Nhi
I came to the United States from Vietnam in 2012 when I was 15 years old. My dad traveled with me to make sure I arrived safely. My parents live in Vietnam, and they sent me here for a better education.
In Vietnam, my dad gave me a ride to school every morning. I came home for lunch and went back to school for the second half of the day. I walked home and got there around 4:00 or 5:00 pm. I ate dinner and then studied with my tutor. For my generation, there weren't many sports at school in Vietnam because they were new, but when my cousin went a couple of years after I left, basketball became more popular. They also started doing activities like badminton and swimming. I enjoyed growing up there, but parents are really picky and they don't want you to hang out with other kids in school. I didn't really like that part. They focus on schoolwork a lot and they want their kids to get good grades in school.
In Vietnam, if you got done with your homework early, they would make you do more homework because they want you to work hard and be at the top of your class. They don't cheer you on. If you make progress, they will say that it's not enough. American parents are more cheerful than Asian parents, and they tell their kids just to do better next time. I like that about American culture. I want to raise my kids with a good mix of Vietnamese and American cultures.
My parents were always really busy. They want to support their kids by making lots of money. When I had time off from school, I went to my grandma's house in the countryside and I spent time with her. She had a lot of land, and I liked to go and pick up coconuts with her. Eating in Vietnam is quite a bit different from eating here. Asian families usually cook fresh food every day. Here, they have more fast food. We have more healthy food like fish, rice, and vegetables.
My sister came to the US first. In Vietnam, there is a rule that makes it hard for your second child to study in the US if your first child studies in the US. That is why my mom sent me early, in high school, so I wouldn't be stuck in Vietnam. I first moved to Winona, Minnesota to live with my cousin. I went to high school there for one year. I didn't know English during my first year here, so I had to go to an ESL class at school in Winona.
I found it really easy to adapt to a new culture. Lots of Asian people who moved here say that American school is easier than Asian school. One of the hardest things to get used to is taking a 10 or 15-minute ride to do something like getting groceries. Everything is so spread out. In Vietnam, everything is really close to each other. Neighborhoods and places to shop are really easy to access there.
I moved to Fergus Falls after that first year and attended Hillcrest from 10th grade until I graduated high school. After that, I moved to North Dakota and attended NDSU. The Fargo-Moorhead area was very welcoming. When I went to college, there were student groups who welcomed me and loved to hang out. Lots of my friends were born in other countries. People were really, really friendly to me when I moved here. If you say or do something that doesn't align with American culture, they help you out and tell you how to say or do something.
I've been back to Vietnam almost every summer, except during COVID. I always call Vietnam home because I grew up there until I was 15. I enjoy going back because my mom had a business in Vietnam. Every year when I go home, I get to help her with her business.
It's kind of hard to keep my culture, but I have my sister. She has been here for about 20 years, so she is more adjusted to American culture, but we still do Vietnamese things. A lot of Vietnamese people come here when they are very young, so it is more difficult to follow Vietnamese traditions. We celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival. I met my husband through the Vietnamese community in Savage, Minnesota. I got involved in that community because I practice Buddhism, so I went to a Buddhist temple there.
I cook traditional Vietnamese foods that are easy to make, and I eat Vietnamese food often at restaurants. There are a lot of restaurants that serve Vietnamese food where I live near the Twin Cities.
I want to get a job in the Minneapolis area. I want to work as a landscape architect, which is what I studied at NDSU. I also went to school for a short period of time to be an interpreter, so I could work doing that. I also want to continue raising my family because I just had a baby. I'm busy with him.
My parents will not move to the United States. They came when my son was born, and they said they didn't want to move here. It would be hard to leave Vietnam because they have a business there and we have family there. They would have to start over, and they don't know English, so they would have to learn that, too.
I wish people here knew a little more about Vietnamese culture so they could understand more of our perspective.
In Vietnam, my dad gave me a ride to school every morning. I came home for lunch and went back to school for the second half of the day. I walked home and got there around 4:00 or 5:00 pm. I ate dinner and then studied with my tutor. For my generation, there weren't many sports at school in Vietnam because they were new, but when my cousin went a couple of years after I left, basketball became more popular. They also started doing activities like badminton and swimming. I enjoyed growing up there, but parents are really picky and they don't want you to hang out with other kids in school. I didn't really like that part. They focus on schoolwork a lot and they want their kids to get good grades in school.
In Vietnam, if you got done with your homework early, they would make you do more homework because they want you to work hard and be at the top of your class. They don't cheer you on. If you make progress, they will say that it's not enough. American parents are more cheerful than Asian parents, and they tell their kids just to do better next time. I like that about American culture. I want to raise my kids with a good mix of Vietnamese and American cultures.
My parents were always really busy. They want to support their kids by making lots of money. When I had time off from school, I went to my grandma's house in the countryside and I spent time with her. She had a lot of land, and I liked to go and pick up coconuts with her. Eating in Vietnam is quite a bit different from eating here. Asian families usually cook fresh food every day. Here, they have more fast food. We have more healthy food like fish, rice, and vegetables.
My sister came to the US first. In Vietnam, there is a rule that makes it hard for your second child to study in the US if your first child studies in the US. That is why my mom sent me early, in high school, so I wouldn't be stuck in Vietnam. I first moved to Winona, Minnesota to live with my cousin. I went to high school there for one year. I didn't know English during my first year here, so I had to go to an ESL class at school in Winona.
I found it really easy to adapt to a new culture. Lots of Asian people who moved here say that American school is easier than Asian school. One of the hardest things to get used to is taking a 10 or 15-minute ride to do something like getting groceries. Everything is so spread out. In Vietnam, everything is really close to each other. Neighborhoods and places to shop are really easy to access there.
I moved to Fergus Falls after that first year and attended Hillcrest from 10th grade until I graduated high school. After that, I moved to North Dakota and attended NDSU. The Fargo-Moorhead area was very welcoming. When I went to college, there were student groups who welcomed me and loved to hang out. Lots of my friends were born in other countries. People were really, really friendly to me when I moved here. If you say or do something that doesn't align with American culture, they help you out and tell you how to say or do something.
I've been back to Vietnam almost every summer, except during COVID. I always call Vietnam home because I grew up there until I was 15. I enjoy going back because my mom had a business in Vietnam. Every year when I go home, I get to help her with her business.
It's kind of hard to keep my culture, but I have my sister. She has been here for about 20 years, so she is more adjusted to American culture, but we still do Vietnamese things. A lot of Vietnamese people come here when they are very young, so it is more difficult to follow Vietnamese traditions. We celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival. I met my husband through the Vietnamese community in Savage, Minnesota. I got involved in that community because I practice Buddhism, so I went to a Buddhist temple there.
I cook traditional Vietnamese foods that are easy to make, and I eat Vietnamese food often at restaurants. There are a lot of restaurants that serve Vietnamese food where I live near the Twin Cities.
I want to get a job in the Minneapolis area. I want to work as a landscape architect, which is what I studied at NDSU. I also went to school for a short period of time to be an interpreter, so I could work doing that. I also want to continue raising my family because I just had a baby. I'm busy with him.
My parents will not move to the United States. They came when my son was born, and they said they didn't want to move here. It would be hard to leave Vietnam because they have a business there and we have family there. They would have to start over, and they don't know English, so they would have to learn that, too.
I wish people here knew a little more about Vietnamese culture so they could understand more of our perspective.