Phúc Nguyễn

Interview with Phúc Nguyễn:

Ella and Emma interviewed Phúc Nguyễn with translation assistance from Khai Nguyễn, Olivia was the notetaker. 

Emma: What's your name?

Phúc Nguyễn: My name is Phúc Nguyễn and I am 76 years old and retired.

Emma: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, and how you got to New Orleans?

Phúc: Before I got to New Orleans I got sponsored in ‘75. I got sponsored in Philadelphia for about ten months.

Khai: Where did you come from?

Phúc: I come from Vietnam. I escaped from Vietnam on April 30th. The Vietnam Navy picked me up and brought me to Guam. I stayed in Guam for about three months, and after that, they picked me up and brought me to Philadelphia, near Harrisburg, the Military base. I got sponsored to Philadelphia by the Church, the West Catholic Church, which helped me to get a new life. Then I worked in Philadelphia making jewelry. Later, I went up to Connecticut to get job training.

I got to the United States when I was 27 years old. I worked for the government in tax collection and finance in Vietnam. I also worked for some years in intelligence and that is why I was scared they would catch me and take me to jail.

Ella: And you came to Philadelphia first and worked there for about ten months?

Phúc: Yeah about ten months from September to June. Then I moved to Connecticut.

Ella: And then how long did you spend in Connecticut until you came here to New Orleans?

Phúc: In Connecticut, about two years. I moved to Connecticut in ‘76 and in ‘78 when more people left for Thailand, I sponsored them in Connecticut, New Britain. The old people were cold, so I moved them here to New Orleans in ‘78 and I have lived here from then to now. 

Emma: So, moving around so much from state to state were there any challenges that you faced coming to New Orleans?

Phúc: Because, here in New Orleans, we have our community here. The old people want to stay together in this community. Because of the Priest down here, they formed a group of Vietnamese people. Some people don't understand the culture here, between Vietnam and America, there are different cultures. So that's why we stick together, we have priests here to help us. 

Ella: Did you know about this community when you were in Connecticut before you came here and is that why you came?

Phúc: I knew this community was a big group because we heard it on the phone. This is why we stick together here. Before it was a small group of about 200-300 people. In other states, people get sponsored at farms and they are very quiet because they don’t know anybody. I heard sponsors help people on the farm, they buy some food, bread, some meat and stay there and live there by themselves and work. Now there are about 4 or 5 thousand people here.

Emma: So other than the growing number of people here, are there other things you can identify as how the community has changed since you've been here?

Phúc: A lot of people were fishermen and they moved out here and they would buy a boat and go fishing. Now the old people have passed away and the young people get an education. They find a job, they work, and they get high pay. A lot of young graduates go out of state because there aren’t many jobs here, there’s not a big job industry here.

There has been some change because, before, they wanted to bring their parents and come out here and old people talk the same language, same culture. Now because the old people passed away, the young grew up. Some stay here and raise their children and study and keep our culture. Some people, because it’s difficult to find a job here, move and get a job somewhere else, but they still have a parent that is here and they come back.

Emma: So are there any practices or traditions you have in the community to keep the culture and uphold your traditions?

Phúc: They try to create ways to keep our culture and adapt to American culture. But still, they keep mostly Vietnamese culture. We try to relatively stick together and help others. We keep our culture going from the church. They have programs for young people. 

Khai: What you see a lot of in these communities is a lot of multi-generational homes, some people stay in their parents’ homes for a lot longer than other communities.

Emma: Would you mind telling us a little bit more about your job at the farm and how you think the farm has either impacted the Vietnamese community or also impacted the city of New Orleans?

Phúc: My wife didn’t want me to do it, but I explained to her that old people who are retired need to do something. It's like an engine. If it's turned off it will never start again. That is why I try to keep busy. But yeah, I like to work on the farm. Before in Vietnam, I worked in an office. But when I got old, I started working out there at the farm; I don't mind anything, it just keeps me busy. 

Emma: So with your work at the farm, does the farm sell the produce to places in New Orleans?

Phúc: Yeah, we sell around here. Some restaurants or some people, want to buy local vegetables. If they buy in the store they are from other states but over here it is fresh and organic too. 

Ella: Besides the farm, are there any specific achievements or key moments that have happened since you've lived here that you're proud of in your community?

Phúc: We are proud of ourselves for [Hurricane] Katrina. Our community came back here first after Katrina, and we also helped others rebuild. We wanted to help the communities nearby to  build back up. When I listened to the radio, they would say that we were the first people to help, before the government. I am proud of us.  

Emma: Do you think there are other parts of your community, the Vietnamese community, that are not really portrayed within the media, within Hurricane Katrina or anything else? Is there anything that is not accurate or not really covered?

Phúc (speaks in Vietnamese)

Khai: He is saying that pre-Katrina there was not a lot of interaction or understanding of the community. But post-Katrina, the outside community in general has come to know a lot more about the community. For example, with the Lunar Festival, more and more people from outside come to attend it every year.

Ella: When you're listening to the radio, do you ever hear anything about your community that you don't like? Anything negative or are they mostly positive?

Phúc: They say good things. In other states, I have friends who will message me or something and say that they are proud of our Vietnamese community here. A lot of people talk highly of our community after Katrina.

Emma: That is great to hear. How do you feel about the community's relationship with the city of New Orleans? Are there areas where the city could be more helpful or contribute more to the community?

Phúc: They are good; they help out. (speaks in Vietnamese)

Khai: Yeah, I think he's saying that it's a pretty good relationship. Ever since he has been around, like, there's not been a lot of difficulty.

Phúc: We don't have difficulty with the city because we try to be good. In the first years of the community though, some people didn't understand the laws and they would do bad things. But the city would tell our Priest and our Priest would tell them to live by the law and they would try.

Also, before, our community requested a playground. We requested it because other areas have playgrounds for children. I went to meetings for a long time to request the playground and we still don't have it. 

Ella: So are there any other things that you would like to bring to the community here? Is there anything that you feel could be embraced more in the community or could be beneficial?

Phúc: Everything the church takes care of already. Education, language, and religious classes. The students go to good schools and I think that’s a good education. Then they go out of state for a good job.

Emma: What are most community members' relationships with Vietnam today? Do they have connections with Vietnam or family members who live there?

Phúc: Yeah, they are still together. They send stuff to help their family, and try to work and save some money to send back there.

Ella: Do you mind if I ask if you have any family members still in Vietnam? 

Phúc: Yeah, the children of my older brother are there. In June I will go back there. I will go for 3 weeks. I will bring my wife because they don’t know my wife. 

Ella: Have you been back to Vietnam since you left in the 70s or is this going to be your first time going back? 

Phúc: I went back there twice. My wife went twice but she didn’t go to meet my nephew. One she knows already. One nephew. But the other, she doesn't know yet.

In 1954, my family moved down South because the communists were North. The communists put my brother in jail. Later when he was released he got married and had two children. Then he was put back in jail. 

Khai: So he mentioned in 1954 earlier, that's when Vietnam was split into North and South Vietnam during that time. A lot of people that were in the North left the North to go South. So his family, he was actually born in Northern Vietnam. But his hometown is actually in the South. A lot of families actually did that. Actually, a lot of families here in this community went through the same.

Phúc: I was a refugee twice. In 1955 communists took over, and we moved to the South. We lived there until 1957, then we moved out of the country because the communists took over. 

Ella: Is there anything that you brought with you when you came to the States that you've kept all these years? And is there an important reason why you kept it?

Khai: He said some pictures. He says he still has them but it might take a little while to find them. The oldest photo he has is from 1967. 

Ella: You mentioned that religion and culture are very strong in this community. If you didn't have that sense of religion or that sense of faith, do you think the community would still be as strong?

Phúc: Yeah. Religion makes a strong community because the rules keep the family strong and a strong family encourages children to get a religious education and helps the young people grow up and become good people. If we don't have to stay together, we would separate and lose our culture. 

Ella: To close out, how do you see this community growing in the future? What do you think it's going to look like in 10 or 15 years? Or is there anything that you specifically want to achieve?

Phúc: Our community has programs that keep us in a good place, and the future is a long time. I don't know yet. But now we will keep teaching the children and if we continue we will be good for a long time.

Ella: That is all the questions we have.

Emma: Thank you. Thank you so much.

Phúc: You're welcome. Well, very good to talk to you. What I think, what I know, what I tell comes from my heart.