and me the birthdate of January 1st. My legal American birthday is now January 1st, 1976. That’s actually very common among refugees.
Interviewer: At what age did you leave Vietnam?
Ivy Phuong: I left at 7 years old, but that was the successful escape, but I believe we tried three or four times before that so … my first time trying to escape was probably when I was about five or six. It took us like the fourth time for us to be successful, which was at seven years old.
Interviewer: Do you remember any of those attempts before your successful one?
Ivy Phuong: Very vaguely, I do. There was one particular time that we did get captured and we were put in jail and I remember being in jail and they kept the adults but they let the children go home, so I remember my grandparents coming to pick me up and my mom had to stay back.
Interviewer: When you left Vietnam whose decision was that and why did they choose that?
Ivy Phuong: In our situation, it is a little bit different because my dad actually left Vietnam in 1979, and then he and my uncle [fled] Vietnam. My grandparents didn’t want all of us to flee at the same time because he was afraid that we would lose he would lose all of us at the same time so he let the men go first, so my mom my sister and I were left behind, and then when my dad and uncle successfully made it to America, then we that’s when we attempted to flee ourselves. I guess it was a decision of both my grandparents and my dad and my mom, so it’s a combination of the whole family because we wanted to be reunited again.
Interviewer: You said that your dad and your uncle, you and your sister and your mom all left; [were] there any relatives that stayed behind?
Ivy Phuong: Yes, it was all of my parents, my grandparents, and all the uncles and aunts of both sides. So it was just my immediate family; my sister, mom, and my dad and uncle, but we have many many family members still back home.
Interviewer: And how are they doing now, like is their lifestyle very different from yours here in the United States?
Ivy Phuong: My dad’s side, half of them have already passed away. Actually, all of my grandparents [on] both sides have passed away. And then on my dad’s side we have a couple of relatives left, but my mom’s, my grandparents have also passed away but my aunts and uncles and cousins, I have many back [there]. They’re doing fairly well ranging from poverty to successful businesses, but they’re doing decent compared to many years ago today.
Interviewer: And when you were escaping Vietnam how was the overall process, like was there any moment that you vividly remember?
Ivy Phuong: Definitely. That this is something that I will never forget. I have images of that night that we escaped, of being in a swamp, very dark, mosIntervieweruitoes biting me. Just going, it’s in the middle of the night; not seeing where we’re, you know, going ahead. We were supposed to be on a big vessel, but that vessel was actually caught by the authorities, so my mom, myself, my sister, and three other men –and one of those three men [was] the captain– he had decided that he was still going to go for it, and we were in a very small tiny boat. He asked my mom; he said, “do you want to continue with the journey? If not, we’ll drop you off.” And my mom courageously agreed to continue because she didn’t want to get caught because if she knew that if she got caught she would be put back in jail, so somehow, miraculously, the six of us, which is my mom, myself, and my sister, who was 2 years younger than me at the time, so she was five, and three other men, we [fled] Vietnam in this tiny boat because we chose not to return home.
Interviewer: So carrying like that kind of memory, and maybe some trauma with you, how do you think that affected you growing up?
Ivy Phuong: For sure it made me a stronger person, [resilient]. Being through what I went through, being on open water for four nights and days, not knowing what’s going to happen, I still get like emotional at times because of the life that I have today, like I still can’t believe that what I went through to get to where I’m at today, so for sure it’s made me become a stronger person and to fight for what I want because at that moment, we thought when we were at open water, we thought for sure we were going to die and there was no way of surviving, and [yet] we did and you know, and I have what I have today is because I feel like, ‘if I can get through that, I can get through anything.’
Interviewer: With that being said, like the resilience and the experiences that you had growing up and that motivated you, do you think that experience changed or impacted the way that you raised your children?
Ivy Phuong: For sure, because when we came to America, we basically came with just the clothes on our back. We did not have any money. We needed, you know, assistance. I mean we barely had money for food. Thank goodness that my dad was already here, but he was still very poor; I mean he was barely making any money. When we first arrived here, we were living in a one-bedroom apartment with like five, I mean no, no ten people, just all you know smashed into there and we just made the best out of it, you know. Whatever we had to eat, we ate; we didn’t complain. We had a roof over our head and that was more than what we [could] ask for. So yeah, for sure. Just the, you know, coming with nothing and then now with, you know, my career, you know, and I own a home. My son is now in college, so definitely, yes, it just definitely made us work so much harder because the reason why I’m here is because, you know, starting with my grandparents; he wanted my dad to have a better opportunity at life because he knew that after the war, life would be very difficult. So then, you know, when we came here, growing up, my parents didn’t give us a choice, like, we had to go to college. It wasn’t if you want to, it was, “You are going to college. You are going to be somebody successful.” That was our goal that my parents had for us, you know? We had no choice, and we just… we were driven that way. We were mentally prepared that way, and we didn’t want to disappoint our parents. So that’s all we knew of.
Interviewer: Would you say that experience led to generational self-sacrifice?
Ivy Phuong: In some parts, yes, for sure, you know? As I look on, you know, from the different generations; my grandparents being in Vietnam working hard, my dad came here with barely anything. But now, I mean, he, you know, sacrificed at the beginning for us, and now, like, each generation has definitely gotten improved, and I’m hoping that now, my son has a better start than I did, growing up; that he would definitely, like each generation, we hope to see improvement and more successful.
Interviewer: With that being said, do you think that you and your parents were really able to like leave Vietnam behind or is it something that you think about every day?
Ivy Phuong: I don’t think we left Vietnam; like physically, yes, but mentally, we have we still have very close ties cause we still have family back there, and, I mean, we still–my parents– still support certain family members back there who don’t have great jobs, or don’t have the luxury of having the everyday needs. So, no. I mean, we were very in close contact with them. Still, my parents visit them often. I just got the opportunity to visit back home, and took my son a couple years ago. So yeah, Vietnam will always be a part of us, and I mean, that is where I was born. Even though I was mainly raised here, my culture and where I came from will always be a part of me.
Starting Over – Family, Hard Work, and Growing Up in America
Interviewer: Did you find it difficult to embrace life in America?
Ivy Phuong: Yes, initially, because we came here and we did not know how to speak English. I mean, I can recall starting second grade, and I cried for the whole entire week. I came to America in 1984 and there was still… There’s a small community of Vietnamese people, but not a lot, so at the school that I was at there [were] only a few, so I couldn’t communicate with anyone. I cried and cried. So yes, definitely very difficult to transition initially. [It] was difficult.
Interviewer: And then did you end up finding a community within the states?
Ivy Phuong: Yes, because we when we entered America, we lived in Orange County, and as you know, Orange County has a very big population of Vietnamese.In that [instance] we were very lucky that we are surrounded by a lot of Vietnamese, so the support and the unity made the adjustment a lot easier for my parents. We were young so I mean it didn’t affect us as much, I believe, but for my parents it was a big, how would I say it? It’s a bonus for them to be able to speak to people they know and then also the people who came before them were able to assist them and show them the ropes of different things that they can do to help them get jobs and go learn English at a community college and things like that. Yes, we are very fortunate that we landed in Orange County.
Interviewer: With that being said, you said they helped your family adjust to life in America, but was the war ever talked about? Did they ever cope with the emotional and mental trauma that they had?
Ivy Phuong: I would hear my parents talking to their friends, but they never directly spoke to me about the war and how it [affected] them but I know that it… My dad, when the war was happening, my dad was in his late teens, so I know he was probably impacted by [that] somewhat. And, you know, they were devastated [by the] fall of Saigon, but they never spoke to me directly on it, but they are thankful and that they are able to come to America and given a second chance because they knew that life would be very difficult if they would stay back.
Interviewer: Would you describe the family dynamic as more of a open communication, where it’s like the trauma is conveyed through some like actions or some other things?
Ivy Phuong: I, what I remember is that my dad always brought things up like, you know, “we’re here. We sacrifice. We’re here. So you have to do that so you guys can have a better life. So it’s a constant reminder why we’re here in America that I remember. Growing up, my dad was always saying that, you know, grandpa sacrificed for me to be here, so I’m, you know, you guys have to think of the things that you’re going to do to make grandpa be proud, and I have to make grandpa proud. I brought you guys over here so we have to do whatever we do. We have to make them proud that they sacrificed everything they had to bring us over here. So in that instance, I feel like, yes, it does impact, you know, the war telling of the sacrifices from the different generations, and it’s a constant reminder, even today. You know, my dad still reminded me like, “you know we’re here. You know you have to make the best out of it. You have to know to raise your children. We lost our country, you know. Even though we’re proud to be an American now, but we still lost our country, so you got to do what is best, and you know, be successful and make everyone proud.”
Interviewer: Would you want your child to be reminded of the sacrifices and how, that, in order to achieve something, you have to remember all these sacrifices your prior ancestors and family members made for you.
Ivy Phuong: Oh, most definitely, because, I mean, that’s just part of our lives. I mean that’s part of our history we can’t just cut it off, you know? I mean. the children now. that was born and raised in America; they’re very fortunate they didn’t have to go through what we had to go through, but they still need to remember that they’re here because of the sacrifices that, you know, their parents or grandparents and great-grandparents made in order for them to have what they have today. So, yes, I definitely would want them to know, you know, about their family history, and not just because they’re an American, you know. It’s very important to me that they need to know.
Interviewer: Was there anything that you wish that your parents would have been more open about or talked about or just have done differently?
Ivy Phuong: You know, because they were so busy working that they didn’t–we didn’t have the opportunity and it’s also part of our culture that we don’t have a lot of family time. We don’t bond like that. We don’t give that affectionate, emotional open-talk, so I wish that we, my parents, could have maybe, like, educated us more on what happened, but it was more… it’s not like it I wouldn’t say it’s a taboo, but it was just like not they didn’t think that we needed to know, so they… maybe, they were protecting us, but I mean all they did was work, work, work so we never really had the opportunity to become close as the family, even though I know they love us, but they were just so busy working that they never had–we never had–the opportunity. So that’s the part that I miss, is that growing up, we had to grow…, personally for me I had to grow up very early, at a very young age. I had to take care of my siblings since I was, like,… because my parents were always working, they were never home, so I had to take care of my brothers and sisters. You know, I came with just my sister, but then later my mom had two more boys, so I was responsible, as the eldest, taking care of the three younger ones, so I was forced to grow up very early on, you know, because of how they were constantly working.
Interviewer: I know that you are very proud of your Vietnamese culture. Could you just describe to us, are there any traditions, or customs, or holidays that you carried over from Vietnam to here?
Ivy Phuong:Yes, well definitely, like Lunar New Year is a big celebration for us, and it’s a very important celebration for my parents, we–they still carry that. Every year my mom would decorate the house full of flowers and all her twinklets and things that she decorate, and we would invite our, you know, close family and friends over to have a traditional dinner, and they–the kids–would get, you know, red envelopes–li shi–money from the elders, and then just playing games and just being together. So I hope that, you know, I can continue that tradition once my parents, you know, are no longer here with us, and so that, you know, my son can pass on to, down to, you know, his children. Also, just the respect of how we greet the elders; there’s certain ways you have to greet them, and I would like to have that to pass down. And then just the traditional food, you know, I… I want that to continue, and let them know where we came from. And yeah, so Lunar New Year, the food, and especially, the language; I know it’s…it’s more difficult, like I can speak it fluently; my son not so much anymore, but I hope that maybe, you know, down the road he can pick up more, and then hopefully his kids can at least understand. So yeah, the language. I would hope that it would carry on.
Interviewer: Are there any traditions that you felt like have been lost in the process and that you regret?
Ivy Phuong: I wouldn’t say…, no, not anything particular, but I wish that I would have taken, like, speaking and writing Vietnamese more seriously as a child. My parents did make me go to classes, like during the weekends, but I did not care for it, so I didn’t take it seriously, and then, now that I have my own children, even though I was born in Vietnam, but I feel like my true first language now is English, because as an educator that’s what I speak mostly, you know. And so, you know, as my son was growing up, he started out speaking Vietnamese very well when he was staying with grandma and grandpa, but once school started, it got difficult, and it’s part of my fault and his dad’s fault that we were more comfortable in English. So that’s one thing I do regret, is not taking speaking Vietnamese to him more frerquently and enforcing it so that he can be more fluent than he is today.
Interviewer: So in the beginning, you said the community around you, like family and friends, were able to help you adjust to the life. Do you remember if the US government was able to provide you guys any aid, in [the] sense of like money, food stamps, like that?
Ivy Phuong Yes, when we first came over, of course, because like I said, we came over, basically, with the clothes on our back. So yes the government did help out with food stamp and, like, money, but it was very minimum. We got assisted for a short time, until my dad was able to find a job, and once we did that, things start to pick up, so things were better, but my mom, because she had three kids, it was difficult. She…she wasn’t able to go work and she had to stay home and watch us. Yeah, so, we definitely did get assistance from the government with food and a little bit of money so that we can pay rent, but once, you know, my dad learned English and was able to… I remember he telling us that he was attending classes at OCC, which is a community college, and then he got his welding license, and he was able to get a better job, and then that’s when we were able to not have to live in a one-bedroom apartment with people, and we were able to move out, you know, on just our immediate family.
Identity, Culture, and Legacy
Interviewer: Do you, yourself, have, like, resentment towards the war?
Ivy Phuong I wouldn’t say I have resentment, because like I said I was so young that I don’t have anything personal attachment to it cause I don’t have, like, the exact memory of what really went on, but I mean, I am thankful for what I have today, and I don’t I think, if it wasn’t [for] the war I would still be in Vietnam and life, maybe, wouldn’t be as great as what I have today. So I wouldn’t say I have resentment, but I know it’s just… that’s just my personal belief because I wasn’t personally affected during that time, but if you ask my dad, that probably would not be his answer. So I think it’s also based on the generation when, if you ask that interview question, it would be answered differently.
Interviewer: Do you think, like, there’s an expectation that, because your parents had this personal connection to the war, that you need to have this point of view as well?
Ivy Phuong: I don’t think my dad–my parents–ever kind of put that on us, that we have to have it, but it just… he just constantly remind us that, you know, we lost our country because of that. We…we just we need to work hard, and we need to prove ourselves, and we need to…we are here to find a better life, so just kind of make it worth it, you know, and we…it’s a…it was a struggle for us to get where we are today, so make the best out of it.
Interviewer:If someone were to ask you, “Hey tell me one thing about, like, the Vietnam War refugee journey.”, what is the thing that you would focus on?
Ivy Phuong: Well, definitely hard times. I was at–in–Malaysia at the refugee camp for a year. I still remember it was more like a big gigantic room, with this bunch of bunk beds, and we were just kind of like, mattress on the floor, just… was not the best time, and just, every time we had to go eat or go shower, it was like lines and lines, you know. So definitely not memories that I would want to remember, but it was just, you know… But I–we–made it. I mean, we crossed the ocean, and we got to land, and so I’m thankful for that, but definitely, we had to go through some hoops to get to where we are today.
Interviewer: Did you find it difficult to embrace life in America?
Ivy Phuong: Yes, initially, because we came here and we did not know how to speak English. I mean, I can recall starting second grade, and I cried for the whole entire week. I came to America in 1984 and there was still… There’s a small community of Vietnamese people, but not a lot, so at the school that I was at there [were] only a few, so I couldn’t communicate with anyone. I cried and cried. So yes, definitely very difficult to transition initially. [It] was difficult.
Interviewer: And then did you end up finding a community within the states?
Ivy Phuong: Yes, because we when we entered America, we lived in Orange County, and as you know, Orange County has a very big population of Vietnamese.In that [instance] we were very lucky that we are surrounded by a lot of Vietnamese, so the support and the unity made the adjustment a lot easier for my parents. We were young so I mean it didn’t affect us as much, I believe, but for my parents it was a big, how would I say it? It’s a bonus for them to be able to speak to people they know and then also the people who came before them were able to assist them and show them the ropes of different things that they can do to help them get jobs and go learn English at a community college and things like that. Yes, we are very fortunate that we landed in Orange County.
Interviewer: With that being said, you said they helped your family adjust to life in America, but was the war ever talked about? Did they ever cope with the emotional and mental trauma that they had?
Ivy Phuong: I would hear my parents talking to their friends, but they never directly spoke to me about the war and how it [affected] them but I know that it… My dad, when the war was happening, my dad was in his late teens, so I know he was probably impacted by [that] somewhat. And, you know, they were devastated [by the] fall of Saigon, but they never spoke to me directly on it, but they are thankful and that they are able to come to America and given a second chance because they knew that life would be very difficult if they would stay back.
Interviewer: Would you describe the family dynamic as more of a open communication, where it’s like the trauma is conveyed through some like actions or some other things?
Ivy Phuong: I, what I remember is that my dad always brought things up like, you know, “we’re here. We sacrifice. We’re here. So you have to do that so you guys can have a better life. So it’s a constant reminder why we’re here in America that I remember. Growing up, my dad was always saying that, you know, grandpa sacrificed for me to be here, so I’m, you know, you guys have to think of the things that you’re going to do to make grandpa be proud, and I have to make grandpa proud. I brought you guys over here so we have to do whatever we do. We have to make them proud that they sacrificed everything they had to bring us over here. So in that instance, I feel like, yes, it does impact, you know, the war telling of the sacrifices from the different generations, and it’s a constant reminder, even today. You know, my dad still reminded me like, “you know we’re here. You know you have to make the best out of it. You have to know to raise your children. We lost our country, you know. Even though we’re proud to be an American now, but we still lost our country, so you got to do what is best, and you know, be successful and make everyone proud.”
Interviewer: Would you want your child to be reminded of the sacrifices and how, that, in order to achieve something, you have to remember all these sacrifices your prior ancestors and family members made for you.
Ivy Phuong: Oh, most definitely, because, I mean, that’s just part of our lives. I mean that’s part of our history we can’t just cut it off, you know? I mean. the children now. that was born and raised in America; they’re very fortunate they didn’t have to go through what we had to go through, but they still need to remember that they’re here because of the sacrifices that, you know, their parents or grandparents and great-grandparents made in order for them to have what they have today. So, yes, I definitely would want them to know, you know, about their family history, and not just because they’re an American, you know. It’s very important to me that they need to know.
Interviewer: Was there anything that you wish that your parents would have been more open about or talked about or just have done differently?
Ivy Phuong: You know, because they were so busy working that they didn’t–we didn’t have the opportunity and it’s also part of our culture that we don’t have a lot of family time. We don’t bond like that. We don’t give that affectionate, emotional open-talk, so I wish that we, my parents, could have maybe, like, educated us more on what happened, but it was more… it’s not like it I wouldn’t say it’s a taboo, but it was just like not they didn’t think that we needed to know, so they… maybe, they were protecting us, but I mean all they did was work, work, work so we never really had the opportunity to become close as the family, even though I know they love us, but they were just so busy working that they never had–we never had–the opportunity. So that’s the part that I miss, is that growing up, we had to grow…, personally for me I had to grow up very early, at a very young age. I had to take care of my siblings since I was, like,… because my parents were always working, they were never home, so I had to take care of my brothers and sisters. You know, I came with just my sister, but then later my mom had two more boys, so I was responsible, as the eldest, taking care of the three younger ones, so I was forced to grow up very early on, you know, because of how they were constantly working.
Interviewer: I know that you are very proud of your Vietnamese culture. Could you just describe to us, are there any traditions, or customs, or holidays that you carried over from Vietnam to here?
Ivy Phuong:Yes, well definitely, like Lunar New Year is a big celebration for us, and it’s a very important celebration for my parents, we–they still carry that. Every year my mom would decorate the house full of flowers and all her twinklets and things that she decorate, and we would invite our, you know, close family and friends over to have a traditional dinner, and they–the kids–would get, you know, red envelopes–li shi–money from the elders, and then just playing games and just being together. So I hope that, you know, I can continue that tradition once my parents, you know, are no longer here with us, and so that, you know, my son can pass on to, down to, you know, his children. Also, just the respect of how we greet the elders; there’s certain ways you have to greet them, and I would like to have that to pass down. And then just the traditional food, you know, I… I want that to continue, and let them know where we came from. And yeah, so Lunar New Year, the food, and especially, the language; I know it’s…it’s more difficult, like I can speak it fluently; my son not so much anymore, but I hope that maybe, you know, down the road he can pick up more, and then hopefully his kids can at least understand. So yeah, the language. I would hope that it would carry on.
Interviewer: Are there any traditions that you felt like have been lost in the process and that you regret?
Ivy Phuong: I wouldn’t say…, no, not anything particular, but I wish that I would have taken, like, speaking and writing Vietnamese more seriously as a child. My parents did make me go to classes, like during the weekends, but I did not care for it, so I didn’t take it seriously, and then, now that I have my own children, even though I was born in Vietnam, but I feel like my true first language now is English, because as an educator that’s what I speak mostly, you know. And so, you know, as my son was growing up, he started out speaking Vietnamese very well when he was staying with grandma and grandpa, but once school started, it got difficult, and it’s part of my fault and his dad’s fault that we were more comfortable in English. So that’s one thing I do regret, is not taking speaking Vietnamese to him more frequently and enforcing it so that he can be more fluent than he is today.
Interviewer: So in the beginning, you said the community around you, like family and friends, were able to help you adjust to the life. Do you remember if the US government was able to provide you guys any aid, in [the] sense of like money, food stamps, like that?
Ivy Phuong Yes, when we first came over, of course, because like I said, we came over, basically, with the clothes on our back. So yes the government did help out with food stamp and, like, money, but it was very minimum. We got assisted for a short time, until my dad was able to find a job, and once we did that, things start to pick up, so things were better, but my mom, because she had three kids, it was difficult. She…she wasn’t able to go work and she had to stay home and watch us. Yeah, so, we definitely did get assistance from the government with food and a little bit of money so that we can pay rent, but once, you know, my dad learned English and was able to… I remember he telling us that he was attending classes at OCC, which is a community college, and then he got his welding license, and he was able to get a better job, and then that’s when we were able to not have to live in a one-bedroom apartment with people, and we were able to move out, you know, on just our immediate family.
Interviewer: Do you, yourself, have, like, resentment towards the war?
Ivy Phuong I wouldn’t say I have resentment, because like I said I was so young that I don’t have anything personal attachment to it cause I don’t have, like, the exact memory of what really went on, but I mean, I am thankful for what I have today, and I don’t I think, if it wasn’t [for] the war I would still be in Vietnam and life, maybe, wouldn’t be as great as what I have today. So I wouldn’t say I have resentment, but I know it’s just… that’s just my personal belief because I wasn’t personally affected during that time, but if you ask my dad, that probably would not be his answer. So I think it’s also based on the generation when, if you ask that Intervieweruestion, it would be answered differently.
Interviewer: Do you think, like, there’s an expectation that, because your parents had this personal connection to the war, that you need to have this point of view as well?
Ivy Phuong: I don’t think my dad–my parents–ever kind of put that on us, that we have to have it, but it just… he just constantly remind us that, you know, we lost our country because of that. We…we just we need to work hard, and we need to prove ourselves, and we need to…we are here to find a better life, so just kind of make it worth it, you know, and we…it’s a…it was a struggle for us to get where we are today, so make the best out of it.
Interviewer:If someone were to ask you, “Hey tell me one thing about, like, the Vietnam War refugee journey.”, what is the thing that you would focus on?
Ivy Phuong: Well, definitely hard times. I was at–in–Malaysia at the refugee camp for a year. I still remember it was more like a big gigantic room, with this bunch of bunk beds, and we were just kind of like, mattress on the floor, just… was not the best time, and just, every time we had to go eat or go shower, it was like lines and lines, you know. So definitely not memories that I would want to remember, but it was just, you know… But I–we–made it. I mean, we crossed the ocean, and we got to land, and so I’m thankful for that, but definitely, we had to go through some hoops to get to where we are today.
Interviewer: You said that you spent like a year; so you went from Vietnam to Malaysia for a year. How did the process of getting from Malaysia to the United States, and getting citizenship look like?
Ivy Phuong: So, when you’re in Malaysia, you need a sponsor, and luckily, because my dad was already in America, he was our sponsor, whereas the people who don’t have relatives in America, they would have to find a a sponsor family, and that usually would take a little bit longer, but because, luckily, my dad was already here, so he sponsored us. So we were there about a year, we came to America… I didn’t actually became a US citizen until I was 18 because my parents was never–didn’t–become a citizen. If they were–if they were to become a US citizen before I turned 18, I would automatically. But for some reason they never went through the process, so when–as soon as I turned 18, I was able to apply citizenship myself, and that’s when I became a US citizen and then finally years later my parents both became American citizen. So to become a citizen you have to take a oral test you have to answer like civic government Intervieweruestions, you have to show that you know how to speak English, that you’re, you know, you prove to be a citizen and you promise to be a good American citizen. So that’s how I became a US citizen.
Interviewer: Did you think that it was difficult for your parents to give up their Vietnamese citizenship?
Ivy Phuong: A part of me think, yes, and that’s why they took so long to get it, because technically they could have gotten it, you know, when I was still a minor. But I honestly–I never asked and I just kind of let it be. But when I became an adult was when I kind of convinced them, like, “Hey we’re…we’re here. We’re here for good, so, let’s, you know, why don’t you guys both apply for citizenship?” And that’s how they finally did.
Interviewer: Did you ever get, like, a sense of conflict between your American identity and your Vietnamese culture?
Ivy Phuong: I…no. I just… I don’t think so. I think is when I’m at home, like, you know, I speak Vietnamese to my parents. You know, I eat Vietnamese food. And then when I’m at work or at school I speak English, so I can transition pretty well and like I said, because I live in Orange County, it’s…I think it’s a…it’s better and it’s easier for us to transition between, you know, back and forth. So I don’t feel like–I feel like I’m like half and half so I… it’s never like either or, you know. It’s very… yeah I can go back and forth it’s an easy transition.