Wishes for Lunar New Year

In February of 2015, Moving Voices set up an interviewing booth at the annual Lunar New Year (Tet) celebration in Louisville, Ky. Several young people shared with us their wishes and thoughts for the new year and reflected upon Vietnamese culture in America.

Narrator: Mai Nguyen 
Place of birth: Louisville, KY
Age: 18 years old 
Occupation: Student 

Interview Date: February 28, 2015
Interview Location: Louisville, KY
Interviewer: Dede Tran
Photographer: Dede Tran

"(Tet) basically means Vietnamese culture to me because it is one of those events around the year where it is all about Vietnamese people, and it's all about, you know, family and friends and red and gold and a lot of dance practices because I usually have to perform in the Tet events. Also my name is Mai. So I mean Tet is kind of special to me since my name is supposed to be for the spring flower."

"My favorite part...probably the food that they sell because it makes me feel like I am back in Vietnam with all the night markets."

"To be Vietnamese for me, especially a Vietnamese woman, is to be independent, outgoing, strong and at same time you have to know humility, know your family, and understand people. Growing up my mom and dad always stressed to me that I am a Vietnamese person living in America."

Narrator: James Rein 
Place of birth: Manassas, VA 
Age: 11 years old 
Occupation: Student

Interview Date: February 28, 2015
Interview Location: Louisville, KY
Interviewer: Dede Tran
Photographer: Mai Nguyen

"I just think (Tet) is just a really special holiday so we can celebrate the Vietnamese culture and how it works because Vietnamese culture is really important...I just love Tet."

"When I was seven, I visited my grandpa (in Vietnam)...Vietnam was awesome. There was a lot of farms. My grandpa owed a wood workshop, he had two K-9s.... He had a farm, shrimp farm, and huge balcony. My favorite part of Vietnam was like...there were a lot of hammocks there. I would always like to layout with my sister. We would always like to roll out on the grass when were little and have fun. It is so different here where there are so much buildings and you don't see that much grass."

"I just hope (for the new year) that everyone understands how special the Vietnamese culture is." 

Narrator: Jongin Choi 
Place of birth: South Korea
Age: 23 years old
Occupation: Student

Interview Date: February 28, 2015
Interview Location: Louisville, KY
Interviewer: Kyle Vuong
Photographer: Dede Tran

"I am part of the VSA (Vietnamese Student Association) at U of L (University of Louisville), and I thought it would be cool to see what Tet is all about."

"(Tet) is very lively. I think the Vietnamese community in Louisville is very tight. They keep close to each other. It is kind of different than the Korean community. But I like it... The community is what I really like the best... In the Korean community in Louisville, everyone wants to leave Louisville, Ky. But in the Vietnamese community, everyone wants to stay. They don't mind staying."

On being Asian-American:
"There's definitely some difficulty in making friends. I was able to adapt. I faced some discrimination in high school. Because of my extroverted personality, I was able to go out and make a lot of friends. But other than that, it is a pretty good experience for me. I am proud to be an Asian American."

Moving Voices would like to thank all the individuals who told us their stories that day.

To hear more interviews, please contact Moving Voices via email at movingvoices.ky@gmail.com.