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Description
Nam Phong Dialogues is a podcast where two Vietnamese American academics - Kevin Pham and Yen Vu - have casual chats on Vietnamese History. We discuss intellectual history, political thought, and social change, in addition to what it means to be Vietnamese American in the US.
For inquiries or comments, reach us at namphongdialogues@gmail.com.
Follow us on instagram @namphongdialogues.
Support us on donorbox at https://donorbox.org/support-nam-phong-dialogues
For inquiries or comments, reach us at namphongdialogues@gmail.com.
Follow us on instagram @namphongdialogues.
Support us on donorbox at https://donorbox.org/support-nam-phong-dialogues
35 Episodes
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Kevin and Yen return for Season 5 of Nam Phong Dialogues with a book review on Richard Tran's Queer Vietnam (Stanford UP, 2025). Queerness, a complex term that exceeds the binaries of sexuality and gender, is a topic that deserves much attention in Vietnamese scholarship and contemporary Vietnamese society today.
In this mini-episode, we reflect on two themes that emerged from season four: identity and reconciliation.
In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the end of the American War in Vietnam, Kevin and Yen continue reflections on reconciliation, this time across perspectives, generations, and past and present.
In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the end of the American War in Vietnam, Kevin & Yen discuss the efforts of reconciliation, both personal and political, in this two-part episode.
1954 was an important year, not only because of the end of French colonization in Vietnam. It also saw the division of the country and a subsequent migration of almost a million Vietnamese. In this episode, Kevin & Yen talk about the motivations behind this migration and its political implications.
Works mentioned:
Phi-Van Nguyen - A Displaced Nation (Cornell University Press, 2024)
James Baldwin - Notes of a native son
Approaching what seems daunting and monolithic, Kevin and Yen break down what it means to be a Vietnamese Marxist, and provide two exemplary intellectuals that diversify this key political identity of the 20th century, Tran Duc Thao and Nguyen Khac Vien.
Kevin and Yen discuss the sensitive topics of inferiority, imposter syndrome, and how our minority status can affect our work. Join this conversation and learn how we can cultivate supportive spaces for others like us.
Kevin and Yen respond to an important query on Vietnamese identity. We unpack questions like "Who counts as Vietnamese?" and "What does it mean to be Vietnamese?" with the technical answers as well as the personal answers.
A special book discussion where we talk about national shame, 20th century Vietnamese Enlightenment and the writing process, in Kevin's new book, The Architects of Dignity: Vietnamese Visions of Decolonization (Oxford University Press, 2024)!
Picking up this season where we last left off, we share stories about our fathers and how actively working on our relationships with our fathers is like actively working on our relationship with Vietnam.
For the last episode of this season, Yen and Kevin recount and discuss a set of stories around two women, Kim and Huyen, and their respective postwar journeys after the April 30, 1975.
If you enjoy this episode, please consider sharing it with 2 friends! You can also donate to us: https://donorbox.org/support-nam-phong-dialogues. All of your support counts!
In event of the HBO series adaptation, Kevin and Yen finally discuss Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer, what it means to be a spy in a culture and the politics of representing a Vietnamese perspective of the Vietnam War.
Following the last episode on living abroad, Kevin & Yen review a recent book in Vietnamese history about the Indochinese living abroad in France by Charles Keith, "Subjects and Sojourners: A History of Indochinese in France" (Univ. of California Press, 2024).
In this episode, Kevin and Yen get personal and share experiences about living abroad in Vietnam and Amsterdam, how decisions were made to move, and whether this means fulfilling or disrupting our parents' American dreams.
Wrapping up the series, Kevin and Yen talk about two familiar ideas of democracy and communism and pose the questions: Are they opposites? Which is the truer definition of freedom?
Continuing the series on ideas of freedom, Kevin & Yen cover a crucial period in 20th century Vietnamese history that addresses freedom of expression around two journals, Nhân Văn (Humanities) & Giai Phẩm (Fine Works), and how they affect the cultural and political spheres in Vietnam.
Yen & Kevin kick off a new series on ideas of freedom with a discussion on liberal arts education in Vietnam. We'll share what that looks like at Fulbright and VinUniversity and share what more you can expect in this series!
Back for another season, Kevin & Yen review two different perspectives of Saigon at the peak of wartime Vietnam through discussion of films The Purple Horizon (Chân Trời Tím, 1971) and Saigon Secret Agents (Biệt Động Sàigòn, 1986).
Closing out the season, join Yen & Kevin for this fireside chat amongst friends. You'll laugh, you'll cry, as we share facts and personal stories, all relating to being Vietnamese American.
Kevin Q&A: 3:00
Yen Q&A: 15:29
Kevin's story, "The Book Scandal": 27:43
Yen's story, "The Escalator": 44:33
Join Kevin and Yen for a chat with special guests Quan Ha and Cab Tran, the translators of Bao Ninh’s latest publication in English, Hanoi at Midnight. We talk about the messy process of translation, the literary genius of this Vietnamese writer, and what readers can take from this new collection of Vietnamese short stories.
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