Holding Heritage

This episode, I introduce you to my mom, Phuong Ly! She recalls some stories from her childhood  and growing up in Vietnam as well as a few from her family's refugee experiences in China and Hong Kong. We touch on the relationship between my grandmother and great grandmother, and hear a couple touching stories about their incredible love for family.  We also shed a little light on the power of communication and connection between family members.

Be sure to visit holdingheritage.com for show notes and more information.

Music by Blue Wednesday - be sure to check him out!

As always, head over to holdingheritage.com to check out the episode show notes!

Intro & Outro Music by Blue Wednesday – be sure to check him out!

Exploring my cultural identity as a 2nd gen Chinese Canadian is a huge part of why I started Holding Heritage and why I'm so passionate about it. Journey to Freedom Day is a national day of commemoration here in Canada of the exodus of Vietnamese refugees.

In this episode, I share some of my personal experiences and struggles of growing up and navigating the many layers of my cultural identity.

And with Asian Heritage Month just around the corner, I want to share information about April 30th - Journey to Freedom Day - also known to many as Black April or Reunification Day.  I also share more in depth information on the hundreds of thousands of refugees known as the boat people - and the importance of the distinction between Vietnamese and Chinese-Vietnamese.

Be sure to visit holdingheritage.com for more information.

Music by Blue Wednesday - be sure to check him out!

As always, head over to holdingheritage.com to check out the episode show notes!

Intro & Outro Music by Blue Wednesday – be sure to check him out!

We take a glimpse into how to approach the daunting task of opening conversation with our parents and how simple connection with them can potentially be. If we’re wanting to learn more about them, our culture, our families, even ourselves - it may not have to be any grand emotional moment, super long conversation or heart shattering interaction. Oftentimes the opening up of even tiny glimpses and simple details into their personalities, pasts and memories are enough to create and spark these amazing flames of impactful connection and deeper appreciation!

My dad, Sinh Ha was a young teen when he made his refugee journey and he shares some stories and memories and I hope you enjoy listening!

Be sure to visit holdingheritage.com for more information.

Music by Blue Wednesday - be sure to check him out!

As always, head over to holdingheritage.com to check out the episode show notes!

Intro & Outro Music by Blue Wednesday – be sure to check him out!

My name is Hollie! I am a second generation Chinese Canadian.
Which means my ethnic background is Chinese and I was born and raised here in Canada - however, my parents and their families were born and raised in Vietnam.
In the 1970s after the Vietnam war, my parents' families became one of hundreds of thousands of refugee families fleeing during the enormous refugee  diaspora. These refugees are also known as the boat people.
Eventually, after many hardships, their families got sponsored to Canada.

This is where Holding Heritage begins.
This show will be a collection of stories, interviews, conversations and insights into the Chinese-Vietnamese refugee experiences of my family members. We’ll focus on championing Chinese-Vietnamese Heritage - concentrating on refugee stories, family relationships and bridging generational gaps.
I’ll also be sharing aspects of my personal journey of learning and connecting with my own family, heritage and identity as a second generation millennial.

I want to have conversations around how we can approach these seemingly-daunting topics to deepen our understanding, deepen our appreciation and strive to strengthen and bridge these generational and cultural gaps.
There is so much joy, growth and healing that can come from these types of interactions and I’d like to encourage others in my generation to explore them with me!
So please stay tuned, and visit holdingheritage.com for more information.

I’m so excited to share with you!

Music by Blue Wednesday - be sure to check him out!

As always, head over to holdingheritage.com to check out the episode show notes!

Intro & Outro Music by Blue Wednesday – be sure to check him out!