As a Vietnamese American writer, Andrew Lam’s works have helped many Vietnamese Americans investigate the void within themselves—specifically, the history of their parents’ pasts as refugees of the Vietnam War. “I’ve met many Vietnamese American youths who tell me my stories helped them talk to their parents and get them to open up about their past. Each time, I’m surprised. I didn’t really know my writing could do that.” The author of two collections of essays and a book of

On December 30, 2016 China announced it vows to ban all commerce in ivory by the end of 2017. China’s illegal poaching and wildlife trade ranks the highest in the world, according to Daan P. van Uhm', author of The Illegal Wildlife Trade (Springer 2016). Vietnam’s own poaching and wildlife black market, however, is not far behind. The World Wildlife Fund, one of the world’s largest conservation organizations, reported Vietnam as the worst country in its last Wildlife Crime Sc

It’s not just a black people problem, a white people problem, or even a police problem. It’s an American problem. And that means it’s a Vietnamese American problem. It’s something that affects us all. Police violence against black communities occurs so frequently that it feels normal. People think it’s normal, and that’s just how the system (and its goal to protect the peace and reduce crime) works. For many Americans, police brutality—unjustifiable police violence—is a myth

The first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress is 37-year-old Stephanie Murphy from the 7th Congressional District in Florida. Murphy defeated a 12 term Republican representative John Mica and took home 51 percent of the vote. Photo of Stephanie Murphy from stephaniemurphyforcongress.com. Murphy, a daughter of Vietnamese refugees, arrived in the U.S. at the age of one. She was the first in her family to earn a B.A. from College of William and Mary and then a M.S. fro

The relationship between the canine and the Vietnamese is not a simple one. Not all Vietnamese embrace dog meat, and not all Vietnamese regard their dogs as companions. In Vietnam, those who consume dog meat often try to compartmentalize their feelings toward dogs, just as Westerners who eat meat might try to compartmentalize their feelings toward livestock—particularly small livestock, such as chickens. In the United States, urban poultry keeping, or backyard chickens, has b