Vietnamese Portland

Phu Nguyen Oral History

Phu Nguyen was born on October 13, 1940, in Vietnam. He grew up in Vietnam, and in 1962 was drafted into the South Vietnamese army. Nguyen served for six years and then decided to work for the U.S. embassy. After the Fall of Saigon, he narrowly escaped being imprisoned in communist reeducation camps. In 1992, Nguyen moved to the United States to be with his family. Initially, he lived in Sunnyvale, California but later moved to Portland for work and to be near his children. In Portland, Nguyen worked as an interpreter for Portland Public Schools and has been president of the Vietnamese Senior Association of Oregon (VSAO) for fifteen years.

In this interview, Phu Nguyen discusses his life in Vietnam, coming to the United States, and the various Portland-based organizations and communities in which he participates. He discusses how he came to live in Portland, his work at Portland Public Schools and Adventist Medical Center, and adjusting to life in the U.S. He also talks about the Vietnamese community in Portland and the various community organizations he is a part of, including the Vietnamese Seniors Association of Oregon (VSAO) and the Vietnamese Community of Oregon (VNCO). He concludes the interview by encouraging younger generations of Vietnamese Americans to learn Vietnamese and become involved with the community.

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Transcript

[This interview was originally conducted in Vietnamese and was translated by Xuannha Truong Vo. Our records do not include the original Vietnamese transcript or audio.]

Xuannha Truong Vo: Could you start by telling us where and when you were born and giving us a brief overview of your life here in Portland?

Phu Nguyen: I am Phu Nguyen. I was born on October 13, 1940 in Long An province, Vietnam. I came here in March 1992. At first I live[d] in Sunnyvale, [a] small city in California near San Jose.

XV: What were the circumstances that brought you to Portland?

PN: I was looking for a job but could not find one. My friend told me there are jobs in Portland so me and my family follow[ed] her to come here where I could find a job as a janitor or house worker at Adventist Medical Center. Later I found a job as a teacher assistant, so I work[ed] for Portland Public School [for] 15 years. I still work nighttime at Adventist Medical Center [for] 19 years. Sometimes I work 3 jobs. My third job is at Greenwood Senior Center as a kitchen assistant. I helped cook food for old people.

XV: Are there organizations, family members, or friends who helped your family establish itself in the U.S.? Who was your sponsor? Why did you come to the city of Portland specifically?

PN: I had a nephew who live[d] in Portland for a long time. He helped me to rent a house, pay for my first month of rent and brought furniture for me. I made friends with Americans. I went to an employment agency to find a job.

XV: What were your first impressions of Portland?

PN: It was a place that I could find a job.

XV: Describe the neighborhood in Portland you first settled in. Did you feel isolated or were there other Vietnamese Americans nearby?

PN: Not many Vietnamese live here. Nowadays more of us live here. At that time, I rented a house in SE Portland. It was almost the same. Houses had less fences. There is a Vietnamese family that I [knew] for a long time. I don’t feel lonely. I used to live in NE and I live in SE Portland. There are not much different.

XV: Was it hard to adjust to life in America? What were some of the challenges you faced?

PN: I was a reserve officer. I worked for [the] Vietnamese military for 6 years, then I work[ed] for [the] U.S. embassy in Saigon. I don’t have any challenges. I think there [is] discrimination. They don’t say it out loud but we can tell. I don’t care. I just do my job.

XV: What events brought people together in the Vietnamese community? Were there particular places in particular where they gathered? Were there restaurants, shops, or religious institutions that your family particularly frequented? In what ways has the neighborhood changed since then?

PN: We have Vietnamese community but we don’t have many organization[s] for young people. When we have meetings, we sometimes [meet] at IRCO or Hollywood Senior Center. I join the Vietnamese Association. I [have been] the president [for] 16 years. I want to have someone to replace me but there is no one.

I used to eat at Thanh Thao restaurant. Sometimes I ate at the other restaurants such as Pho Van or Yen Ha. Those are still there.

XV: What kind of work did you do and how did it compare to the work you did in Vietnam?

PN: I was working for [the] U.S. Embassy so my life was stable. Here if you don’t know English, we might have to work harder. I work 3 jobs here because I want to learn and also have enough income to sponsor my children to the U.S.

XV: What was it like to raise children in Portland? If they attended Portland Public Schools, was that a positive experience?

PN: My youngest son was 18 months when we first came here. The education system here is very good. My 2 daughters graduated high school in Portland. After that, they left to come to California to continue their education.

XV: What social and economic issues are most significant in the Vietnamese community, or with refugees more generally? Could city, state, or federal programs do more to address these issues?

PN: I go to work and have health care and other benefits, so I don’t know much about those issues.

XV: What local (Portland-specific) public or political issues are most important to the Vietnamese community?

PN: I don’t know.

XV: What groups or organizations do you participate in or rely on? Are there individuals in the community who you look to for leadership and guidance?

PN: I belong to the home church. They meet at home. They go two by two: male with male and women with women. The workers stay with believer home. They came to my house on the weekend when my children were away during the weekend and stay in one or two days. They will do whatever I do, then we eat and talk. They are Americans who can teach you Baptist.

When I don’t know anything, I will ask people here at Hollywood Center. I came here everyday. I know different presidents of VNCO such Tu Duc Thao, Doan Kim Bang, Vuong Ngoc Lang, Tran Van De. I also know some pastors such as Pastor Van, Pastor Thai. I did not go to their church because they do donation. I don’t do donation for my home church. My workers don’t have family.

XV: How is the Vietnamese American community in Portland changing? Do you worry about younger generations of Vietnamese Americans?

PN: My son’s friend told me that there were no Vietnamese school so they stay[ed] at home to speak in Vietnamese with family and siblings. Some of them became doctors or engineers but they could not read and write Vietnamese. Their parents want their kids to learn Vietnamese but because there were no school, their kids could not do that. They did not feel good about that.
Now there are 2 Vietnamese school there. One is Van Lang, [which] has 700 students. I taught Vietnamese at Van Lang school [for] 16 years to help young generation to learn Vietnamese. Another one is La Vang church that has several hundred students per year.

I think the young generation should learn Vietnamese. They can involve many activities so they can learn more. Family is also important to educate them about culture and good behavior.

XV: What is your relationship with the country of Vietnam today? Do you go back to visit? Do you stay in touch with relatives?

PN: I have some nephews and nieces in Vietnam. Still keep in touch with them.

XV: Is there anything we haven’t asked about that you’d like to discuss? Do you have any additional experiences that you would like to be preserved in these oral histories?

PN: I join Former Vietnamese Officer Association and Ngan Thong poetry group. I took many classes here [at the] Hollywood Senior Center to keep myself busy all the time.

I think the Vietnamese seniors should volunteers more. After I retired, I wanted to volunteer to help community, any community.

Additional Information

Date: 2019-06-20
Interviewer(s): Xuannha Truong Vo
Interviewee: Phu Nguyen
Location: Portland, Oregon
Subject:
Creator: Nguyen, Phu, Lewis & Clark College Special Collections
Format: mp3
Duration: Not available
Language: English
Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

For questions about rights statements, or access to the original document please contact Lewis & Clark College Special Collections and Archives http://specialcollections.lclark.edu