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GARDEN GROVE - On the heels of his announcement, Trung Nguyen has received a near unanimous support from his fellow elected officials in the Vietnamese-American community in the state of California.

This is a story of a young Vietnamese woman who was inspired to make a difference for victims of the tsunami and katrina disasters. This article was published in the Feb/March issue of Audrey Magazine.

Dad threw my innocence into the furnace when he accused me of telling some kid at school that I had raped my sister. I was too young at the time to fully appreciate his accusation. He had to explain to me that rape was when a man forces a woman to have sex with him. Never mind that my comprehension of intercourse was more meager than my understanding of rape. For all intents and purposes, I was conveniently found guilty of doing the unthinkable.

A red streetcar grates to a stop and engulfs a waiting crowd of people just as an equal number dribbles out of the exits. The departed line themselves along the street median to wait for the signal. Balled mittens shiver through the snow that early December throws into every crevice. Ice sheaths the double-headed eagle perched on the black iron gate, its wings beating body warmth aside.

Sure, it’ll be awhile for Americans to start snapping up Vietnamese cars (the Nguyen Cheetah?), but that may be sooner than you think.

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Mother left a list of her enemies underneath my tongue with instructions to look the barbarians in the eye and spit napalm in their hair, roast them until their uniforms melt and dangle from their frames. For those left sputtering, still breathing, she said I must whisper clearly in their ears, “Who needs morals when you’ve got guns?”

It’s time to testify.

This was sent to me by one of our readers:

Regarding those opposing the Vietnam PM Khai’s visit, I have an opinion I’d like to post up in your Tieng Magazine.

Thank you,

To this day, I still remember running across this Vietnamese guy in Berlin when I walked up the steps from one of the numerous subway exits. It was the fall of 1994 and I was on holiday from the university. The man had this look on his face as if he knew me and he proceeded to speak to me in Vietnamese and held out a pack of cigarettes. He had a baseball cap perched on his head, wore a wrinkled blazer and a pair of dark slacks. His face was reddish brown and quite chapped from exposure to the sun and the wind. He was a little shorter than me, but he looked to be twice my age. I stared at him, then hesitated, and finally just brushed him off and walked away; not because I didn’t smoke, but because I had more questions than small talk would allow. By the time I left Berlin, I had seen several of these cigarette vendors standing near subway entrances, trying to sell, sell, sell. I only realized much later that I didn’t just bump into some anonymous Vietnamese guy, but rather someone who had unwittingly played a part in an elaborate story that few people have heard and even fewer have the patience to listen to.

By Amazin Lethi

From increases in bone density, reduction in body fat, development in muscle strength, tone, improvement in self-esteem and decrease in sleep disorders. In this article I’ll look at how strength training benefits women. I started weight training at the age of seven and at that point in my life I had no idea of the real benefits of strength training for women, let alone what I was actually trying to achieve through using weights. As the years progressed the importance of strength training has become evident, through my own understanding and learning, competing as an international competitive natural bodybuilder, training Olympic athletes and by becoming a qualified fitness professional.

May 15, 2005 - Atlanta, Georgia

"In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment." Charles Darwin

Vietnam’s economy is growing and foreign investments are rebounding after the Asian financial crisis of 1997. In fact, its recent GDP has been climbing at an average rate of 7%, twice as much as the US at 3.5% a year.

That was the last straw. I still remember the deed to this day: my roommate woke up from one of his alcohol-soaked naps, casually picked up the waste basket and puked into it a couple times. I was at my desk writing a paper when I observed this casual atrocity. It was both amusing and horrific at the same time. After a few minutes, though, it wasn’t amusing at all when the putrid, acrid smell began to waft around the room. Seeing that this roommate of mine wasn’t going to do anything about it, I held my breath and promptly took the waste basket out of the room, down the hallway and into the laundry room. I dumped its liquidy contents into the big plastic garbage bin and rinsed out the waste basket in the basin next to the washing machine.

Florida and Vietnam’s weather. As Chandler Bing would put it: "Can they BE anymore similar?"

The 2nd Annual VIFF, entitled, “Second Edition: ‘Beyond Boundaries;” will be taking place from April 7-10 and April 14-17 at various California locations including the opening day at the Regal Cinemas Garden Grove 16 and at UCLA. The festival will showcase 37 short and long films from across the globe. The festival was created by Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) and Vietnamese Language & Culture (VNLC), both organizations that aim to promote awareness and opportunities for the Vietnamese community.

In elementary school, teachers often ask “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Common answers include “a teacher”, “a fireman”, “a police officer”, “an actress”, and of course “a doctor.” Without doing any surveys, statistical studies or in-depth research, I am willing to bet that many Vietnamese-Americans have had the idea of being a doctor at some point in their lives. As a child we were told to do well in elementary school so we could have a good foundation for junior high, then do well in junior high to get into the honors classes in high school, then do well in high school to get into the best colleges, and do well in college to get into medical school. And then what? And then life will be great because being a doctor is the best thing you could be!

Walk into a nail shop by the name of “Nail Expo 1000” or “Lucky Nails” in your local strip-mall and chances are, it is owned by a Vietnamese person or manned by Vietnamese manicurists. It is a lucrative and popular business venture among Vietnamese people and has shown no signs of stopping. It amazes me how many of these “nail shops” as I call them, pop up in different cities all over the United States. Often these Vietnamese nail shops are family-owned and operated, a combined family investment and effort. The prices are extremely affordable and the locations are very convenient. You can usually find one of these nail stores next to your local supermarket or drug store. Beware during the holidays and prom seasons these places can be packed!