Publication | chopsticksalley

Jan 9, 2018

Domestic Violence: A Silent Issue Facing Vietnamese American Women

In the Vietnamese culture, husbands are expected to hold dominant positions in the family. There is no doubt conflicts will arise when patriarchal beliefs changes. Norms and values between husbands and wives are shifting as assimilation takes place in America. As a result, domestic abuse arises--especially due to changes in socioeconomic structure and culture. For Vietnamese Americans, women’s economic contributions do not reduce their husbands’ dominant positions or violence

Secrecy Behind PTSD Among Vietnamese Elders Affecting Second Generation

Jullianne Pham

Nov 29, 2017

Secrecy Behind PTSD Among Vietnamese Elders Affecting Second Generation

Trauma and its enduring legacy--a well-known but rarely admitted secret among many Vietnamese elders and immigrants. The fall of Saigon in 1975 has left many Vietnamese grappling with the horrors of the war, communist “reeducation”, escapes by boats, and refugee camps. Decades after the end of war, at least half a million refugees have arrived to the United States in search of a better future for themselves and their families. As a result of fleeing from the communists and th

Jullianne Pham

Oct 23, 2017

What About Vietnam and Typhoon Doksuri?

Typhoon Doksuri is one of many severe tropical cyclones that have taken plight in recent months, in both the Atlantic and Pacific regions. Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, and Maria have attracted global social media coverage and attention, with much of the content focusing on urban planning, politics, and the perennial question of climate change. However, where is the news outlet when it comes to Southeast Asia’s tropical disasters? Typhoon Doksuri came into central Vietnam on Septe

There Are More Smokers Among Non-English Speaking Vietnamese Men Than the General US Population.

Jullianne Pham

Aug 31, 2017

There Are More Smokers Among Non-English Speaking Vietnamese Men Than the General US Population.

Have you ever noticed when walking by Vietnamese coffee shops, restaurants or cafes, there is a distinct smell of cigarette smoke in the air both indoor and outdoor? Though in California, we are not allowed to smoke in public spaces and are only allowed to smoke at least 25 feet away from the building many Vietnamese businesses still tolerate smoking due to their clientele, mostly non-English speaking, older Vietnamese men. According to a study done with the Centers for Disea

The Vietnamese Diet and Cultural Beliefs Are Not As Healthy As You Think - Heart Disease, Diabetes,

Jullianne Pham

Aug 7, 2017

The Vietnamese Diet and Cultural Beliefs Are Not As Healthy As You Think - Heart Disease, Diabetes,

Research studies on health disparities have been conducted on Vietnamese elders since their resettlement in the US the last 40 years. Earlier studies were primarily focused on mental health conditions. However, recent research began to emerge and shows the general Vietnamese population in the United States is more susceptible to chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, strokes, hypertension, and diabetes as compared to other Asian American groups. A surprising fact is

Jason R. Nguyen

Mar 22, 2017

Framing A Vietnamese Identity

As a researcher of the cultural life of Vietnamese living overseas, one of the major lenses through which I analyze their world is semiotics: the study of symbols and meaning. Because of the many overseas Vietnamese who left their homeland in the late 20th century, I often think about what being Vietnamese means to people who feel disconnected from the geographic symbol of Vietnam. When someone says, "Tôi là người Việt Nam" (I am a Vietnamese person), what other concepts of s

Confronting Vietnam's Wildlife Black Market

Carolyn Lê

Jan 6, 2017

Confronting Vietnam's Wildlife Black Market

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

Bamboo: The Unity of the Vietnamese Spirit

A Song for Autumn: Lý Cây Đa by Phạm Duy (Ode to the Banyan Tree)

An Ocean of Darkness: A Review of Ocean Vuong’s Night Sky With Exit Wounds

Vuong Vu

Oct 9, 2016

An Ocean of Darkness: A Review of Ocean Vuong’s Night Sky With Exit Wounds

Ocean Vuong’s poetry collection, Night Sky With Exit Wounds (Copper Canyon Press 2016), is the most beautifully written book I have read in a long time. It’s a masterpiece. As someone who writes, edits, and publishes poetry—for whom it is Body and Blood—I don’t say that lightly. Poetry such as Vuong’s is so generous in craft and heart it makes me grateful and inspired, which is why I’m almost apologetic for what I have to say next. For a poetry collection so exquisitely reali

A Tale of Three Translations in Vietnamese Poetry

Vuong Vu

Oct 3, 2016

A Tale of Three Translations in Vietnamese Poetry

How is a poem transformed through translation? What is lost, and what remains true to the original? Vietnamese is a strongly idiomatic language, which makes it notoriously difficult to translate. There are expressions so unique to the Vietnamese experience that they cannot be fully translated into another language. How would one, for example, translate the expression khỉ ho cò gáy? (We’ll get back to this in a bit.) The poems of Hồ Xuân Hương are perfect for examining this qu

Vuong Vu

Sep 23, 2016

Writing Poetry in Vietnamese

One of my great regrets in life is I never learned to write in Vietnamese. I’ve always thought that speaking it was enough—as in, it made me Vietnamese enough. But I wholeheartedly believe that every person of Vietnamese origin should know the language. Vietnamese carries the history, the struggles, and triumphs of our people; it keeps our culture and heritage alive. It sets our stories apart from the stories of other people in this world. It is the language of our soul, a

Learn to Speak Vietnamese; It’s Never Too Late

Jennifer Chung

Sep 16, 2016

Learn to Speak Vietnamese; It’s Never Too Late

“You’re not using the correct accent mark!” The young tutor scolded me as I tried to complete my class worksheet. I remember fighting back tears as I tried to figure out which accent mark was correct to differentiate between bà (grandma) and ba (three). Needless to say, I didn’t last very long in Vietnamese Language School. In fact, I only remember attending three classes before I was officially a Viet School dropout. Now as an adult, I often wish my parents made me attend Vi

A Vietnamese-American Wedding From an Indian-American Hindu Perspective

Ritu Marwah (republished from India Currents)

Jul 14, 2016

A Vietnamese-American Wedding From an Indian-American Hindu Perspective

This edited article is republished from India Currents an independent media company devoted to the exploration of the heritage and culture of India as it exists in the United States. Through its print and digital platforms, it covers a wide range of subjects—arts, film, literature, travel, food, healthy living, business—that are of interest to Indian-Americans and Indophiles. Nghia opened his phone and flashed the picture of his bride to me. She was still in Vietnam waiting

Food • Culture • Society

Domestic Violence: A Silent Issue Facing Vietnamese American Women

Secrecy Behind PTSD Among Vietnamese Elders Affecting Second Generation

What About Vietnam and Typhoon Doksuri?

There Are More Smokers Among Non-English Speaking Vietnamese Men Than the General US Population.

The Vietnamese Diet and Cultural Beliefs Are Not As Healthy As You Think - Heart Disease, Diabetes,

Framing A Vietnamese Identity

Confronting Vietnam's Wildlife Black Market

Bamboo: The Unity of the Vietnamese Spirit

A Song for Autumn: Lý Cây Đa by Phạm Duy (Ode to the Banyan Tree)

An Ocean of Darkness: A Review of Ocean Vuong’s Night Sky With Exit Wounds

A Tale of Three Translations in Vietnamese Poetry

Writing Poetry in Vietnamese

Learn to Speak Vietnamese; It’s Never Too Late

A Vietnamese-American Wedding From an Indian-American Hindu Perspective

A Public Park in Saigon at 5am

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