Interviewee: Hiep Pham
Interviewer: Phuong Kim Nguyen
Relationship: Mother
Date: March 17, 2003
A woman who's a wife and a mother looking for a better life in America.
What is your full name?
Phuong Kim Nguyen
What is your nationality?
Vietnamese
What is your date of birth?
March 18,1967
Where were you born?
Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City
When did you (move to the U.S./move from somewhere else in the U.S.) to
Philadelphia
December 18,1991
Why did you leave your country/State/former place of residence?
To find a new way of life.
What did you like/dislike about your home/country?
I like my country because I have a mother over there.
Why did you choose Philadelphia/U.S?
I actually didn't choose Philadelphia, an organization in a church choose it for me.
How did you travel here? /What type of transportation did you use/take to
travel here? How would you change that?
By airplane.
How did you find a place to live in Philly?
An organization in a church when they sponsors me to the United States, they also
find a place for me to live in Philadelphia.
With whom did you travel? [Whom did you travel with?]
I came here with my family (my husband, my son, and my unborn child.)
Give 1 thing you remember most about your hometown and why?
The one thing that I remember most about my hometown is my mother, because I love
her very much.
How did your life change when you moved and what were the differences between the
two places?
Over here I get can jobs to help support my family is how my life change. The
differences between the two countries were that over in Vietnam it was harder to
find a steady job, but over here it is easy for me to find a steady jobs.
What did you expect about the US/Philly?
I expected the US to be beautiful also Philly.
What did you come here to accomplish and what else do you feel you still need to do?
I wanted my son and unborn daughter to have a good education and to find a good
and steady job so that my way of life can be difference from Vietnam is what I
set to accomplish. I feel that what I still need to do, I will know in the future.
What are the differences between when you came here and now?
The differences between when I came her and now, was that when I came here I didn't
know how to speak English at all, but now I can speak it somewhat well.
What did you sacrifice/leave behind when you left?
I left behind my mother.
What problems did you encounter coming to the US/Philly?
I encounter no problems when I was on my way to the US/Philly.
How much money did you have and where did you get it when you came to Philly/US?
I really don't remember how much money I had when I came to Philly/US, but I do
remember that I got the money from an organization in a church to help me get
started on my new life.
How did you adapt to your new environment?
I think that when I live in this new environments day by days, I just adapt to it
pretty well.
Why do you think it was worth all your changes?
I think that it was worth all of my changes, because I found a new ways of life so
it was worth it.
What education did you have before/after you arrived?
Before I came here, I almost finish my eight years in school, and when I arrive here
I didn't get any more education.
Do you [ever] regret moving? Why or why not?
I don't ever regret moving to Philadelphia in the United States, because it was my
own choice.
What reason would/could make you go back to where you came from?
The only reason that would make my go back to Vietnam is to visit it.
Describe your first job here.If you didn't have one, where did you get money?
My first job was at Cardone Manufacture, I was the person that would test the
product to see if it was ready to be use so it can be send out.
