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376. Interview with Vu Khac Khoan

Creator:
Khoan, Vu Khac
Date Created:
1979-19-09
Description:
Vu Khac Khoan was born in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 19, 1917. His father was a literary scholar and his mother a devout Buddhist. Khoan was the fifth of seven children, most of whom are still living in North Vietnam. As a child he studied Chinese classics with his father, and later he was educated in French in elementary and secondary schools. In 1940 he enrolled in Hanoi University, first in medical school and later in the school of forestry, where he earned a bachelor of science degree. Next he enrolled in law school, but he quit to concentrate on writing, acting, and producing plays with a group of students around the university. In 1946 he joined the anti-French resistance movement along with many other students. After the division of Vietnam in 1954, he fled to South Vietnam with his wife and two children. There he was employed as an editor in the Information Ministry for a time, but he quit when he realized that President Diem was a dictator. In about 1955 he formed a group of writers and published a magazine, the title of which may be translated as Point of View. It was banned by the South Vietnamese government after a few months of publication. The group continued to publish many books, however, and another magazine, Propaganda. Khoan was also associated with the Third Force, a peace group which favored seeking an alternative governing force that was neither communist nor capitalist. After 1963 this group included many Buddhists. Khoan was professor of drama in several Vietnamese universities and professor of drama and literature at Dalat University in the highlands. His play The Last Three Days of Genghis Khan" was produced by students at the latter university and quickly became well-known
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

377. Interview with Vy Pham

Creator:
Pham, Vy
Date Created:
1979-07-07
Description:
Vy Pham was born in 1932 in a small town called Sept Pagodes, near Hanoi, North Vietnam. His father was an elected mayor of the town, named for its seven pagodas. He attended elementary school in Sept Pagodes but went to Bac Ninh, a larger city, for high school. He joined the anti-French resistance in the post-World War II period, but after the country was divided in 1954 he fled to South Vietnam with thousands of other Catholics in fear of religious and political persecution. He arrived in South Vietnam with his wife and child in 1955 and began to work on the French-owned rubber plantations. He became one of the early labor union organizers on the plantations and later was nationally and internationally known in labor circles. For five years he served as Vietnamese delegate to the International Labor Organization's annual conferences in Geneva, Switzerland, and visited the United States several times to meet with AFL-CIO leaders. He also served as economic and social adviser to the South Vietnamese government under both Diem and Thieu. When the South Vietnamese government collapsed in April of 1975, Vy and his family escaped the country with other labor leaders aboard a barge carrying about one thousand people. They were picked up by the United States Seventh Fleet and take to Guam, where they were visited by AFL-CIO leaders from the United States. Later they were sent to a refugee camp at Fort Chafee, Arkansas, to await resettlement. Vy and his family chose to settle in Minnesota, where he had a friend, and arrived in the state in October of 1975. Since then he has worked as an interpreter for Indochinese refugees at the Hennepin County Community Services Department and has also been called up to mediate strikes involving Indochinese refugees in California and Louisiana. Vy and his wife have nine children ranging in age from six to twenty-four years. Three are students at the University of Minnesota, one is at Augsburg College, three are in high school, and two are in elementary school. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Vy discusses the long struggle of the Vietnamese for independence - the organization of the labor movement - the differences between the Vietnamese and American labor movements - Vietnamese family life - and his impressions of Minnesota. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Vy Pham provides valuable information on the labor movement in Vietnam and its ties to the international labor movement. He also provides insights into the refugee experience.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

378. Interview with Wangyal T. Ritzekura

Creator:
Ritzekura, Wangyal T.
Date Created:
2005-08-19
Description:
Wangyal T. Ritzekura was born in Dzonga, Tibet. At a young age he moved with his parents to India. Ritzekura was teacher in India from 1976 until leaving for Minnesota in 1992 as part of the United States Tibetan Resettlement Project. Since arriving in Minnesota, Ritzekura has been a teacher, translator, and education liaison for the Tibetan community. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, traveling from Tibet, attending school in India, being a teacher in India, deciding to come to the United States, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Tibetan Government in Exile, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), activism, serving the Tibetan community in India and Minnesota, U.S. Tibetan Resettlement Project, Tibetan Green Book, coming to Minnesota, expectations of the US, first jobs in Minnesota, family separation, differences and similarities in teaching in India and the U.S., Tibetan Homeschool Liaison, community, challenges, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), education, Tibetan Cultural Center, Tibetan Culture School, preserving culture, preserving language, differences and similarities between Tibetan and American culture, youth, adjusting to Minnesota education system, parenting, future of community, Buddhism, stereotypes, Tibetan responsibilities, Tibetan Association of Minnesota (TAM), citizenship, educating Westerners about Tibet, U.S. politics, China, Tibetan holidays.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

379. Interview with William Mayberg

Creator:
Mayberg, William
Date Created:
1976-01-15
Description:
William Mayberg was born in Russia in 1887. He married in 1911, came to the United States in 1913, and had two sons. He was self-educated but was a teacher most of his life. He also operated small grocery stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul. He died in 1978. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Jewish children's education in Russia and the United States - poverty of immigrant life - history of the Zionist movement - a Zionist farm and school in Champlin, Minnesota - and religion.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

380. Interview with Wing Young Huie

Creator:
Huie, wing Young
Date Created:
1979-03-25
Description:
Wing Young Huie was born May 3, 1955, in Duluth, Minnesota. He is the youngest son of Duluth restaurateur Joe Huie, who emigrated from China to Duluth in 1909 at age 17 and operated the widely known Joe Huie Cafe from 1951 to 1973. Because of restrictive United States immigration laws, Joe Huie's family remained in China until after World War II. Wing Young Huie, born after their arrival in Duluth in the early 1950s, is the only American-born member of the family. Wing Young Huie spent his childhood in Duluth, where he attended public elementary and secondary schools. After graduation from high school he enrolled at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1978. Since then he has been engaged in freelance writing and photography. He has had articles with his own photos published in Lake Superior Port Cities and Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine. One of his photos appears in a 1981 book published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, They Chose Minnesota: A Survey of the State's Ethnic Groups. He also contributed photographs for an exhibit on Asians in Minnesota that opened at the Minnesota Historical Society in May of 1982. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: He discusses the experience of growing up in a Chinese immigrant family, his sense of loss in knowing little about his own heritage, and his searching for roots by enrolling in Chinese history and language courses at the University of Minnesota. He also discusses the isolation of his mother, Lee Ngook Kum Huie, who does not speak English, and the cultural barrier between Chinese students and Chinese-American students at the university. He points out that although racial discrimination was relatively mild in Duluth, his father had a difficult time getting a haircut in the early years, and he himself encountered problems in interracial dating in high school. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Wing Young Huie is an articulate member of the second generation who grew up in the Chinese community in Duluth, and his interview is particularly valuable for the insights into this experience. Part of the tape is marred by poor audio quality, but most of it can be understood.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

381. Interview with Xang Vang

Creator:
Vang, Xang
Date Created:
2014
Description:
Interview with Xang Vang in which he discusses his work as a CIA operative during the Secret War in Laos 1961-1975 and his work in Minnesota as the Executive Director of the Lao Family Community of Minnesota. He also worked as a Hmong business entrepreneur and one of the first Hmong growers to sell produce at the St. Paul Farmers Market.
Contributing Institution:
Center for Hmong Studies
Type:
Moving Image
Format:
Oral histories

382. Interview with Xeng S. Yang

Creator:
Yang, Xeng Sue
Date Created:
1991-11-13
Description:
Xeng Sue Yang is a Hmong man, 44 years old. He was a soldier for the CIA (1960-1975) and farmer in Laos. Since arriving in the United States in 1979, he has lived in Minneapolis. Presently he is a story teller and a musician. He is married to Khou Xiong Yang. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Xeng Sue Yang talks of his life as a CIA soldier in the Vietnam War and his feelings of patriotism. Tales of adjustment to life in the United States are related as well as observations regarding the differences in the legal systems of the two countries. Xeng Sue Yang concludes the interview with a statement of hope to keep his culture alive. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Interview translated by May Herr.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

383. Interview with Yangchen Dolkar

Creator:
Dolkar, Yangchen
Date Created:
2005-08-26
Description:
Tenzin Dolkar was born in Dingri, Tibet. She moved to Nepal when she was young with her family. Dolkar moved to Minnesota in 1993 as part of the United States Tibetan Resettlement Project. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, leaving Tibet, living in a Tibetan settlement in Nepal, United States Tibetan Resettlement Project, Tibetan Green Book, deciding to come to the U.S., family separation, coming to the US, challenges, including gangs and violence, community, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, finding work in Minnesota, immigration challenges, caring for ill husband, death of son, Buddhism, opportunities in the U.S., Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), singing. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: This interview was conducted in Tibetan and transcribed in English.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

384. Interview with Yang C. Ying

Creator:
Ying, Yang Cha
Date Created:
1991-11-20
Description:
Yang Cha Ying immigrated to the United States on October 7, 1980. Prior to his immigration he was an assistant to the mayor of Por Far, Laos. Yang Cha Ying also served as a soldier from 1950-1953. Currently, he is retired, though he acts as an advisor for the police when making domestic calls. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Yang Cha Ying describes his life in Laos, particularly the time he spent fighting in the wars, in detail. He talks about his adjustment to life in the United States and his role as an advisor for the police in domestic situations, explaining cultural differences. Yang Cha Ying hopes that the youth of his culture will learn to respect the elderly. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Interview translated by May Herr.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

385. Interview with Yer Moua

Creator:
Moua, Yer
Date Created:
2000-01-20
Description:
Yer Moua is the mother of Mai Neng Moua and is the daughter of Ong Vang. Her maiden clan name is Yer. Her clan is the Vue clan and she married into the Moua clan. She is sixty-five years old, and she has four children, all living. She attended school in the U.S. She has been widowed many years. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1981. She was born in Thab Tam, Xeev Khuam, Laos. She is a White Hmong. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Biographical information and religious affiliation. Childhood-school attendance, duties at home, community service, skills taught, social activities as a child, aspirations as a child. Hmong women's roles-decision making inside and outside of home and clan, women in leadership roles and how they are seen in the community, what women do to support their families, family planning, when women feel respected or disrespected. The war and living in refugee camps-memories of fleeing Laos, of refugee camps, difference in treatment of men and women in the camps. Adjustments since coming to the U.S.-skills needed to adjust, learning English, skills from Laos and Thailand that are adaptable or useable in the U.S., citizenship, leadership roles for women in the U.S. versus Laos, public contributions by Hmong women. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: The interview was conducted predominantly in Hmong. The Hmong transcript and an English translation are bound together for this interview.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

386. Interview with Y Nor

Creator:
Nor, Y
Date Created:
1992-08-10
Description:
Y Nor was 55 years old when the Khmer Rouge regime began in 1975. One of his sons was studying in Europe at the time. He was separated from his two eldest sons and they were killed. Two of his daughters died of illness and starvation. He and his wife and four surviving children were split up at various times in different work camps. Y Nor worked digging canals and building dams and maintaining rice and sugar plantations. He did not receive adequate medical attention for infections. They escaped to Khao I Dang refugee camp, then were transferred to Chonburi camp and then came to Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Moving Image
Format:
Oral histories

387. Interview with Yoeuth Yan

Creator:
Yan, Yoeuth
Date Created:
1992-08-13
Description:
Yoeuth Yan was a student in 1975 when the Khmer Rouge regime began. He was sent out of Battambang City and was not allowed to join his family in Posat Province. He fell ill with malaria while working on the youth mobile team and, after recovering, was able to locate his mother and siblings. He then learned that his father had been taken by the Khmer Rouge and killed. Yan became sick with malaria again, but was still made to work in various camps throughout the regime including a reeducation" camp. After the Vietnamese soldiers arrived in 1979
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Moving Image
Format:
Oral histories

388. Interview with You V. Yang

Creator:
Yang, You Vang
Date Created:
2000-01-18
Description:
You Vang Yang is the mother of May Hang and is the daughter of Nhia Vang. Her maiden clan name is Vang and she married into the Yang clan. She is sixty years old and has nine children. She is widowed. She immigrated to the U.S. twenty-four years ago. She was born in Xuv Npuv, Laos. She is a White Hmong by birth, Blue Hmong by marriage. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Biographical information and religious affiliation. Childhood-school attendance, duties at home, community service, skills taught, social activities as a child, aspirations as a child. Hmong women's roles-decision making inside and outside of home and clan, women in leadership roles and how they are seen in the community, what women do to support their families, family planning, when women feel respected or disrespected. The war and living in refugee camps-memories of fleeing Laos, of refugee camps, difference in treatment of men and women in the camps. Adjustments since coming to the U.S.-skills needed to adjust, learning English, skills from Laos and Thailand that are adaptable or useable in the U.S., citizenship, leadership roles for women in the U.S. versus Laos, public contributions by Hmong women. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: All interviews were recorded in Hmong. Transcripts in both English and Hmong are available for each interview.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

389. Interview with Yung Lyun Ko and Shuk Ko

Creator:
Ko, Yung Lyun
Date Created:
1979-12-19
Description:
Yung Lyun Ko arrived in the United States from Korea in 1972. As a young assistant professor at Kun Kook University in Seoul, he had decided to further his career through graduate study in educational statistics at Illinois State University in Bloomington, Illinois. After his family arrived in 1973, however, he could no longer afford to continue his study, and he went to work as an aspiration therapist in a hospital in Chicago. In 1974 Ko and his family moved to Minneapolis after Korean friends persuaded him to do so by saying that the Twin Cities provided a better environment to work and raise a family. Although Ko was a professional in Korea, his training was not transferable to American society, and he had to take a blue-collar job working at Crown Meat Company in Minneapolis. Frustrated by this situation, Ko threw himself into working for the Korean community through the Korean Association of Minnesota. In 1974 he was instrumental in establishing the Korean Institute, a Saturday school for Korean children of immigrants and adoptive parents, where classes in Korean language and culture, as well as social activities, were provided on a weekly basis. In 1979 Ko began a two-year term as president of the Korean Association. He and his family are also active in the Korean United Methodist Church in Oakdale. Shuk Ko arrived with the children in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1973 to join her husband. After they moved to Minnesota she also became active in Korean community organizations in addition to full-time work outside their home. As the wife of the president of the Korean Association she was expected to organize and persuade the women to do much of the work for special events in the Korean community, such as cooking meals for large numbers of people, and arranging children's activities. Shuk and the children are also active in the Korean United Methodist Church. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The Kos discuss the dynamics of the Korean community in the Twin Cities, and the cultural and religious organizations in the community. They also discuss the problems of childrearing in the immigrant situation and their concern that the children will develop a Korean or Korean-American identity. Yung Lyun discusses special events, such as Korean Day, that are organized annually by the Korean Association, and Shuk describes the changing family structure and extensive work of the women in community activities. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Because he is president of the Korean Association, Yung Lyun Ko is in a position to know a great deal about the Korean community and to provide information on all the community organizations. Shuk Ko is also in a position to know about the contributions of the women to community events and programs.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories
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