Vy Linh Kỳ

Vy Linh Kỳ is from New Orleans and is part of the Vietnamese community. She is a human resources manager and is currently helping Cyndi Nguyễn with cooking classes for the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Vietnamese people to New Orleans East.

How do you feel that maintaining your Vietnamese culture and identity is important to you?

“It is very important to me. It is so easy to lose because when my parents came to America they felt pressure to assimilate as quickly as possible in order to survive and grow a business. Now, for the next generation, I think the opposite is true, and it is more important to keep that culture alive because it is so easy to lose if we are not connected.”

What are some of your favorite memories of Vietnamese culture as a child?

“Honestly, dining holds some of my favorite memories. Everyone comes together, and it is very ritualistic. Vietnamese food is very time-consuming to prepare so it is usually cooked as a family and eaten as a family. I think that part of the dining is my favorite.”