Vietnamese Club, started this school year by president Tammy Nguyen (c/o ‘27), is a newly revived club that aims to share the Vietnamese culture to both Vietnamese students and anyone who is curious about Vietnamese culture. Club meetings take place every even Friday after school in E201, where members will get a chance to learn the Vietnamese language, as well as Vietnam’s history and geography.
McKinley High School has had a Vietnamese club as early as 1996, but that stopped being the case for several years until its comeback this year. Club treasurer Josey Le (c/o ‘27) said he has heard many people talk about how they want to start a Vietnamese club, but Nguyen was ultimately the one to take action.
“[Nguyen] … not only decided to start up again under a new adviser, but decided to take charge, and she needed help,” Le said. “I decided that maybe it’s best that I help her, not only … to benefit myself, but to benefit the start of a new club.”
Nguyen said she started the club in order to help Vietnamese students at McKinley connect with their culture. Nguyen said she feels many students, including herself, do not know much about Vietnamese language and history due to their focus on American education.
“I visited there every summer until … you know, COVID happens. But I wouldn’t say I’m [very] in touch [with my culture],” Nguyen said.
She said despite frequently visiting Vietnam, she feels like an outsider to the culture of Vietnamese people who grew up in Vietnam because of her American upbringing and lack of exposure to Vietnamese customs in families outside of her own. Nguyen said she also feels distanced from other Vietnamese people because she is not familiar with its history or what it is like growing up in Vietnam.
“I’m just like … a tourist when I go to Vietnam, not really a person from Vietnam,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen’s sentiment is shared by Le. Le said his family members frequently speak Vietnamese to each other but never took the time to teach the language to him. Consequently, he said he currently does not feel a strong connection to his family and their culture. In helping to lead Vietnamese Club as an officer, Le said he hopes to help underclassmen learn about the culture, cuisine, and what it means to be Vietnamese, all while improving his own knowledge about the culture.
“I thought that maybe, although I am a leader, I could take this as an opportunity to learn about my own culture by myself, with the help of all my peers around me,” Le said.
Caroline Dinh (c/o ‘27), the club’s vice president, was born in Vietnam and is a first-generation immigrant. However, she was raised in Hawaii and said she has felt less connected to her culture throughout the years.
“I notice when I go to Vietnam, it feels like a completely different world from the environment, culture, transportation, education, and more.”
Dinh said she is excited to be able to strengthen her connection with her culture again and get to know others who share her culture and the similarities as well as the differences in each student’s experiences, including through the unique traditions and cultural characteristics the different regions of Vietnam can have.
“I want to just learn more about Vietnamese culture and hear about everyone’s experience and diversity, especially with the different parts of [Vietnam],” Dinh said.
Andy Tran, who teaches Spanish at McKinley, is Vietnamese Club’s adviser. He learned Spanish through college and studying abroad in places such as Argentina and Spain, where he got a chance to earn hands-on language experience. Tran is one of only two teachers of Vietnamese ethnicity at McKinley, and said he feels a responsibility to help Vietnamese Club come to life for this reason. Although Tran was born in Hawaii, he has spent a lot of time in Vietnam, where his family lives. His wife is also from Vietnam. Tran said he plans to use his knowledge to help students learn about the language and culture.
“I have learned a lot about my identity and my roots, so I have a lot to offer,” Tran said.
Tran said another reason for students to join the club is because of McKinley’s sizable Vietnamese population. Tran said he thinks the island as a whole does not have many Vietnamese people, but that McKinley has a lot of Vietnamese students because of the many Vietnamese who live in nearby areas such as Chinatown, Kalihi and Ala Moana.
“This is like the premier Vietnamese school, the same as if Farrington and Waipahu are for Filipinos,” Tran said. “So McKinley is the epicenter of Vietnamese students in Honolulu or in the whole state of Hawaii.”
In future Vietnamese Club meetings, Nguyen plans to have games and lessons on Vietnamese culture, including geography such as neighboring countries and history. She said she is uncertain about the attendance rate of members and how many at McKinley are interested in joining, but to recruit members, she plans for the club to have a mini lunch event during Lunar New Year. Vietnamese Club also hosted a booth during Club Day where students could sign up. Nguyen is most excited to fundraise at the Lighting of the M during homecoming week as well as Christmas Village during the 2nd quarter.
“I’m excited to … show the world what Vietnamese Club is,” Nguyen said.
Although Vietnamese Club aims to help Vietnamese students learn more about their roots, anyone who is interested in the language and culture is encouraged to join, even if they are not Vietnamese themselves.
“I know a lot of you guys love our cuisine,” Le said. “Try to learn about the origins of how we make it and where it comes from and join the Vietnamese Club.”
