FLAS REFLECTION - TUYEN NGUYEN

University of California, Berkeley

United States of America

Tuyen Nguyen

FLAS Reflection

University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National Univesity, Ho Chi Minh City

June 27, 2016-August 5, 2016

“Beep Beep Beep,” the motorbike’s horn startled me as I quickly jumped back onto the sidewalk. With each attempt to step forward on Le Duan Street, it did not get any easier. I would get off the sidewalk only to quickly withdraw back to it as a brigade of motorbikes and a few automobiles zoom past me. Frustrated, I decided to find a less crowded street to cross. I soon discovered that finding a less crowded street during rush hour in District 1 was a near impossible task for a foreigner. My only thought at the moment was “Wow, this is only my first day and I can’t even cross the street. How will I survive 6 weeks here?”

At this point in my summer, I was just starting my Foreign Language and Areas Studies Fellowship in Vietnam. This fellowship is a 6-week intensive Vietnamese language program at Trung Tam Nghien Cuu Viet Nam va Dong Nam A in Ho Chi Minh City. As a second year medical student from California, my goal for the summer is to become more fluent in Vietnamese so that I can serve and work with Vietnamese populations in the US and abroad as a future physician. In addition, I wanted to spend my summer here to learn more about my homeland and heritage.

After my embarrassing attempt to cross Le Duan Street, I went to meet with Thay Dung, my Vietnamese language teacher from Trung Tam Nghien Cuu Viet Nam va Dong Nam A. I was a little nervous about meeting Thay Dung but much to my surprise, my first class with Thay Dung went very well! He asked me about my goals for the summer and then we talked about altering the language curriculum to not only support and develop my language skills, but also to include field trips and excursions that would augment my understanding of Vietnamese culture and history.   

As I got to know Thay Dung better during that first week of the program, I mustered enough courage to tell him about my embarrassing story of not being able to cross the street. Not only was he empathetic about my experience, but also he decided to take me on a walking tour around District 1 for the day. One step at a time with calmness and coordination, I learned to cross the busy streets of Saigon. This small victory seems silly now to write about, but it was reflecting on this incident that really helped me think more deeply about my emotions this past summer living in Vietnam. It was hard to process my experience as a whole but taking apart and reflecting on one experience at a time allowed me to really pull apart the complexities and richness of my experience in Vietnam this summer.

On one of our field trips, I went with Thay Dung to the War Renmant Museum in Ho Chi Minh City that contains exhibits relating to the Vietnam War. Growing up in America, I’ve heard many stories of the war from my parents and grandparents who have lived through the war. I was never able to fully understand the trauma that my family experienced until seeing the photographs and objects displayed in the museum. It was very hard for me to walk through the museum but I made sure to look at every image and read every caption. This was a big part of Vietnam’s history and it was important to me to learn what had happened during this time.

For many days, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Vietnam War and the destruction that had happened here only 40 years ago. I couldn’t stop thinking about the war-inflicted trauma that the older Vietnamese generations like my parents and grandparents had been through. But everyday when I crossed the busy streets of Saigon and listened to the incessant honking of motorbikes at night, it was so wonderful to see how Vietnam has thrived after the war.

I really enjoyed learning Vietnamese and experiencing Vietnam through excursions to the Mekong Delta and the Cu Chi Tunnels, but what made this summer the most memorable was my daily interactions with the local Vietnamese people. Though our conversations were often limited to short exchanges from when I bought food and drinks the street venders, there was something so genuine and warm about these short interactions that felt so familiar and comforting. These daily interactions really made me feel more at home. As I often wandered off too far and had to ask for directions, the co’s and chu’s that showed me the way did their best to help me find my way home. This sometimes meant drawing out a quick map or walking with me for a block to show me the next turn. This is what I miss most about Vietnam.

My first night back in America was restless. I laid in bed wondering if it was the jet-lagged or the silence that kept me up? I didn’t think I would miss the midnight honks from the motorbikes, but it became so familiar to me that it was hard to sleep without now. In desperate need of coffee when I woke up the next morning, I walked to the local coffee shop. The quiet and empty streets of Berkeley made me yearn for the brigades of motorbikes and street venders that crowded Le Duan Street. I laughed to myself thinking back to my disastrous attempt to cross Le Duan Street for the first time. It’s strangely ironic that what once was the point of frustration is now the source of nostalgia. I hope to return to the busy streets of Vietnam. 

Tuyen Nguyen at the Rice Paddies in Hoi An

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