The Vietnamese with Kenneth Nguyen

In this episode, The Vietnamese Podcast joins forces with Little Saigon Official to ask the ultimate question: Are we too obsessed with our past to build our future?Host Kenneth Nguyen, Chris, and Dana dive deep into the "Identity Loop." We discuss why the diaspora is "addicted to angst" while Vietnam is already moving at light speed, and whether our "biological pull" to the motherland is a gift or a golden cage.Inside this discussion:The "Pungent" to "Fragrant" Shift: How Little Saigon successfully...

Welcome to The Vietnamese Podcast, hosted by Kenneth Nguyen. In this episode, we sit down with Nguyễn Owen Tangavelou, a French-Vietnamese Formula 3 (F3) driver who is on a singular mission: to become the first person of Vietnamese descent to reach the pinnacle of motorsport—Formula 1.Owen’s journey is far from typical. Unlike most F1 stars who begin karting at age 4, Owen didn't step into a cockpit until he was 14. From playing F1 video games to pulling $4G$ in a real race car, Owen discusses the grit, the late-start disadvantage, and the staggering financ...

Welcome back to The Vietnamese Podcast. In this episode, Kenneth sit down with scholar Kevin Phan to dissect one of the most radical experiments in Vietnamese history: the Tonkin Free School (Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục).Opened in Hanoi in 1907, this school lasted only 10 months before the French colonial government shut it down—but those 300 days changed the trajectory of the nation forever. We explore how a tiny group of intellectuals, inspired by Japan's Meiji Restoration, attempted to "enlighten the Vietnamese mind" by abandoning ancient Confucian rote-learning in favor of science, hygiene, and a brand...

Building a $100 million hospitality empire isn't just about good food; it’s about a relentless pursuit of "what’s next."In this episode, we sit down with Viet Nguyen, the visionary founder of KEI Concepts and a recent James Beard Award semi-finalist. From a single storefront to a portfolio of iconic brands that have redefined the Southern California dining scene, Viet has cracked the code on scaling culture without losing soul.We’re recording on-site at his most ambitious project yet: Qua. Located in the heart of Orange County’s Little...

In this episode, we welcome back Peter from the popular channel Broke the Habit.Since we last spoke in 2024, Peter’s journey has been a whirlwind of high-stakes media jobs, intense burnout, and a profound psychological reset. Now, in 2026, he is "locking in" to content creation full-time, navigating the streets of Nha Trang and the complex emotional landscape of the Viet Kieu (Overseas Vietnamese) experience.In this episode, we dive into:The Scarcity vs. Abundance Mindset: How intergenerational trauma from the refugee experience creates a...

In this episode, we explore the "Stories We Carry" with a powerhouse panel of creators:Brittany Tran: Founder of Real Citrus, a film distribution company bringing diaspora stories to the big screen.Duzan Duong: Czech-Vietnamese director of Summer School 2001, sharing the unique perspective of Northern Vietnamese migration to Eastern Europe.Hien: A Hungarian-born singer-songwriter blending traditional roots with modern sounds.What we dive into:The North-South Divide: How the history of migration to Europe...

In this episode of The Vietnamese Podcast, Kenneth sits down with Quentin J Nguyen-duy, a rising star in Hollywood known for NBC’s Hunting Party and his viral, socially conscious comedy skits.Quentin opens up about the "war of attrition" that is the acting world—revealing how he survived over 11,000 rejections across a decade by mastering a mental "Fruit Ninja" technique to slice through insecurity. We dive deep into his unique experience as a white-passing individual navigating the Vietnamese diaspora, moving from a childhood where he felt he had to "hide" his heritage to now...

From the "hoods" of Columbus, Ohio, to designing the hat LeBron James wore for his 40th birthday, Khanh Ngô has never played by the rules. In this episode, Kenneth Nguyen sits down with the founder of NGO (Nothing Goes Overnight) to discuss the grit required to make it in the cutthroat world of LA fashion.Khanh opens up about his journey through corporate giants like Levi’s and Urban Outfitters, and why he famously demanded HBO recut his segment on the reality series The Hype to stop pushing "weak" Asian stereotypes.<...

In this episode, Kenneth Nguyen sits down with actor and activist Ryan Alexander Holmes. As we navigate February 2026, Ryan shares his perspective as a "Blasian" American—the son of a Black father from the South and a Chinese immigrant mother from Taiwan.The conversation moves beyond the surface of "identity politics" to explore how race, class, and the American educational system shape our reality. Ryan argues that the "predator class" (the ultra-wealthy) benefits from social divisions that keep working-class communities of color from organizing for their collective interests.Key Di...

In this episode, we sit down with Ethan Kelly, widely known to millions of fans as "Uc Viet". In 2026, the landscape of content creation in Vietnam is shifting, and Ethan is at the forefront of it—but his journey didn't start with likes and follows. It started with a real-life business failure in Australia and a "fate-driven" trip to a remote village in Lam Dong that turned his life around.Ethan starts out addressing the "elephant in the room"—the battle of the flags—with the unique, non-biased perspective of an outsider who has lived...

The gloves are off in this conversation between Kenneth and Dr. Thao Ha. It’s 2026, and the political climate in the United States has reached a boiling point. While many are "flooded" by the chaos of the news cycle, Dr. Ha is in the trenches, navigating the complex and often heartbreaking reality of mass deportations affecting the Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian communities.In this episode, we move past the "professional hats" to discuss the raw reality of identity, integrity, and the "Let Them" approach to life. Dr. Ha reveals the inner workings of her no...

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Lynda Trang Dai, for a conversation that is as vulnerable as it is refreshing. For decades, Lynda has been a household name, synonymous with provocative stage presence and the "New Wave" sound that defined a generation. But behind the racy costumes and the rockstar persona lies a grounded woman whose life is based on a surprising level of traditionalism and deep-rooted faith.Lynda sets the record straight on the headline-grabbing Gucci store incident in Orlando, Florida. She walks us through the petty misunderstanding involving a $330 AirPods case...

We’re back with Whitney Da’Gail for part two of a conversation that we realized was far from over. After Kenneth and Whitney met in person in Saigon, the weight of the questions felt unanswered: What are the deep, structural similarities between Black American culture and Vietnamese culture? And why does a Black woman feel a sense of peace in a "homogenous" Asian society that she can't find in her own backyard?In this episode, we dive into the "American Science Fair Project"—the ongoing experiment of identity, language, and power. Whitney shares her ra...

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Kathy Uyen Nguyen, film industry veteran, acting directing, producing and and now the founder of Vietnam’s acting academy.Kathy breaks down the psychological breakdown of charisma, explaining why "The It Factor" isn't a genetic lottery but a state of being that anyone can develop, if they can navigate the cultural "rào cản" (obstacles) that hold them back. They dive deep into the differences between the Western "equality-based" mindset and the Vietnamese hierarchy of respect, and how these dynamics shape the way we express our true...

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Dr. Lu Le, a Navy veteran and psychiatrist who bridges a massive gap in the Vietnamese community. From serving in the military to embarking on medical missions in Vietnam, Dr. Lu offers a unique, bilingual perspective on why we struggle to talk about our feelings and how we can finally start healing.Whether you are curious about the mechanics of psychiatric medication or wondering why your kids can't put down their phones, this conversation explores the "hardware" and "software" of the human mind.<...

Have you ever wondered why Vietnamese is written with a Romanized alphabet while its neighbors, China, Japan, and Korea, historically used character-based systems?In this episode, Kenneth and Professor John Phan discuss the "startup age" of the Vietnamese script. We journey back to the 17th century to discover that Chữ Quốc ngữ wasn't just a colonial imposition, but a complex collaboration involving Portuguese pioneers, Italian linguists, and forgotten local consultants.What We Explore:The "Hip-Hop" Age of Nôm: How the 17th-century explosion of vernacular literature set the stage for a new way of...

Life does not follow a single set of rules, and the “truths” shaped by personal experience do not always align with what most people believe. Some lessons only become clear after facing real-life challenges.In episode 375 of the Vietnam Innovators podcast, stepping away from its usual focus on economics, markets, and innovation, host Hao Tran speaks with podcaster Kenneth Nguyen in an open conversation about 15 life “truths” drawn from lived experience—perspectives that not everyone will easily agree with.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Many of you still have the c...

We explore a perspective rarely captured in the mainstream narrative of Southeast Asia. Join Kenneth as he sits down with Whitney Da’Gail, a Louisiana native and MBA graduate from the University of Michigan, who moved to Vietnam and discovered a world that was both shockingly foreign and deeply familiar.Whitney opens up about her journey as a Black woman navigating the streets of Hanoi and Saigon. From the overwhelming "celebrity" treatment in rural villages to the challenging moments of colorism in local shops, Whitney provides a raw and honest look at what it me...

Join Kenneth and political theorist Kevin as they unpack Kevin's research on "Buddhist Political Theory." Was Thich Tri Quang a peace-loving monk, a communist agent, or, as Time Magazine once called him, a "Vietnamese Machiavelli"?We explore the uncomfortable contradictions of history: Why would a Buddhist monk advocate for a high-intensity American bombing campaign? How did his belief in spiritual "flourishing" drive him to participate in the downfall of the Ngo Dinh Diem government? And why did the American media find him so elusive?In this episode, we discuss:<...

In April 1975, the world watched as South Vietnam collapsed. But for those on the deck of the USNS Kimbro, it was a desperate, chaotic, and human struggle for survival.In this episode, we bring together two sides of history that were separated for half a century. Kenneth and co-host Nam C. Kim are joined by John Irwin and Robbie Parsley, two U.S. Marines who served as security forces during Operation New Life.This conversation explores:The myth of the “bloodbath” after 1975<...