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Today’s date is July 19, 2019 at 9:40 am. We’re here with the Houston Asian American Archive housed at Rice University. Um, and we’re conducting an interview with Mr.

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Bao Ngoc Pham. I’m Angela Hui. My name is Mei Leebron. So, our first question is, um, Mr. Pham, when and where were you born?

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I was born in, uh, Vietnam. Uh, the year, I believe, 1957. Um, so in what part of Vietnam did you grow up? North or South? Urban or rural?

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South Vietnam. Uh, I was born actually in Saigon, Vietnam. So it’s the uh, that’s the South Vietnam. Um, so what kind of family and community were you born into? Did you have siblings?

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Um, what was your relationship with them like? It—it’s um, I consider it was a big family. I have uh, five siblings, um, so the family has six. I’m—I

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am the oldest. I have two sisters and three brothers. Um, how about your parents and their occupations? My father was in the uh Vietnamese—the South Vietnamese Air Force and my mom was a housewife.

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And that’s typical of um, uh, Vietnamese family or most of Asian family. I am—it, it—that’s um, it, it—that’s correct.

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The husband is the main source of, um, income in the house and the wife, the spouse usually stay at home. Um, that was um, like, fifty years ago.

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Now I believe it’s not like that anymore but that was, uh, when I was born. And do you know how your parents met? Uh, no. I did not know.

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But I, I um, I heard. I’m not sure that true or not but it—it was arranged marriage, was arranged through my grandparents. Oh. Um, and were you close with your grandparents and older generations?

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Yes, yes. Um, it’s um, like I said, it’s typical. Um, in—in the family you have three generations, uh, living together in one room. Um, so where did you attend school throughout your childhood and what kind of school was

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it? It was a, a high school when I was in Vietnam. And I believe I was, uh, I finished my, my high school and then at that time um, the Communist took over the country and we had to, uh, leave Vietnam.

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And what was that experience like for you? It’s for my part, uh, it wasn’t bad because my father was in the Air Force so we were able to evacuate, uh, prior to the uh, the North Vietnamese

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the—the Communist took over the country. We left the co—the South Vietnam about um, few days. I think uh, if I’m not mistaken, it was like on the twenty- fifth or twenty-sixth of April 1975.

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So, growing up, were there, um, American soldiers around that you would encounter or not yet? Yes, because uh, my father was in the Air Force and we live in more like a—a camp, um, in um, in

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uh, Saigon. So, every day we, we encounter, um, American soldiers every day. And um, that was, um, that was good. Uh, uh, I took some English classes and I have a

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American teacher. I believe he was a soldier at that time. Mhm. Um, and earlier on, um, do you know how your family was affected during the French colonial era? That was I—I don’t because um, I

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think that was way before my parent time. Uh, I uh, I believe that was ended in the fifty...? 1950—1940s, I’m not very sure.

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I’m not good with history. So, but I think that was prior. I maybe—I—I’m not sure. Mhm. So, growing up, um,

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did you have any—were you raised with any particular religious views, um, and did religion play a role in your everyday life? I was um, born um, my—my parents um, well, my mom is Buddhist.

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My um, my father is, I believe he’s, he’s Buddhist but if I remember correctly, my grandfather, uh, was Buddhist. My grandmom was uh, Catholic.

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So, when, um, when my grandfather married my grandmom, he had to convert, uh, to Catholic. So, the family more like, um, they—they pretty much um, my, my, my grandparents pretty

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much have open view but they send me to a Catholic school. Um, so that was um, great. What was it like to go to a Catholic school, um, not necessarily being Catholic yourself? It’s um, to me, I always believe in God or believe in someone up

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there. That’s all. Um, so it—it was um, it was good to me and I have no problem being in a Catholic school. Mhm.

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And so, just growing up um, in your childhood or even as a teenager, what was your impression of the political situation at the time with North and South Vietnam and the Communists and the American intervention and so on? We were told about—we were taught about uh, communism,

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about freedom. So, at that time, I believe that um, uh, communism is not a good, um, I have to say, I, in my mind at that time, and surrounded by so many American soldiers, as well as uh,

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Vietnamese soldier and my father was in the Air Force. So I was taught that communism is bad. Mhm. Um, and so when you left Vietnam, how—uh, what was that process like and how old were

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you exactly? I was seventeen. My father was in the Air Force so he—he was able to, um, to bring my whole family and my relatives. So, and friends.

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Uh, together we—there were about thirty people. Uh, we went, uh, we were on board of an airplane took us to a small island up the country. And from there uh,

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American ship wa—wa—was there to bring us to the ship and took us to Philippines. Mhm. And then from there you flew to— And from there we went to, um, to the U.S.

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Um, did you come to Houston or somewhere else? Uh, no, at first we have to settle in a—what we call a refugee camp in Pennsylvania. And then from

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there, we were sponsored by, uh, a church, First Baptist Church in, um, San Antonio. Um, my father was in the Air Force so he had training in San Antonio, Lackland Air Force Base back in, I don't remember

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maybe in the sixties so when he escaped when we all got out of Vietnam, uh, he contacted the people in San Antonio. So, we got the—the church to sponsor our whole family to—to San Antonio. Um, and so do you

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know other people—did you have friends at the time who weren't able to leave Vietnam? Not my friends. Uh, later, um, my classmate uh—were able to escape by boat.

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And I'm pretty sure you heard the story of boat people. There were a lot of lot of South Vietnamese escape by boat to other countries in the Southeast Asia. And from there, they came to the U.S.

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So, all—years later, I believe it was 1980 or so, uh ’80, ’81. I was able to, to talk to my classmate, they came to California they came to

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the U.S. state . So, before you left Vietnam, what was your view of the United States and how did that change over the years, if at all? Mm. I don’t think it changed.

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I—when I was young, of course at seventeen we were more into other things than politics. Uh, we were told—we heard that America is a great country. I still believe America

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is still a great country. I mean, it doesn't change my point of view at all. For the past many years I—I—I was told I believe, uh about America.

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And when I came over here, and my view doesn't change, this is the great country. It gives a lot of opportunities for hardworking people. Um, what brought you to Houston? I think it was I—I was um, in San Antonio to finish my

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um, my um, BBA degree. So um, I have to study job opportunities. Um, that's why we came over here and, um, also at that

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time, I believe the Vietnamese population in Houston uh was greater than, than San Antonio. And that's why we, we moved over here.

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Mhm. Um, so what was the adjustment like, coming to the refugee camp and then going to San Antonio, and just moving around in a new country? Well, I mean, at the refugee camp, we were, uh, provided with opportunity to study, uh, English, um,

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even though we studied in Vietnam, but studying in uh—a foreign language in your own country is different from studying English in, in, in America, because you have TV, you have magazine, you have

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people around you, so you can carry the conversation every day. It—It’s a lot quicker. And when I was in Vietnam, I took English but then we went home, we speak Vietnamese, and we read Vietnamese paper,

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we watch a s—Vietnamese movie. So it was more difficult to improve the skill than when I was in the refugee camp. When did you start going to school again,

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after you came to the United States? Um, immediately when went to San Antonio, so I have to take what they call a GED. Uh, I took that and I got admitted to San Antonio

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Coll—San Antonio College. And then from there, I went to uh UT, uh, University of Texas in San Antonio. And was it difficult to be a student in the United States having just come over from Vietnam?

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Yes, it was, it was very difficult. Uh, number one, uh, because of the, the language. I remember my, my difficulty, the most difficult thing for me was to study history. I mean, with well I believe with, um

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with American, um, student, history of governments should be easy because they studied us in high school and the language. But for me, it was, it was very difficult to follow, um,

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what the professor say in class, but we have to do a lot of reading and then study. Um, to answer your question that was tough. Were there any particular moments that you felt were challenging?

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Every day, every day because at that time, we, we um, not only have problem with school, but we also um, have financial problem. Uh, I had to, uh to work uh, during school, I couldn't

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attend school full time, I had to, to work full time in order to support the families, to support the tuition, myself, so I have to work, put in at least forty hours a week and go to school. Um, I guess twelve hours, nine hours depend on

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the semester. But that was difficult. Um, and what jobs did your parents get when they—when they came over? Um, I believe my father was able to get a job. It—it’s not a real job but it was more like labor.

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Uh, work in a—a dealership. A car dealership. Mhm. And what was that adjustment like for them? That was very difficult because as an officer in the uh

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Air Force, he pretty much have a good lifestyle in Vietnam. So, uh, he have to adjust, my mom have to adjust, and we as kids have to adjust. Um, was your mother still a homemaker when you came over?

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Yes, yes. Um and, what were your living conditions like compared to when you were in Vietnam? Oh, much, much worse. I mean, in Vietnam, we, we were pretty, I mean,

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good. We have a good living condition. We, we have big house. Went to San Antonio, we had to rent a house with, I think, small two, three bedroom. And you know, eight people have to stay in that house.

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Um, so it—it was uh more difficult. And what about the transition for your siblings? How was the adjustment for them especially since they were even younger than you?

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Mm. It’s easier for, for younger uh, kids because um, I believe my youngest brother was like—I can’t remember exactly. Six, seven years old? And my other brother and sister, my siblings, were a lot younger.

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I was seventeen so, they were all below, under, under fifteen. So it um, it was easier for them to adapt to the new environment. And do you think it was easier for them in terms of learning English as well? Oh, much easier, much easier.

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So when you were in San Antonio, did you know a lot of other Vietnamese people, Vietnamese families? There were not—not that many uh, Vietnamese uh, because I believe in, in 1975, the government have a tendency to move, um, all the refugee, all the Vietnamese

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refugee across all fifty states. They did not want to, to put all 130,000 Vietnamese in one location. So, the purposes um, I—I believe that we were

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intentionally sent to other areas in, in the country. So in San Antonio um there—there I believe the population—the Vietnamese population was about a thousand, two thousand people. Not, not a whole lot.

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For, big city like San Antonio. Wow. So you weren't—were you able to make Vietnamese friends? Um, either you or your parents or your siblings, or were you not able to?

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Well, we were, we were, we were—I was not um—that was not my first preference of um, the—the priority was to learn the new language, go to school, and um, make money for the family.

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Uh, and I was thinking more about future. Uh, friendship, Vietnamese or other uh, people, it’s really... at that time, it didn't come to my mind.

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And what were your first jobs—or your first job when you came at the age of seventeen? Oh! I um, I uh had, I was a dishwasher at the Old San Francisco Steakhouse. It was a great job,

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friendly people. Good place. I have, I have um, all the steak I can eat . Uh, it—it—it was great. I was there uh for a few months and I got promoted to be a busboy.

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So busboy, I got, um, tips from um the waiter or waitress, they because they got sections to host or to serve. So um, they get tip from customer

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and they want the busboy to clean the table real quick. Uh, I can clean the table as fast as I could. That way, um, they will have—they be able to get more customers so they get more tips and, and they share

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the tip with the busboy but my first job was a dish washer. I see. Um, and what did you study in college? And how did you decide what to study? Um, I—I was told by friends and counselors that

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accounting would be a very easy job. Uh, easy um, um, career uh, and an easier to find a job. So I uh, I choose that field and I graduate with a BBA in

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accounting. Because I was told by, by people that is easy to get a job. That's why I choose accounting. And when you were getting your bachelor's, did you live um, with your family at the time? Uh, no, not really, because my family was

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in all in San Antonio, but then later on my father found a job in Snyder, Snyder, Texas. So he moved everybody up to Snyder, Texas, but I was in college um, in San Antonio. I didn't want to move so I was there by myself.

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Did you have roommates or did you—? Yes, I —I had roommates. Uh we have um, nine. I remember nine Vietnamese students.

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And we rented a, a two-bedroom apartment. And the two-bedroom apartment has a living room. So we divided three people in each room.

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Um, it—it was tough, but it was fun. And were they also refugees? Yes, they were all refugee from Vietnams. And did they also live in the San Antonio area?

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Yes, we were all in San Antonio so that—we were all in San Antonio College. So the first year in the community college we, we were together. And then later on, people move.

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Some went to UT Austin, some um, went to um, um, UT SA uh, but we were—we all were there, nine people in, in that apartment. What was it like to be spending time with people who had similar experiences to you?

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What was the question again? I’m sorry? Oh. What was it like to spend time with people who experienced many of the same things as you? Was it comforting? How did it feel? It was um, like again, I said it life

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for college students just like simple. I—we did not have much time to think about what was it like or bad or not. All we were thinking is how to get an A in the class and how

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to get money to pay for rent and, and, and tuition and uh, food. That's all. That was all so we didn't have to think about anything. Anything else. Any other things.

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So after you graduated, what job did you get? I got a job in San Antonio. That's why um, I—I knew the San Antonio. I—I could um get a job

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easier. So that's why I moved to—I mean Houston. I'm sorry. Houston was easier to get a job. So I went to Houston to get a job in a saving and loan um, um, financial institution. Uh, so what point did you decide that you

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wanted to do more with your career? Because we know right now you're you're no longer an accountant. You are many other things. Yes, yes. Um, I was an accountant.

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And then I know, I was told that being an accountant, if I want to advance, I have to have a uh CPA certificate. So I study and I got my CPA, I

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opened my uh, CPA firm, while working for uh a company. Um, and then I was able to have my um, Vietnamese but as a CPA when when people have tax problem, and they want to go to Tax Court, um

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CPA cannot help them to go to court, only lawyer can. Um, so um, I had an opportunity to refer work to uh, to a lawyer. And uh he turn around and had me do all the detail work.

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I remember at that time, uh, he charged my—my client, I referred a client to him and he charged $200 an hour and then he turned around he paid me about $35 an hour.

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And then I say wow, I could have charged $200 an hour. Why? So that's when I decided to uh, to apply for law school. I went to University of Oklahoma, OU uh, law school. Um, I have um, a scholarship over there but not much but because I—I

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am a minority they consider uh, minority scholarships. I was able to get that. It was, uh, I got um, accepted to other law schools, but uh,

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I choose OU because OU is a good school. And plus, because I have some money a scholarship. So that's why I went to OU. I’ll turn it over to Mei. So, you started your career in the United States as a busboy but now you are president

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of VIETV and VIET RADIO networks, CEO of V247 Power, and a Certified Public Accountant. What motivated you to become involved in such a wide variety of bu—business and how do

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you balance all these positions? Um, opportunity came. Um, I—I remember when I was a lawyer—well, I’m still a lawyer. But uh, I’ve been uh helping people um, for the past many

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years. And I believe that the media uh, has a great impact on people life. And I believe that the Vietnamese um… in Houston as well as in, in the whole United States uh, need to

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have a, a Vietnamese radio um, Vietnamese TV station as well Vietnamese radio station, so um I have partners we got together. So we form uh, VIETV

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in Houston. VIETV right now has uh, we are also on, on DirecTV. So if people watch VIETV or people turn on DirecTV, they can watch us. Um, the purpose is to inform the Vietnamese

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um, about the news, we want to we preserve our culture, uh, we want to bring all the good things to the Vietnamese who cannot or, or had the inability to comprehend English, or the news in the U.S.

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So that's why we decided to um, to have the Vietnamese TV as well with Vietnamese radio. Regarding V247 Power, we—V247 Power is a retail electricity uh, provider.

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And uh, we believe that if we can provide electricity to people at a lower rate, that would be great for the people. Of course, um, we

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do not discriminate. I mean, customers, our customers, whoever come to us, we will we provide electricity to them however, uh we want to help the Vietnamese.

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So we uh, when they receive bills, uh, electric bills, we have bills in—in Spanish, uh we have bills in English, and we also have bill in Vietnamese. We are the only uh, Vietnamese uh electric provider in

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the whole United State. And we are the only Vietnamese electric company that provide Vietnamese bills to Vietnamese customers. Now other company I believe they provide um Spanish

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uh and also English and we are uh, providing three, three type of bills: English, Spanish and Vietnamese. So obviously you think um culturally specific media is important. Did you grow up with any

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Vietnamese media? No, when I—when I—when I was in Vietnam, I was so young to, um, to pay attention to the news, or to be involved by, by media.

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When I came over here for first few years, I was concentrating in studying. Um, I remember when I was in law school, I didn't know anything about current affair. I didn’t—I mean, I knew who the President of the U.S.

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was, but I hardly read newspaper because I—I did not have time. And when I went out to work, I start realizing that um, a lot of Vietnamese um talk to me and when I do now discussion, um, they, they did not have a

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clear understanding about politics in the U.S. They did not have clear understanding about uh other things. So that's why I say we somehow have to try to help the people uh, by providing them not only

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um, political views, but also entertainments. So that's why we had the the um, TV and radio. Uh, so when your family first came to the United States, was it difficult for them to understand their bills and things like that?

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Is that what inspired you to do this? Or was it just something you came up with? Bill is easy. You look at the number, you sign a check, you pay bill, but, um, my—I believe it was a

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shock for my—my parents, um, entertainment, uh, was difficult because, um, I guess, um, they had to watch American TV. There’s no Vietnamese TV. There was no Vietnamese radio, uh, for, uh, I believe

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from 1975 to probably about 2000, so about twenty-five, thirty years, uh they have to adapt to the new culture. Nothing wrong with that. It just led for an, an older generation, when they—when

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people in their forties or fifties who—who—who come over here to this country and they have to drop everything, kind of hard. What kind or programming is featured in VIETV?

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We have everything. We have, um, we—just like any other uh, TV station, we have news, we provide, um, news, uh, segment about four or five times a day.

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We have morning news. We have noon— afternoon and news at night. So, um, that’s, that’s number one, um, thing, that—that’s what we concentrate in.

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In news. Number two, we have Vietnamese movie, we have Vietnamese music, we record concerts, and we provide—and we have movies and uh, entertainment is the second thing. And also we have uh programs for—for kids, for children.

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Uh, we want to teach them about the history. Um, not only Vietnamese history, but also world history. What’s the current viewership of VIETV, and has it grown? It’s been growing .

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We can tell by, um, by the subs—um, subscription, um, by DirecTV. DirecTV has a special program where they, where viewer can, um, can join DirecTV and register so they have um, foreign language um, programs.

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So I believe that the subscription is—is good. However, now with the internet and with the streaming I’m not sure about the future of TV um, and newspaper. Uh, I’m not sure what the future will be because I think traditional

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TV will change in the next ten, twenty years. Um, now people can watch everything on YouTube. Uh, they can go to Netflix, um, uh, Amazon, um, so TV will, will change.

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Have you thought of pivoting to TV or internet for VIETV or radio? What we did right now, uh, that, um, mm, we, uh, before we have a program, um, a—a—we build what we call a UNO Box.

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It just like Hulu, or, um, um, Apple. However, when we went into, uh, a contract with DirecTV, we were prohibited from having or developing, um, UNO. So in the

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future, I’m not sure about the future between us and DirecTV. But if it is a—if it’s good relationship we will continue but if not, then we were thinking about uh streaming movies or news through a botfly like

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UNO by Apple or Hulu. So would you say that streaming is the most significant change or difference that you have noticed or experienced? Well, I—I—I think so, I think it’s—it’s the trend. I mean, if you see now, um, if you see the history

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of, uh , let’s say, we—we used to have a big company like Blockbuster. After several years, Blockbuster is no longer there. So now you see entertainment, you see Netflix, you see Amazon

00:31:03.480 - 00:31:20.140

Primes, and um, you see YouTube, right? So I, I believe in the future, um, those will be, um, the sources of entertainment. Can you recall the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?

00:31:20.460 - 00:31:37.210

And how did you overcome it? In my career as I have some … Let’s see, um, what, okay, for… as an accountant, okay, and I had to work in a big corporation,

00:31:38.140 - 00:31:55.210

I think politics is—is one of the biggest challenge. I mean, when you work in a big corporation, it’s not what you, uh, can do. Um, but it’s more like, uh, who you will know, who you know, who you

00:31:55.330 - 00:32:13.610

hang out with. And, and politics is the biggest, um, challenge in a corporate environment . When I, um, moved away and I changed my career to be an attorney, um, to help, um, people, um, I

00:32:14.880 - 00:32:25.650

uh, again feel like the challenge would be um, the, um, the knowledge of the people. A lot of people don’t know anything about the law.

00:32:26.230 - 00:32:43.170

Uh how to help them, uh, is very difficult because they, they h—I’m talking about the Vietnamese um, people—um, they were, um, born in a foreign country, in a country like Vietnam, so their perception

00:32:43.690 - 00:33:02.200

in law, um, is… totally different from—from American. So in—in order to educate them, uh, is, is very tough to change the idea, the perception, of people.

00:33:02.270 - 00:33:19.570

Um, then we have our, um, TV station and radio station and uh the toughest challenge would be the—the financial. It’s very difficult because with American TV

00:33:19.570 - 00:33:37.040

station, um they can easily make money with advertising. Um, thirty second of Super Bowl can bring them million of dollars. But for Vietnamese, um, TV we cannot charge any Vietnamese or Asian business

00:33:37.950 - 00:33:53.330

million of dollars. They only willing to pay few hundred or few thousand at the most. Uh, of course there are big companies, um, and big Vietnamese companies willing to pay, but, um, the advertising, the income for, for

00:33:54.360 - 00:34:10.300

Vietnamese TV and radio is so small when we compare to the mainstream TV. What kind of businesses normally advertise on VIETV or Radio? Is it normally Vietnamese American businesses?

00:34:11.350 - 00:34:25.060

Oh, we have, uh, American business also, like McDonald’s. I mean, we have, uh, American business, but they have to be big, big corporation. Of course, when they want advertise with us, they want to know

00:34:25.880 - 00:34:43.720

their—our, um, subscription, how many viewer we have, so, um, it is not easy to get a big corporation to pay advertising, we—we—we have advertising from all sorts of, um, like car

00:34:44.410 - 00:34:59.990

dealership, um, casino, um, restaurants, um, American businesses. Yes, they do, but compared to— compare with American TV, we—the financial difficulty is there. We—we don’t have the, uh, the

00:35:00.130 - 00:35:13.410

financial capability to expand or to maintain the, um, the Vietnamese station so that’s the biggest challenge right now. Have you considered developing any other businesses in Houston? I’m too old now.

00:35:13.410 - 00:35:28.020

I’m not sure about… I’m not sure if I can, um, um, continue but right now we—we are working. We have our business at V247 Power, that’s a retail electric.

00:35:29.050 - 00:35:45.150

And, um, I think, um, Texas is a, um, is a good state but we are planning to go to the east and I hope in the future, um, all state will be deregulated, meaning that people will have a choice to

00:35:45.360 - 00:36:02.470

choose their own electricity company. That’s what I’m hoping. So, um, that’s, um, I think that’s the future for me if we want to expand. Earlier, you mentioned, you know, politicking as a challenge in your career, having to, you

00:36:03.660 - 00:36:16.070

know, know different people to get ahead. Do you think that being Vietnamese-American or being an immigrant has affected your experience in that regard? Well, I mean, yes, number one is the perception.

00:36:16.960 - 00:36:33.650

I think, um, the—the way we as Vietnamese think is different from the way that, um, American or European thinking, okay. Um, in—in when we’re talking

00:36:33.800 - 00:36:53.830

about politics, we talking about, um, life, we talking about behavior, um, I believe Asian culture, um, we have a tendency to keep our wealth, our money, and then pass onto our, um, generation, to the kid, to the

00:36:53.960 - 00:37:03.390

grandkids. But, um, with American, with the European, that’s totally different. I mean, Bill Gates doesn’t want to keep his money. He—he give away.

00:37:03.390 - 00:37:19.010

And I think that’s the great thing. I think, um, the Asian people have to change their idea, uh, is to give more than to take. Do you think you’ve ever experienced discrimination, either in your career or, um,

00:37:19.480 - 00:37:31.020

shortly after you came to the United States as a student? I believe discrimination is everywhere. However, I was fortunate. I did not have an opportunity—or I

00:37:31.060 - 00:37:49.470

was not in a situation where I was being discriminated. Have you been involved in any organizations outside of the Vietnamese community? Ah, yes, with the State Bar of Texas, or, you know, we lawyer, uh, associate, uh, with the Texas

00:37:49.820 - 00:38:05.420

Society of uh, CPAs, uh where we work together, or we, yes, those are the uh, places. Of course the—you know not like, um, other organization because we—we have a tendency to improve

00:38:08.790 - 00:38:21.170

our profession. Are there any areas in which you expect the City of Houston to do better for the Vietnamese community? The City of Houston? Mmhm. The City of Houston, I think Houston is a great city.

00:38:22.510 - 00:38:37.540

It—it does provide, it just like America, uh, it does provide opportunities for not only Vietnamese, it’s for all people, whether you Vietnamese, you Hispanic, or you American, if you—if you willing to work hard, if you

00:38:37.720 - 00:38:48.380

willing and you believe in the system, uh, you can attain this. Um, are you married? Yes. Um, how did you meet your significant other?

00:38:49.790 - 00:39:03.400

Um, when I first graduated, uh, from law school, I, uh, I had to uh work in the immigration—not I had to, but I—I work in the immigration area. So, um, I travel a lot from—from—from—uh, U.S.

00:39:06.210 - 00:39:22.970

to Vietnam, uh back and forth, back and forth, to, uh, help people with, um, with family-based, uh, visa application, for student visa, for investment visa. So I went back to Vietnam, and I—I met my wife.

00:39:23.160 - 00:39:38.000

Um, do you have any children? I have two. Um, how has being a parent changed the way that you view things or see the world? Uh, well, being… uh, it is,

00:39:38.850 - 00:39:53.880

um a thing… I don’t know how to, uh, I’m not really, um… okay, being a parent, we, um, I guess we—we are less selfish.

00:39:54.710 - 00:40:13.110

We thinking more about the future of, of the kids. And, uh, still I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing but I still feel like, um, um, I’m still uh, uh a dictator, um even I don’t want to, but it’s—I, I

00:40:13.270 - 00:40:31.930

have a tendency just like most Asian people, we want to guide our children to a certain area of education. And, um, um, I know—I know that’s not correct . I know that’s not right, because, um, people

00:40:32.000 - 00:40:43.780

have the right to choose their career. People have the right to choose their own path. And people cannot listen to parent and listen to the way parent want them to be.

00:40:44.210 - 00:40:57.260

And I—I believe in that. I strongly believe in that. But somehow in my mind I still want my kid to go to certain area. Do you feel that your children have been raised with similar or different

00:40:57.460 - 00:41:03.400

values than how you and your siblings were raised? Totally, totally different. Because they were born here in America.

00:41:04.160 - 00:41:20.140

They went to school, I mean, they—they totally, they were raised totally different from my generation. Um, how did your experiences growing up in Vietnam and as an immigrant affect the way you are

00:41:20.310 - 00:41:36.370

raising your children? It, um, we—we are more—my children are fortunate when—because they were born here and then was raised here. Um, when I was Vietnam, I have to say, um, the,

00:41:39.600 - 00:41:56.950

um, the way we grew up, the economy, we were fortunate, we were not very poor, but compare to the, uh, um, standard of living in the U.S., um, we were nowhere close, um, to—to the standard over here.

00:41:57.420 - 00:42:16.020

Number one, studying over there uh was more difficult because most—I said, I have to say, our schools over there do not have the facilities like—like in the U.S., I mean, we study biology over there, but

00:42:16.900 - 00:42:35.230

we—we did not have opportunity to—to actually go to the lab and do what we can do like we doing over here in the U.S. So I think that my—my children over h—are—are—are very fortunate compared to, uh, children in—in a lot of

00:42:35.230 - 00:42:55.160

other countries. And do you choose to identify yourself as American, Asian-American, Vietnamese, Vietnamese- American? I have to say I am still, um, American, um, Asian-American because, uh,

00:42:56.770 - 00:43:11.000

I—I been here for so many years. Uh, this is my country, uh, I’m willing to do whatever to protect this country. I, um, I will obey the law because I sworn as a lawyer that I have to

00:43:12.460 - 00:43:27.790

uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. But there are some—some part of Asian still in my heart, and I do want to have Asian, in particular Vietnamese, um, yes, I—I can do whatever I

00:43:29.060 - 00:43:48.180

can, I will, um, for their benefit, but also, um, the main concern still, uh, United States. And what does this, um, Asian-American identity mean to you? Mm, doesn’t mean much except that the color of my skin is different and

00:43:48.180 - 00:44:01.870

I believe that my ancestor is Asian. Uh, but we as human being, we as people, I don’t see any difference in between, uh, American, or Asian or Hispanic or Indian.

00:44:03.440 - 00:44:14.380

Just backing up a little. Earlier you mentioned that you met your wife in Vietnam. Um, so was she— did she not immigrate to the U.S. until after you were married?

00:44:14.470 - 00:44:33.650

Um, we have what we call, um, a K-1 visa. So I met her and I filed petition to bring her over here. And after she came over here, she had ninety days to get married.

00:44:33.650 - 00:44:46.890

And within the ninety days, we got married and I filed a petition for her to get her Green Card. And was it difficult to get her visa and then her Green Card? No, not at all at that time.

00:44:47.600 - 00:45:03.100

It was 1999, so, um, it was, um, it was different. Now I believe it’s a lot harder, um, especially under, um, President Trump. Immigration law, uh, has changed a lot.

00:45:03.170 - 00:45:17.060

And I don’t know what happen in the future. Maybe it’s more difficult. But I believe that we have the Constitution of the United States, says that you have freedom of marriage, so I

00:45:17.330 - 00:45:33.580

believe that if you want to marry someone, doesn’t matter where that person is, you do have the right to file a petition and to bring your spouse over here together with you. That is, uh, that’s the Constitution,

00:45:34.150 - 00:45:51.330

we have freedom of travel, freedom of religion, freedom of marriage, and I hope that—that those freedom will be continuously, uh, kept. Did you notice differences between yourself and your wife in the way you were raised and

00:45:51.380 - 00:46:04.840

the way you were educated and so on because she did not, um, immigrate to the United States? Um, at first maybe but now it’s, um, I think she is fine. I don’t see a lot of differences.

00:46:06.400 - 00:46:20.270

Um, and how old are your children, by the way? My daughter is nineteen, and my son is seventeen. And what are their names? Um, uh, the girl, my daughter is Brianna Pham, and, uh, my son is Brian Pham.

00:46:20.580 - 00:46:39.420

Every time when we say the name, people laugh, and they went to school, and they, uh, together, and, um, they would tease and they say, “Oh, Brian, Brianna, Bree, Bri, Bre…” . Um, do you enjoy any particular books, movies, magazines, sports,

00:46:39.480 - 00:46:48.560

games, or other hobbies? I enjoy watching movie. I enjoy, uh, reading. So, um, anything is good, is pretty entertainment.

00:46:51.300 - 00:47:03.500

Um, do you have any particular—do you have any favorite movies or books? I… I like the movie Godfather. It’s, it’s really good. I also like the book.

00:47:03.610 - 00:47:20.180

Do you remember the first movie you watched in America when you immigrated? Wow. No, I cannot remember. It’s uh, it’s been so long. 1975? Now it’s 2019.

00:47:20.550 - 00:47:36.540

Ah, forty-some years, and I—I believe that my memory is, has been lack. I mean, I, uh, I can’t, I’m sorry, I can’t. Do you have any memories from when you first came over that really stick out, any culture

00:47:36.650 - 00:47:49.940

shock or anything like that? Um, not, not really. Uh, I cannot, uh, I, um, maybe if I have a few hours to think or maybe if I sit

00:47:50.000 - 00:48:02.180

down and write my book and probably it will come back. But right now, um, all of a sudden? No. Are you planning on writing a book? Uh, yes, yes, uh when I retire.

00:48:04.470 - 00:48:18.690

Um, so who has been the biggest influence on your life? And can you tell me a little bit about them? I , I think my mom. She, she, even she was a housewife,

00:48:19.740 - 00:48:33.770

she—but she raised us up. My father was busy. He was in the Air Force, so he hardly at home. But, uh, my mom taught me about the value, the

00:48:34.110 - 00:48:50.440

family value, um, she told me, she taught me to differentiate between right and wrong, what a person should do and should never have done. So, uh, I appreciate all that and I think she had a great impact in

00:48:50.480 - 00:49:06.280

my life. What would you say your proudest accomplishment is? A lot . We were able to build, um, uh, V247 Power, um, the—the very first, um,

00:49:06.780 - 00:49:20.810

Vietnamese electricity company. We were able to build VIETV, uh, VIETV, at one time we had uh, nine stations, we have station in Houston, in Dallas, we have station in

00:49:20.940 - 00:49:35.360

California, in, San—uh, Los Angeles and San Jose. We have station in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, DC. And, um, we, we everywhere. I mean, from east to west.

00:49:35.420 - 00:49:53.770

And that’s, um, that’s what I’m very proud. What are your hopes for the future in general? In general? Well, um, in general regarding my business I hope it

00:49:54.180 - 00:50:08.390

will expand. It—we will be able to help people, uh, with the need, we—we want to, uh, provide electricity at the very low cost to everyone. And, um, that’s my concern

00:50:11.110 - 00:50:25.800

right now. And then, what legacy do you want to pass on to future generations? To continues with— with—with what we doing, to helping, to help people, to help people, uh, to save money, to help people, um,

00:50:27.940 - 00:50:44.430

to understand, uh, about current affair, to help people to see the world uh, in a clearer view, and to avoid, uh, being selfish, and that’s—that’s what I—I hope we all can, can do.

00:50:44.430 - 00:51:01.850

And then my final question is, um, what advice do you have for future generations? Uh, I am not sure I’d be able to give out that advice, but if, uh, I have to say one thing it’s

00:51:03.480 - 00:51:16.780

to—to work very hard. If you believe in something, you have to go all the way for that, and um, when I came over here I did not think that I was able to get a law degree, but I finally got it.

00:51:17.490 - 00:51:33.120

Um, when I came over here I didn’t think we can open and run, um, you know, a hundred of million dollars company, but we here. Um, V247 Power generate million and million of dollars.

00:51:34.080 - 00:51:52.180

So, uh, work hard and believe in what you can do. What do you think motivated you to accomplish so much? Mm, uh, that was no… all I was thinking was working and, and get to the point is… there

00:51:52.990 - 00:52:09.760

was… I have—wouldn’t to say what motivated me, um, I really don’t know, I don’t have the answer. Do you have any… ? Okay , just backing up slightly . Um, so I’m interested—I’m really interested in when you moved to San Antonio.

00:52:09.900 - 00:52:24.910

And you said you didn’t know many other Vietnamese people? So, um, I assume your mother was cooking because she was a homemaker. What did she make if she didn’t have her usual ingredients? My, my, my, um, mom was there with us for the first

00:52:25.410 - 00:52:39.780

few months and then, um, my whole family went to, um, Snyder. So, but when we—she was there, she, um, she cooked some Vietnamese food, but at that time in 1975 there was no

00:52:40.370 - 00:52:49.690

Asian market, supermarket. Uh, we have to know how to eat tacos. We have to know how to eat hamburgers. And I was in love with Big Mac.

00:52:49.900 - 00:53:05.790

So I mean, we had no problem at all, but when my—my family went to Snyder and I was as a student, so, uh, what we had was American food. Um, you know, we—we had, um, uh, noodles, instant

00:53:06.440 - 00:53:23.660

noodles, and that’s about it. And how about when your wife came over, what kind of adjustments did she have to make? Um, uh, she adapted very well. Um, I think, um, it’s—she has—maybe she is a special

00:53:25.020 - 00:53:39.220

type of case. She had no problem adapting to the American culture. Uh, including American food. Great! Those are all of our questions. Alright. Thank you so much. Thank you.

00:53:39.520 - 00:53:39.870

Thank you.