Nam Phong Dialogues: Recent Episodes
namphongdialogues
Nam Phong Dialogues is a podcast where two Vietnamese American academics - Kevin Pham and Yen Vu - have casual chats on Vietnamese History. We discuss intellectual history, political thought, and social change, in addition to what it means to be Vietnamese American in the US. For inquiries or comments, reach us at namphongdialogues@gmail.com.
Approaching what seems daunting and monolithic, Kevin and Yen break down what it means to be a Vietnamese Marxist, and provide two exemplary intellectuals that diversify this key political identity of the 20th century, Tran Duc Thao and Nguyen Khac Vien.
Kevin and Yen discuss the sensitive topics of inferiority, imposter syndrome, and how our minority status can affect our work. Join this conversation and learn how we can cultivate supportive spaces for others like us.
Kevin and Yen respond to an important query on Vietnamese identity. We unpack questions like "Who counts as Vietnamese?" and "What does it mean to be Vietnamese?" with the technical answers as well as the personal answers.
A special book discussion where we talk about national shame, 20th century Vietnamese Enlightenment and the writing process, in Kevin's new book, The Architects of Dignity: Vietnamese Visions of Decolonization (Oxford University Press, 2024)!
Picking up this season where we last left off, we share stories about our fathers and how actively working on our relationships with our fathers is like actively working on our relationship with Vietnam.
For the last episode of this season, Yen and Kevin recount and discuss a set of stories around two women, Kim and Huyen, and their respective postwar journeys after the April 30, 1975.
In event of the HBO series adaptation, Kevin and Yen finally discuss Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer, what it means to be a spy in a culture and the politics of representing a Vietnamese perspective of the Vietnam War.
Following the last episode on living abroad, Kevin & Yen review a recent book in Vietnamese history about the Indochinese living abroad in France by Charles Keith, "Subjects and Sojourners: A History of Indochinese in France" (Univ. of California Press, 2024).
In this episode, Kevin and Yen get personal and share experiences about living abroad in Vietnam and Amsterdam, how decisions were made to move, and whether this means fulfilling or disrupting our parents' American dreams.
Wrapping up the series, Kevin and Yen talk about two familiar ideas of democracy and communism and pose the questions: Are they opposites? Which is the truer definition of freedom?
Continuing the series on ideas of freedom, Kevin & Yen cover a crucial period in 20th century Vietnamese history that addresses freedom of expression around two journals, Nhân Văn (Humanities) & Giai Phẩm (Fine Works), and how they affect the cultural and political spheres in Vietnam.
Yen & Kevin kick off a new series on ideas of freedom with a discussion on liberal arts education in Vietnam. We'll share what that looks like at Fulbright and VinUniversity and share what more you can expect in this series!
Back for another season, Kevin & Yen review two different perspectives of Saigon at the peak of wartime Vietnam through discussion of films The Purple Horizon (Chân Trời Tím, 1971) and Saigon Secret Agents (Biệt Động Sàigòn, 1986).
Closing out the season, join Yen & Kevin for this fireside chat amongst friends. You'll laugh, you'll cry, as we share facts and personal stories, all relating to being Vietnamese American. Kevin Q&A: 3:00 Yen Q&A: 15:29 Kevin's story, "The Book Scandal": 27:43 Yen's story, "The Escalator": 44:33
Join Kevin and Yen for a chat with special guests Quan Ha and Cab Tran, the translators of Bao Ninh’s latest publication in English, Hanoi at Midnight. We talk about the messy process of translation, the literary genius of this Vietnamese writer, and what readers can take from this new collection of Vietnamese short stories.
In light of April 30, Kevin and Yen bring personal and political history together in this timely episode on what nationalism looked like in South Vietnam.
Kevin & Yen share anecdotes, advice, and observations about life in academia as young scholars. Tune in if you're interested in pursuing academia, or are looking for best practices to secure a career as a scholar.
Bringing back the book review with a new novel by Phong Nguyen "Bronze Drum" (Grand Central Publishing, 2022), we talk about one of the oldest legends in Vietnamese history regarding Hai Ba Trung.
In Part 2 of this Tonkin Free School-related episode, we fill you in on encountering national heroes and their legacies as well as what being a liberal society actually means.
What was the Tonkin Free School (Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc) and was it truly the first iteration of a liberal arts education model in Vietnam? We dive into the history and legacy of such an important icon in 20th century Vietnamese history.
To kick off the new season, Kevin & Yen reflect on experiences of Vietnam a decade apart and consider what the changes mean in terms of "progress."
Kevin & Yen share reflections and news as the season wraps up. Tune in again in September for fresh episodes & have a great summer!
To some, it's the 'Vietnam War,' to others, it's the 'Resistance War against America to save the country,' regardless, talking about it is inevitable. In this episode, we review the popular Ken Burns and Lynn Novick 2017 PBS documentary series 'The Vietnam War' and offer candid reflections around three main themes: perspectives, hubris, and the horrors of war.
We dive into four Vietnamese narratives that have left an impression on us (among many), including Andrew Pham's 'Catfish and Mandala,' (1999) Thi Bui's 'The Best We Could Do,' (2017) Phuc Tran's 'Sigh Gone,' (2020) and Ly Tran's 'House of Sticks.' (2021). These narratives put words to experiences in a way that help Vietnamese Americans make sense of our complex and often conflicted worlds.
A Vietnamese classic, The Tale of Kieu holds many lessons and truths for Vietnamese culture. In this episode, we talk about how such examples of Vietnamese literature keep us grounded and connected even when we don't know the full story, and even when we're not physically in Vietnam.
Through a review of Patricia Norland's "Saigon Sisters: Priviledged Women in the Resistance," (Northern Illinois UP, 2020) we open up a discussion about the role of gender in political struggles as well as the construction of ideologies.
In this one, we talk through Susan McWilliam's idea of a 'theoros' and the importance of translating ideas and values as we move between those different communities and spaces.
We're talking about early blueprints for a Vietnamese nation via our first book review, Martina Nguyen's "On our own strength: Cosmopolitan Nationalism in Late Colonial Vietnam" (Univ. of Hawaii Press, 2021).
Introducing ourselves & our podcast and what it means to be Vietnamese American studying Vietnam.