Danny Nguyễn

Interview with Danny Nguyễn:

Danny Nguyễn immigrated to the United States following the Fall of Saigon. He remained there for several years before returning to Vietnam, where he met his wife. Then, he moved back to America to start their careers. Claire and Eladia interviewed Danny Nguyễn.

Claire: When did you come from Vietnam?

Danny: They drafted me into the communist army. But I didn't want it, so I escaped. I walked to Thailand. I lived in Thailand for a couple of years because, before 1975, my dad was republished by the Americans over there in Vietnam. After that, the U.S. government accepted me to come over here because I was on the other side of the Communist Republic. I came to Indianapolis.

Eladia: What was your experience like living there?

Danny: I just went to school. They put me in sophomore high school. I graduated at 21 in 1990 or 1992.

Eladia: How was transitioning from Vietnam to American culture?

Danny: Life is too low in Vietnam and so high up here. And, if you want to go to school, you can. But in Vietnam, the Communists wouldn't let us go to school.

Claire: When did you come to New Orleans?

Danny: 1990 and 1992, but in 1994, I stayed here.

Claire: Did Cindy come and join you? When did you guys meet?

Danny: I went back to Vietnam to meet her.

Claire: You were working fishing, right?

Danny: I went fishing. I was a fisherman from 1994 until I came to this country. in 2018

Eladia: What time did you wake up? What was your day like as a fisherman?

Danny: Yeah, I went out there for about a week and stayed there.

Makenzie: What brought you from Indianapolis to New Orleans?

Danny: I wrote back and forth. My mom and dad moved over here, and they came over here. 

Claire: And how did you make money from that?

Danny: I shrimp, come to the dock, and sell to the dealer, and it's good money.

Eladia: How did you build your life in New Orleans once you decided to stay?

Danny: Because I like the weather over here better than in Indiana.

Claire: Did you shrimp in Vietnam as well? How did you get into it?

Danny: I have seen people work from the beginning, and we try to work like them. I have a lot of friends who work as fishermen.

Eladia: What's one thing you miss the most about Vietnam and your culture back home?

Danny: I miss them a lot. Right when I was little, I forgot everything a lot.

Eladia: Everything?

Danny: Sometimes I cry.

Claire: Do you visit often?

Danny: Yes.

Makenzie: Do you have any traditions that remind you of home in New Orleans?

Danny: I live here because of my family—my children and daughters. I work so hard for them.

Makenzie: Is that your primary purpose? Your children.

Danny: Yeah.

Makenzie: What are the most important things you want them to know for life?

Danny: They know everything I did for them. That's why they study hard. I talk to them often, so you have to take care of your life. I won't live with you for longer, you know. And a good experience for you will be in the future. I talk to them a lot.

Eladia: Do you want them to follow in your footsteps as a business owner or their path?

Danny: I ask them to do whatever they want. But first, they had to go to school, where they had to learn everything they wanted. Later, she decides what she does. The older daughter graduated from Tulane last year and went to New Mexico to become a dentist. The younger daughter is a second-year medical student.

Eladia: How did you raise such great kids? What did you do?

Danny: I told them, "Take you to school and do whatever you want, and we'll take care of you." Regarding the money for school and everything else, they just see that they'll be okay for now and in the future.

Makenzie: And do they also maintain contact with your family back in Vietnam?

Danny: They went back to Vietnam to see my relatives every year. Every summer.

Eladia: How do you spend your day weekly? Do you wake up and have a routine?

Danny: Daytime and nighttime, we stay home.

Makenzie: What time do you usually come to work?

Danny: We have to be here at nine o'clock.

Eladia: What do you wish your clients knew more about you and how you run this business?

Danny: I take care of my workers. I want them to be happy, and I want my clients to be satisfied, too. So, whatever they say, we must calm down and care for them well. But sometimes, I feel sad because some people don't understand each other and talk in a way that is not very polite.

Makenzie: Do you find that very hard on you and your staff?

Danny: I try the best I can. I remember working when I was seven years old and had no day off.

Makenzie: What was your first job?

Danny: My first job in Vietnam when I was little. I went with my mom and bought and sold. And sometimes, I help my dad on the farm.

Eladia: What's your favorite New Orleans festival focused on Vietnamese culture here?

Danny: Sometimes, they have New Year and holidays, and we have the Vietnamese communities in Versailles, Memorial, and Woodlawn.

Makenzie: How do you, your family, and the Vietnamese community usually celebrate?

Danny: Most people celebrate at home.

Eladia: What's your favorite Vietnamese dish you could see making next week?

Danny: Sometimes, we cook American food; sometimes, we cook Vietnamese food. Pho, you know Pho? I love Pho.

Eladia: What's your favorite pho place here in New Orleans?

Danny: I live and work in the West Bank. I love everything. But in 2005, Katrina, we lived in Venice.

Eladia: How was Katrina for you?

Danny: They took everything; it was a total loss. Then we moved to New Orleans, West Bank.

Claire: Did you have to go to Houston or somewhere when Katrina happened?

Danny: We went to Houston with the big community. They live there, and we stayed there for about three months. Then we went to Quebec.

Makenzie: When you returned, did you specifically receive support from the overall New Orleans or Vietnamese communities?

Danny: From the government.

Eladia: Was their help adequate and helpful?

Danny: Yeah, they helped a little, but only a little.

Eladia: What is your religion?

Danny: Catholic.

Makenzie: Do you pray and practice daily?

Danny: We were so busy before, but now there’s some time for prayer. Everybody has their religion. But we are Catholic from my great-great-grandparents. The French came to Vietnam in about the 17th century for a long time. So we've been Catholic for a long time.

Eladia: And do you try to pass that on to your daughters, your Catholicism? Do you want your daughters to be Catholic?

Danny: When they were little, they learned to speak Vietnamese at the Vietnamese Catholic church in Woodlawn.

Makenzie: Is there someone in the Vietnamese community you look up to as a mentor or a friend?

Danny: My Vietnamese friends live in the West Bank.

Claire: Do you enjoy living in the West Bank?

Danny: Yeah. 15 years.

Claire: That's your first home in New Orleans?

Danny: Yes.

Claire: Really? That's amazing. You're moving now, right? How do you feel about that?

Danny: It's much better.

Eladia: What challenges have you and your family faced, and how did you overcome them?

Danny: By then, we would have a hard time doing that. We worked so hard, but we quickly came back.

Eladia: What's the one thing you love the most about New Orleans?

Danny: It's easy for us to live here because the weather is warm, and the people are friendly. I like New Orleans.

Makenzie: Were you scared when you first came to America?

Danny: I didn't speak English at all when I first came. They put me in high school, and I was scared, but by then, we didn't have the iPod and everything. We used the dictionary by the small book, and I had to see that and talk to them. It was hard, but I did it. I passed it. I needed to improve my English to speak to people better, but I understood what they said. I have a lot of friends who love me because they try to teach me. Sometimes, they make fun of me, but I'm okay. Hehehe.

Makenzie: What is one thing your parents or grandparents have taught you that has stuck with you over the years? What advice did they give you that helped you succeed, especially when you came to America?

Danny: Yeah, my mom and dad came over here, but they escaped from Vietnam too after one year. And we see over, we meet them over here.

Claire: Did you find yourself translating for your parents a lot, speaking in English for them?

Danny: I sometimes had to go with them to the doctor's appointment or do paperwork.

Makenzie: Do you still have family in Vietnam?

Danny: I still have one brother in Vietnam.

Makenzie: What is he doing as a career?

Danny: Just farming.

Claire: Do you see your family here a lot? Are you very close with your mom and dad?

Danny: Mom just passed away about seven years ago. And my dad, he's okay. But he went back to Vietnam and fought.

Claire: When was the last time you went to Vietnam?

Danny: Four months ago.

Eladia: And when are you going to go again?

Danny: It could be the coming Vietnamese New Year—sometime in January.

Makenzie: How did you end up working at Cindy's Nail and Spa?

Danny: My wife opened the other location first in 2013. She worked there for about five years, and in 2018, she asked me, "Do you want to come up here and work?" I said yes, and she built this one.

Makenzie: Would you say it's a family business?

Danny: Yeah.

Claire: Do you hope one day your daughters will inherit it?

Danny: I think they want something other than this business.

Makenzie: So, what do you see for Cindy's future?

Danny: I don't know. Maybe my nephew or someone. I just let them take care of this later.

Eladia: What are some things about you and your life?

Danny: I want everybody to be happy but must figure out what.

Makenzie: Do you go out and fish sometimes?

Danny: Yeah, sometimes. I went down to where I had lived before, in Venice and the Empire; it's about one and a half hours from here. I went over there fishing all day.

Claire: Do you try to help other Vietnamese people in New Orleans now? I know many of the salon's employees are Vietnamese.

Danny: Yeah, I try to help them get jobs. Some students don't have jobs and don't know what to do, and we can help them. I practice for them; they know, do well, and have jobs, so I greatly help them.

Eladia: That's beautiful. Do you feel as if your workers are family to you?

Danny: Yeah. Because we see all day, every day, you know. Yeah, we have to.

Eladia: I've noticed that every Vietnamese person I've ever met is so driven and hardworking. Where do you think that comes from?

Danny: Before we lived in Vietnam, life was too low, and people were poor. Maybe they come over here. It's easy to get money, and working hard can earn you more money, so that's why they work hard.

Eladia: Is there anything essential you can tell us?

Danny: It's good for you and me, too, for people to know each other, and we can understand each other, you know. We are okay with everybody