VietNOLA

Hosted ByKim Vu

From the Westbank to New Orleans East, there is a vibrant community of over 20,000 Vietnamese New Orleanians. Once a week host Kim Vu invites a guest to chat about Vietnamese etiquette, ancient proverbs, Vietnamese events in New Orleans, and Vietnamese food. A Vietnamese-American recently arrived from California, Kim combines her own discovery of the local Vietnamese community with her deep familiarity and love of Vietnamese life and customs. Kim and guests weave a tapestry of fun and pho, Hanoi and poboy, as VietNola explores the world of Vietnamese New Orleanians, here and in Vietnam.

Barbara Weaver/Thanh Nga Nguyen – War Baby – VietNOLA – It’s New Orleans

When Barbara Weaver’s father Mike went to Vietnam in 1967 to serve in the war, he brought with him not much more than a rucksack with his toothbrush, a few family photos, and some clothes. When he returned to the States almost ten years later, it was with a Vietnamese wife and seven children – the five children she had from a previous marriage, and the two children they’d had together.  

The family settled in Portland, Oregon and that’s where Barbara lived until 2009 when she moved to New Orleans.  

This week Barbara joins us on VietNOLA to share memories (and challenges) she had growing up an Amerasian “War Baby” – both in Vietnam, and in the United States.