A collection of audio recordings titled “Nguyen Family Oral History” was recently shared via email, revealing interviews conducted by a father with his siblings about their experiences in Vietnam and their subsequent escape to the United States. The recordings, organized into MP3 files, document the lives of family members now in their 50s and 60s, capturing their childhood memories of fleeing Vietnam.
The project began as a way to preserve family history after the passing of the father’s mother, who had previously chronicled her life in a handwritten account. This prompted the father to seek out more stories from his siblings, as he had left Vietnam before them and was only familiar with the broad outlines of their journeys.
While the family typically shared their history in general terms, the interviews allowed for a more detailed and personal recounting of their experiences. The recordings reveal harrowing tales, including one uncle’s escape on a small boat and another’s dangerous encounter with pirates. The father’s approach to interviewing, however, showed limitations, as he often moved on from emotional topics and struggled with the chronology of events.
During one interview, a discussion about the father’s own father, who was imprisoned after the North Vietnamese takeover, led to corrections from an uncle regarding the circumstances of his death. This exchange highlighted the discrepancies in family narratives, which the father embraced as part of the storytelling process, likening it to the Rashomon effect.
Despite the emotional depth of the stories, the father’s reluctance to probe deeper into uncomfortable experiences left some narratives feeling incomplete. He emphasized the importance of emotional history over factual accuracy, suggesting that memory is shaped not only by what is recalled but also by what is intentionally left unexamined. Ultimately, the recordings serve as a testament to the father’s commitment to preserving family history for future generations.