Oral history interview with Dominic Vu Nguyen

Collection

Identifier: SR 12266

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Dominic Vu Nguyen was conducted by Rachel Ramirez on July 9, 2017. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States. In this interview, Nguyen discusses fleeing Vietnam near the end of the Vietnam War, relocating to the Philippines, and finally settling in upstate New York. He talks about his early life in New York, including adjusting to life in the United States and his education. He also talks about overcoming stereotypes. Nguyen discusses getting into fitness after the birth of his son in 2011, and about competing to appear on the television show American Ninja Warrior in 2017. He closes the interview by describing his 1990 reunion with his father, who had been unable to leave Vietnam with the family, as well as his father’s death in 2016.

Dates

Creation: 2017 July 9

Creator

Nguyen, Dominic Vu, 1973- (Interviewee, Person)
Ramirez, Rachel, 1996- (Interviewer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and The Immigrant Story. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/

Biographical note

Dominic Vu Nguyen was born in Vietnam in 1973. His family fled Vietnam for the Philippines during the fall of Saigon in 1975, but his father was captured and held in a labor camp for many years. Nguyen, his mother, and his siblings eventually settled in upstate New York. His father joined the family in the United States in 1990. Nguyen earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University in 1995. In 1997, he relocated to Portland, Oregon. He earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Oregon Health & Science University in 2000. He has competed to appear on the television show American Ninja Warrior and is a fitness coach in Portland.

Extent

34.6 Megabytes (1 online resource (1 audio file (37 min., 9 sec.))) : MPEG-4

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Dominic Vu Nguyen conducted by Rachel Ramirez on July 9, 2017, for The Immigrant Story. Nguyen's family fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and later immigrated to the United States. He studied chemical and electrical engineering and became a fitness coach in Portland, Oregon.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of The Immigrant Story, 2020 (Lib. Acc RL2020-017).

Publication note

An article about Dominic Vu Nguyen, "Starting Anew, Shaping a Future" by Rachel Ramirez, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/starting-anew/