Growing up in the United States, I was encouraged by generations of American tradition to believe that it was normal, desirable and practical to adopt an American first name, and even to change one’s surname to an American one. But my younger sister and I doggedly clung to our Vietnamese names despite the family pressure to choose new ones for our post-citizenship life in the U.S. Lucky for my younger sister, whose full name is Kim Xuyen, Kim can seamlessly become her public moniker. Thoi Bao Newspaper - The Vietnamese Newspaper Canada Don’t just be a voice for the voiceless. Hers was Tina. But even if I had already become an American by the time I took my oath of citizenship, I refused to take this step of changing my name. I wanted everyone to hear the barista say my name. Growing up in the United States, I was encouraged by generations of American tradition to believe that it was normal, desirable and practical to adopt an American first name, and even to change one’s surname to an American one. He will be presenting on his academic work or, at the literary events, reading from and talking about his most recent books: the novel The Sympathizer (2015), the cultural history Nothing Ever Dies (2016), the short story collection The Refugees (2017), and the children’s book Chicken of the… (read more), Viet Thanh Nguyen joins the Pulitzer Prize board as its first Vietnamese-American member. Never did I do that again. In this collection, Viet Thanh Nguyen begins to assemble one.” My parents picked a name that reflected both sides of my family’s heritage. ICT Committee aims to: 1. Viet. Growing up in the United States, I was encouraged by generations of American tradition to believe that it was normal, desirable and practical to adopt an American first name, and even to change one’s surname to an American one. Iowa City, Iowa 52240, (319) 338-5640 or kevin@tuesdayagency.com. LOS ANGELES — What’s your name? There was good reason for me to change my name, for throughout my childhood my classmates had teased me by asking if my last name was Nam. And, yes, he was a refugee from Vietnam. As for Bruce, I think George might have been more accurate. The Vietnamese Newspaper Canada. Monuments Project: Expanding the American Story, Catch Viet at one of these appearances in the coming months and say hello! A banana, yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Ellison Nguyen, a name that compressed all of our painful, aspirational history as a country. It was true that I was born in Vietnam but made in America. So can all of our names, no matter their origins, be a part of this country. In the United States, most Vietnamese-Americans, tired of explaining, simply tell other Americans to say the name as “Win,” leading to many puns about win-win situations. In the United States, I have an Americanized version of my name, Viet Thanh Nguyen, with no diacritical marks on it. In Australia, where many of the refugees went, Nguyen is among the most common surnames. I felt, intuitively, that changing my name was a betrayal, as the act of translation itself carries within it the potential for betrayal, of getting things wrong, deliberately or otherwise. Publicly claiming a name is one small way to take what is private, what might be shameful or embarrassing, and change its meaning. There was good reason for me to change my name, for throughout my childhood my classmates had teased me by asking if my last name was Nam. Whichever way you arrange my name, it is not a typical American name. Written by Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui. Your email address will not be published. Her short comics can be found online at The Nib, PEN America, and BOOM California. The dilemma of being caught in between opposing cultures was hardly new and has not gone away, but it was still difficult for me and everyone else who has had to experience it. Viet Thanh Nguyen, welcome to the program. Written by Viet Thanh Nguyen and Ellison Nguyen, Illustrated by Thi Bui and Hien Bui-Stafford ... , 2018. University of Southern California A betrayal of my parents, even if they had left it open to me to change my name; a betrayal of being Vietnamese, even if many Vietnamese people were ambivalent about me. Yaseen. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Viet Thanh Nguyen, a contributing opinion writer, is the author, most recently, of “The Refugees” and the editor of “The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives.” He teaches English at the University of Southern California. A betrayal of my parents, even if they had left it open to me to change my name; a betrayal of being Vietnamese, even if many Vietnamese people were ambivalent about me. Affirmative action beneficiary. Nguyen. I was hardly reassured when I went on a field trip to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey and a pleasant young white American soldier, dressed in Vietnamese garb and fluent in Vietnamese, translated my Vietnamese name into a kind of American equivalent: Bruce Smith. Or remade. This psychic tie was ironic, because my fellow Vietnamese refugees in San Jose, Calif., of the 1980s — who never called themselves Americans — would describe me as completely Americanized. Chicken of the Sea. Supplemental Readings "America, Say My Name" by Viet Thanh Nguyen "Behind the Name" Website with many articles about names "The Power Behind Your Name" TedX Talk My Name by Sandra Cisneros, from The House on Mango Street; Saturday Night Live Name A name that citizens and residents of the United States have taken for themselves, a name that is mythical or maligned around the world, a name that causes endless frustration for all those other Americans, from North to South, from Canada to Chile, who are not a part of the United States. It was true that I was born in Vietnam but made in America. That name, or any of the other contenders, seemed alien to me. He writes, “All of our names, no matter their origins, [can] be a part of this country. Viet Thanh Nguyen’s most popular book is The Sympathizer. A name that citizens and residents of the United States have taken for themselves, a name that is mythical or maligned around the world, a name that causes endless frustration for all those other Americans, from North to South, from Canada to Chile, who are not a part of the United States. If I were indeed a banana, many other Americans probably just saw the yellow part and not the soft whiteness inside. They asked me if I wanted to change my name. That name, or any of the other contenders, seemed alien to me. I tried on various names. Viet Thanh Nguyen has 30 books on Goodreads with 315750 ratings. He writes, “All of our names, no matter their origins, [can] be a part of this country. I told him that his name was beautiful, that his parents gave it to him out of love. Mr. Nguyen is a novelist and contributing opinion writer. In front of the entire student body, a student described how he dreaded introducing himself when he was growing up and made up nicknames for himself so that he would not have to explain his name’s pronunciation. As in “Viet Nam.” Get it? As in “Viet Nam.” Get it? Mine is Viet Thanh Nguyen, although I was born in Vietnam as Nguyen Thanh Viet. Nguyễn is the most common Vietnamese surname, in part because the Nguyễn dynasty was the last ruling family in Vietnam (but not all Nguyen’s are related in case you’re wondering). I have been tempted to adopt a Starbucks name, as my friend Thuy Vo Dang puts it, to make my life easier. How about — Troy? Currently you have JavaScript disabled. But neither should there be judgment on people who do not change their names, who insist on being themselves, even if their names induce dyslexia on the part of some Americans. Department of English Viet Thanh Nguyen was born in Vietnam and raised in America. Whichever way you arrange my name, it is not a typical American name. Mine is Viet Thanh Nguyen, although I was born in Vietnam as Nguyen Thanh Viet. I have to persist,’ said the author (Photo courtesy of Viet Thanh Nguyen). Starbucks and Moby Dick are a part of the American lexicon and mythology. Mine was Joe. Instead, I knew intuitively what I would one day know explicitly: that I would make Americans say my name. 2, pp. A betrayal, ultimately, of me. This delightful essay by novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen asks a simple question: “What exactly is an American name?” After trying on Troy as a kid, and adopting a Starbucks nickname, Mr. Nguyen now demands that people call him Viet. In Starbucks and other coffee shops, my first name is often misspelled by the barista as Biet or Diet. As for Bruce, I think George might have been more accurate. Were these the same people who had told me, repeatedly, that I was “100 percent Vietnamese?”. I have been tempted to adopt a Starbucks name, as my friend Thuy Vo Dang puts it, to make my life easier. This is a heavy burden to lay on one’s son, although it is no heavier than the burden placed on me by my parents. If I were indeed a banana, many other Americans probably just saw the yellow part and not the soft whiteness inside. Whichever way you arrange my name, it is not a typical American name. Viet is the name of the people, and George is the father of the country. Whichever way you arrange my name, it is not a typical American name. Precious Time. Love it … He asked me what I would say to people struggling to hold on to their names. They asked me if I wanted to change my name. Starbucks and Moby Dick are a part of the American lexicon and mythology. children for how refugees make America great. I said it once to a barista and was instantly ashamed of myself. LOS ANGELES — What’s your name? How about — Troy? After an extensive nominating process, the board chooses the winners from a list of finalists in each category and may additionally give a… (read more), Viet Thanh Nguyen gives a keynote speech at the “Transcendients Community Celebration: Challenging Borders” for the Japanese American Nation Museum The Transcendients Community Celebration: Challenging Borders, a free one-day event, kicks off on Saturday, March 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Japanese American National Museum. Publicly claiming a name is one small way to take what is private, what might be shameful or embarrassing, and change its meaning. I said it once to a barista and was instantly ashamed of myself. A big congratulations to Viet Thanh Nguyen, who is joining the Pulitzer Prize Board as its first Asian-American and Vietnamese-American member. Damco Vietnam Co., Ltd. at 108 NGUYEN ANH THU ST HIEP THANH WARD DISTRICT 12 84-835203999. With her son, Hien, she co-illustrated the children’s book, Chicken of the Sea (McSweeney’s, 2019), written by Pulitzer winner Viet Thanh Nguyen and his son, Ellison. Or maybe, instead of contorting myself through translation — which comes from the Latin word meaning to “carry across,” as my parents carried me across the Pacific — I should simply be Viet. Required fields are marked *. Of The Displaced, The Economist says that “If the world’s 65.5 million forcibly displaced people formed their own country, it would be the 21st-largest…one of the many things that this imaginary nation lacks…is a literary canon. So can all of our names, no matter their origins, be a part of this country. This psychic tie was ironic, because my fellow Vietnamese refugees in San Jose, Calif., of the 1980s — who never called themselves Americans — would describe me as completely Americanized. America, Say My Name This delightful essay by novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen asks a simple question: “What exactly is an American name?” After trying on Troy as a kid, and adopting a Starbucks nickname, Mr. Nguyen now demands that people call him Viet. Not to change. America, Say My Name. 36-64 “Soup”, anonymous (R) “Second Sight”, Teju Cole Week 4 9/24 9/26 Drafting strategies WORKSHOP: Narrative Essay Peer Review And here’s our email:letters@nytimes.com. My adolescent self was shocked. 67.1K Followers, 678 Following. America, Say My Name. Mine is Viet Thanh Nguyen, although I was born in Vietnam as Nguyen Thanh Viet. My parents’ constant reminder that I was 100 percent Vietnamese had worked its magic. Viet Thanh Nguyen was born in Vietnam and raised in America. But even if I had already become an American by the time I took my oath of citizenship, I refused to take this step of changing my name. A whitewash. Mine is Viet Thanh Nguyen, although I was born in Vietnam as Nguyen Thanh Viet. Growing up in the United States, I was encouraged by generations of American tradition to believe that it was normal, desirable and practical to adopt an American first name, and even to change one’s surname to an American one. In the United States, most Vietnamese-Americans, tired of explaining, simply tell other Americans to say the name as “Win,” leading to many puns about win-win situations. Viet Thanh Nguyen fled Vietnam with his family in 1975 after the fall of Saigon. I told him about the name I gave my son, Ellison, whom I named after the novelist Ralph Waldo Ellison, who was named after Ralph Waldo Emerson. A betrayal, ultimately, of me. When my Vietnamese parents became American citizens, they took the pragmatic route and changed their names to Joseph and Linda. My surname is consistently misspelled as Ngyuen or Nyugen — even in publications that publish me. Your email address will not be published. That, in the end, was the choice I made. Provide opportunities for networking and internal information activiti es for members and staff in the IT industry sector IT professional area and anyone A whitewash. I claimed for my son an American genealogy that was also an African-American genealogy that, through me and my son, would also be a Vietnamese-American genealogy. His novel The Sympathizer won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, as well as five other awards. Viet Thanh Nguyen was born in Vietnam and raised in America. Viet Thanh Nguyen. Ellison Nguyen, a name that compressed all of our painful, aspirational history as a country. Or Joe. Writer. It didn’t work. Mine is Viet Thanh Nguyen, although I was born in Vietnam as Nguyen Thanh Viet. Find their customers, contact information, and details on 582 shipments. In front of the entire student body, a student described how he dreaded introducing himself when he was growing up and made up nicknames for himself so that he would not have to explain his name’s pronunciation. Email, For review copies or bookstore events, contact publicity@groveatlantic.com for The Sympathizer or The Refugees and Margaux Leonard of Harvard University Press for Nothing Ever Dies, Literary, translation, and film rights are handled by Nat Sobel at Sobel Weber Associates, 146 East 19 Street Los Angeles, CA 90089-0354 America, too, is a name. Viet is the name of the people, and George is the father of the country. The autocorrect function on the iPhone certainly thinks so, as I still sometimes get messages — from friends — addressed to Viet Nam. I wonder if the Australians have figured out how to pronounce my name in all of its tonal beauty. I claimed for my son an American genealogy that was also an African-American genealogy that, through me and my son, would also be a Vietnamese-American genealogy. He was 4 when they came to the United States. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Not to translate. See tweets, replies, photos and videos from @viet_t_nguyen Twitter profile. But neither should there be judgment on people who do not change their names, who insist on being themselves, even if their names induce dyslexia on the part of some Americans. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. All we have to do is proudly and publicly assert them. Of course, that raises the question — what exactly is an American name? In Starbucks and other coffee shops, my first name is often misspelled by the barista as Biet or Diet. Abolish the conditions of voicelessness instead. All American names, if we want them to be. The Smith part was a good translation, as Nguyen is the most common Vietnamese surname, inherited from a royal dynasty. That name, or any of the other contenders, seemed alien to me. America, too, is a name. Here are some tips. I did not want anything too typical, like my Catholic baptismal name, Joseph. I felt, intuitively, that changing my name was a betrayal, as the act of translation itself carries within it the potential for betrayal, of getting things wrong, deliberately or otherwise. A few sentences into famed author Viet Thanh Nguyen's latest op-ed, some of us will immediately empathize with his struggle: if I don't have a "typical" American name, will I take on a nickname? That, in the end, was the choice I made. Yaseen. VIET THANH NGUYEN: Well, when my agent told me I should write a novel, the first thing that came to me was a spy novel and partly it was because it's a genre that I … Growing up in the United States, I was encouraged by generations of American tradition to believe that it was normal, desirable and practical to adopt an American first name, and even to change one’s surname to an American one. Paradoxically, I also believed that by keeping my name, I was making a commitment to America. America, Say My Name by Viet Thanh Nguyen New York Times, March 9, 2019. Not, in this one instance, to adapt to America. In Australia, where many of the refugees went, Nguyen is among the most common surnames. Capstone, 2017 . My full name, Thanh Thuy would hardly serve me as well. Mine is Viet Thanh Nguyen, although I was born in Vietnam as Nguyen Thanh Viet. New York, New York 10003, (212) 420-8585, To invite Viet to do a reading or lecture, please contact Kevin Mills of the Tuesday Agency, 132 1/2 East Washington Thanks to Creative Capital / Warhol Foundation for funding this site. The Smith part was a good translation, as Nguyen is the most common Vietnamese surname, inherited from a royal dynasty. My surname is consistently misspelled as Ngyuen or Nyugen — even in publications that publish me. I wanted everyone to hear the barista say my name. Not to change. Ellison. ‘Just because I’m failing, doesn’t mean I should give up. All American names, if we want them to be. Whichever way you arrange my name, it is not a typical American name. So after - what? Recently I visited Phillips Exeter Academy, a once all-white institution founded in 1781 whose population is now about 20 percent Asian. Recently I visited Phillips Exeter Academy, a once all-white institution founded in 1781 whose population is now about 20 percent Asian. Posted on March 9, 2019    Or Joey. Viet Thanh Nguyen writes about his experiences with a Vietnamese name in America in this op-ed for New York Times. Refugee. I wanted something just a little bit different, like me. All of them a reminder that we change these United States of America one name at a time. I tried on various names. Hers was Tina. Hùynh is my maternal grandfather’s family name. I render no judgment on people who change their names. When Viet Thanh Nguyen first broke onto the scene in 2015, he took the literary world by storm. My parents’ constant reminder that I was 100 percent Vietnamese had worked its magic. Whichever way you arrange my name, it is not a typical American name. I told him that his name was beautiful, that his parents gave it to him out of love. When my Vietnamese parents became American citizens, they took the pragmatic route and changed their names to Joseph and Linda. We begin at some place like Starbucks, which is itself an unusual name, derived from a character in “Moby Dick,” itself an unusual name. My mom gave me Bao as last name initially, but when I got naturalized and married etc., I made it my middle name. Or maybe, instead of contorting myself through translation — which comes from the Latin word meaning to “carry across,” as my parents carried me across the Pacific — I should simply be Viet. I render no judgment on people who change their names. I was hardly reassured when I went on a field trip to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey and a pleasant young white American soldier, dressed in Vietnamese garb and fluent in Vietnamese, translated my Vietnamese name into a kind of American equivalent: Bruce Smith. Paul Krugman did explanatory journalism before it was cool, moving from a career as a world-class economist to writing hard-hitting opinion columns.SIGN UP. * * * The Memory Keepers Viet. Nguyen. All of them a reminder that we change these United States of America one name at a time. Viet Thanh Nguyen (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings. We begin at some place like Starbucks, which is itself an unusual name, derived from a character in “Moby Dick,” itself an unusual name. The community celebration offers music, dance, art, speaker series,… (read more), Viet Thanh Nguyen My grandfather’s sister is Cong Tang Ton Nu + her first & middle name. Mr. Nguyen is a novelist and contributing opinion writer. My adolescent self was shocked. I wanted something just a little bit different, like me. Viet Thanh Nguyen, a contributing opinion writer, is the author, most recently, of “The Refugees” and the editor of “The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives.” He … December 5, 2020 When I am in Vietnam, I am Nguyễn Thanh Việt, the Vietnamese sequence with the Vietnamese accent marks. America, Say My Name When writer Viet Thanh Nguyen was younger, he tried on different "typical American" names, encouraged by generations of American tradition. Or Joey. Ellison. A complicated name, as all names are, if we trace them back far enough. Eventually, he stuck with the name his parents gave him. I told him about the name I gave my son, Ellison, whom I named after the novelist Ralph Waldo Ellison, who was named after Ralph Waldo Emerson. I felt some kind of psychic connection to Vietnam, the country where I was born but that I remembered not at all, having left at age 4. Mine was Joe. Instead, I knew intuitively what I would one day know explicitly: that I would make Americans say my name. It didn’t work. He is also the author of the nonfiction books Nothing Ever Dies and Race and Resistance.The Aerol Arnold Professor of English and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, he lives in Los Angeles. Of course, that raises the question — what exactly is an American name? Or Joe. Or maybe America itself should be my first name, after Amerigo Vespucci, the cartographer whose first name — Americus in Latin — has become a part of all our American identities. USC PAM Event: Southeast Asian Refugee Narratives, December 9, 2020 This quarter, for UWP 7M (Multilingual Writing), readings with student experience content—as designated in a spreadsheet Ferris provided to The Aggie—include “America, Say My Name” from Viet Thanh Nguyen and “SERU Survey Report: International Students’ Experiences and Concerns During the Pandemic”, conducted by Igor Chirikov and Krista M. Soria. (R) CT p. 16-29; “America, Say my Name”, Viet Thanh Nguyen + “Speaking in Tongues” p. 32-35, Gloria Anzaldúa Week 3 9/17 9/19 How to Read Critically How to Read Critically (T) Ch. The dilemma of being caught in between opposing cultures was hardly new and has not gone away, but it was still difficult for me and everyone else who has had to experience it. Fear Is a Good Motivator for Political Action. We all make and remake our own selves. Even when I say my name, I Americanize it, because I do not want to deal with the hassle of explaining myself to Americans. He is Viet Thanh Nguyen, a writer, professor and the winner of both the MacArthur Genius Fellowship and the Pulitzer Prize for his landmark novel "The Sympathizer." Not, in this one instance, to adapt to America. Or remade. He teaches English at the University of Southern California. Not to translate. I tried Troy. The Nib, January 2017. Leave a comment →. © 1997-2020 Viet Thanh Nguyen All Rights Reserved. I stuck with Viet. Or maybe America itself should be my first name, after Amerigo Vespucci, the cartographer whose first name — Americus in Latin — has become a part of all our American identities. I did not want anything too typical, like my Catholic baptismal name, Joseph. Were these the same people who had told me, repeatedly, that I was “100 percent Vietnamese?”. His novel The Sympathizer won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, as well as five other awards. We all make and remake our own selves. It didn’t work. 404D Taper Hall A banana, yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Nguyen with his mother in Vietnam, before they left for the U.S. He asked me what I would say to people struggling to hold on to their names. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. A complicated name, as all names are, if we trace them back far enough. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. Never did I do that again. All we have to do is proudly and publicly assert them. name my parents gave me felt natural, possibly because my father never ceased telling me, “You are 100% Vietnamese.” By keeping my name, I could be made into an American but not forget that I was born in Vietnam. My grandfather is Buu Hap, my uncles (his sons) are both Vinh’s, his daughters (my aunts and mom) are Cong Huyen Ton Nu + their first & middle name. 1st gen college. ... america say my name by. Growing up in the United States, I was encouraged by generations of American tradition to believe that it was normal, desirable and practical to adopt an American first name, and even to change one’s surname to an American one. Of course, that raises the question — what exactly is an American name? The autocorrect function on the iPhone certainly thinks so, as I still sometimes get messages — from friends — addressed to Viet Nam. I felt some kind of psychic connection to Vietnam, the country where I was born but that I remembered not at all, having left at age 4. I wonder if the Australians have figured out how to pronounce my name in all of its tonal beauty. My first name is that of the Vietnamese people, whose patriotic mythology says we have suffered for centuries to be independent and free. 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