Khmer Voices Live in Hamilton was our first live audience show. It began with a Buddhist blessing followed by an interview with Venerable Dhammo and a panel discussion. 

Speakers:

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Venerable Thach Truong Dhammo is a distinguished Khmer Krom Buddhist monk  born in Vietnam and ordained as a Novice Monk in 1980. He subsequently took higher ordination as a full Theravada Buddhist monk in 1985.

Arriving in Toronto, Venerable Dhammo’s leadership was instrumental in establishing Buddhist Temples in Toronto, London, Windsor, Vancouver, and Orlando, Florida. Since November 1999, he has served as Abbot at the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Buddhist Temple in Hamilton.

Bhante Dhammo is actively involved with the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation (KKF) and International Religious Freedom. He completed his Ontario College Diploma in Social Service Work from Mohawk College in 2023 and speaks 5 languages: Khmer, Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai, and English.

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Lok Kru Manin Hak was a student of the famous Kun Khmer fighter Chhin Khvan. He spent many years in a Thai refugee camp after escaping Cambodia.

In this period Lok Kru Manin had numerous Muay Thai matches with Thai opponents while in Thailand.

Dedicated to preserving and teaching our ancient martial art, Pradal Serey/Kun Khmer, Lok Kru owns and operates Black Eagle Martial Arts in Hamilton. It  is one of only two gyms in Canada that teaches this ancient Khmer martial art that nearly perished during the civil war and genocide.

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As the youngest of six children, Chanthoeun Son immigrated with her family to Hamilton in 1986 after being accepted to Canada as refugees.

She built a 15-year career in the digital fintech sector alongside a decade of experience in real estate. As a Senior Manager and Consultant, she led large development teams and release management initiatives for major digital transformation programs

at leading financial institutions.

Following the passing of her father,  Chanthoeun experienced a pivotal turning point that deepened her sense of responsibility and purpose. She is now dedicated to renewing connections to Cambodian culture, history, and identity.

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Mary Prum is your classic third culture kid - trying to fit in, whether it meant not feeling Cambodian enough or trying to assimilate into Canadian culture.

Born to Khmer refugees in Vancouver, she eventually set her roots in Hamilton. She tried following the path that was expected of her, but getting burnt out and feeling stuck landed her in South Korea teaching English.

Since returning to Canada in 2017, she realized there was always a calling and passion for food. An opportunity came Mary couldn't ignore and thus came Pintoh and Eem Khao, two Thai restaurants that became her creative outlet.

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Khmer Voices Live in Vancouver - October 24, 2026

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Learn Khmer with the ReanKhmer app! This is what I’m using to increase my proficiency. 

Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your tickets, like me! Here's my referral link.

Let's connect on Instagram @KhmerVoices

Do you have an inspiring story you'd like to share on Khmer Voices? DM me on social.

Intro and outro music by https://pixabay.com/users/chhuchchhuch-26181660/

Sok Visal shares his journey from growing up in France to pioneering hip hop in Cambodia. He discusses his cultural influences, the challenges he overcame, his vision for the future of Cambodia's creative industry, and what we need to do to keep the country moving forward. 

Bio:

Sok Visal is a Cambodian-French filmmaker, music producer, and creative entrepreneur who has spent more than two decades contributing to Cambodia’s modern cultural landscape.

Born in Phnom Penh and raised between cultures, Sok returned to Cambodia in the late 1990s with a desire to help shape a new creative era. He founded KlapYaHandz, Cambodia’s pioneering hip-hop and alternative music label, helping introduce a generation of artists who blended Khmer heritage with global sounds. He later co-founded 802 Films, producing and directing films such as In the Life of Music, Poppy Goes to Hollywood, and other internationally recognized projects that aim to bridge Cambodian stories with global audiences.

Beyond music and film, Sok has worked across advertising, events, artist management, and creative strategy. He is also a co-founder of Write & Eat, a community initiative supporting Southeast Asian writers and filmmakers.

Throughout his career, Sok has focused on building long-term systems that allow artists to sustain themselves creatively and financially. His current work explores how technology, entrepreneurship, and culture can intersect to create greater independence and opportunity for artists in Southeast Asia.

At heart, he sees himself as a student of culture — constantly learning, experimenting, and trying to build meaningful bridges between tradition and the future.

Learn more:

https://www.instagram.com/sokvisal_officialig

https://sokvisal.substack.com/

https://klapyahandz.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/Klapyahandz

https://www.instagram.com/klapyahandz

https://www.youtube.com/@802films

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Learn Khmer with the ReanKhmer app! This is what I’m using to increase my proficiency. 

Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your tickets, like me! Here's my referral link.

Let's connect on Instagram @KhmerVoices

Do you have an inspiring story you'd like to share on Khmer Voices? DM me on social.

Intro and outro music by https://pixabay.com/users/chhuchchhuch-26181660/

Dr. Nielson Sophann Hul is a Khmer linguist specializing in phonetics, heritage language acquisition, and Southeast Asian linguistics.

In this episode, he shares his journey from his birth when his parents fled Cambodia to becoming a linguistics university professor. His research focuses on the phonetic and phonological systems of Khmer, with particular attention to implosive consonants, voice quality, and sociophonetic variation in diasporic communities.

Before academia, Nielson was a Combat Medic in the United States Army for 14 years. How did that shape him?

He found that teaching was one of the only professions that could provide the same sense of purpose that soldiering had. Nielson has taught Khmer and English at several institutions, including Cornell University, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Long Beach City College. 

At the community college level, he worked extensively with heritage language learners by offering instruction for reading and writing in Khmer as an alternative to other languages, facilitating transfer to four-year institutions for Cambodian immigrants who had missed the opportunity for formal education during their childhood due to being raised during the Khmer Rouge period and its aftermath. 

Connect with Dr. Hul 

https://asian.washington.edu/people/nielson-hul

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/nielsonhul

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Learn Khmer with the ReanKhmer app! This is what I’m using to increase my proficiency. 

Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your tickets, like me! Here's my referral link.

Let's connect on Instagram @KhmerVoices

Do you have an inspiring story you'd like to share on Khmer Voices? DM me on social.

Intro and outro music by https://pixabay.com/users/chhuchchhuch-26181660/

What's happening with Khmer Voices? What are some takeaways from conversations with Khmer Voices guests over the last 3 months? What surprised me during this podcasting journey? What's next for Khmer Voices? I cover all this in this solo episode.

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Learn Khmer with the ReanKhmer app! This is what I’m using to increase my proficiency. 

Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your tickets, like me! Here's my referral link.

Let's connect on Instagram @KhmerVoices

Do you have an inspiring story you'd like to share on Khmer Voices? DM me on social.

Intro and outro music by https://pixabay.com/users/chhuchchhuch-26181660/

Chankrisna (Krisna) Chea is the Founder and CEO of Chea Labs, where he built ReanKhmer—the first AI-powered Khmer learning platform helping the Cambodian diaspora reconnect with their heritage. 

With a BS in Computer Science and MS in Wireless Communication, Krisna has over 20 years of technical leadership in wireless technologies, software development and validation, and artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Beyond technology, Chankrisna serves the Cambodian community as Vice Chair and Khmer School Director and Teacher of the Cambodian-American Community of Oregon (CACO), as well as a mentor to help young entrepreneurs build and grow startups in Cambodia. He is passionate about leveraging technology to transform cultural preservation, education, and agriculture—empowering Khmer youth in STEM and building solutions for underrepresented communities.

Connect with Chankrisna on Facebook and/or LinkedIn https://www.facebook.com/chankrisna.chea

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chankrisna-chea

ReanKhmer App https://www.reankhmer.org/

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Learn Khmer with the ReanKhmer app! This is what I’m using to increase my proficiency. 

Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your tickets, like me! Here's my referral link.

Let's connect on Instagram @KhmerVoices

Do you have an inspiring story you'd like to share on Khmer Voices? DM me on social.

Intro and outro music by https://pixabay.com/users/chhuchchhuch-26181660/

Marie is Khmer-French, currently based in Berlin. Her dad's family immigrated to France in the 80s. Fifteen years later, he returned home on his own, met her mom, and decided his children would grow up between two cultures. 

Marie and her sister were born and raised in Cambodia but mostly within a French bubble and she described existing in that in-between space, confusing.

As a bridge between Cambodia and her life abroad, Marie created KHMER ERA, a rave-inspired fashion brand using traditionally woven Khmer silk. It carries Cambodian culture and craftsmanship into new spaces through humor, community, and design.

Khmer Era website https://khmerera.com/

Follow Khmer Era on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/khmerera

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Learn Khmer with the ReanKhmer app! This is what I’m using to increase my proficiency. 

Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your tickets, like me! Here's my referral link.

Let's connect on Instagram @KhmerVoices

Do you have an inspiring story you'd like to share on Khmer Voices? DM me on social.

Intro and outro music by https://pixabay.com/users/chhuchchhuch-26181660/

Borey Chau is a second generation Khmer American who uses art to share his perspective of Cambodian diaspora life in Califorinia. Many know him as G Funk Supreme, Long Beach, California rap artist, entrepreneur, and creative. His personal persona though includes his day job as a Mechanical Engineer. 

Discover how he overcame stereotypes, pursued his passions, and built initiatives to uplift his community in this episode. 

Borey's book:

If My Eyes Could Talk They Things They Would Say https://www.blurb.com/b/9322600-if-my-eyes-could-talk-the-things-they-would-say?srsltid=AfmBOooAlUyjlSuOjcWdJQpMrSKJtkTWzbsQxB-Fg80-J7y-JLlzuSi9

Borey's Instagram:

@GFunkSupreme https://www.instagram.com/gfunksupreme

@khummunity https://www.instagram.com/khmmunity

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Learn Khmer with the ReanKhmer app! This is what I’m using to increase my proficiency. 

Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your tickets, like me! Here's my referral link.

Let's connect on Instagram @KhmerVoices

Do you have an inspiring story you'd like to share on Khmer Voices? DM me on social.

Intro and outro music by https://pixabay.com/users/chhuchchhuch-26181660/

Thank you to Dr. Kara Uy Has, PysD for sharing her keynote presentation slides with me: Memory, Healing, and the Work of Becoming for the Khmer Diaspora Conference held March 27-29 in Lowell, MA, United States.

I was wiping tears throughout her keynote and couldn't focus on writing notes. This episode offers a summary of her powerful message that set the tone for the conference, The Next 50 years: Evolving from Surviving to Thriving in the Khmer Diaspora. 

I also share 4 of my takeaways from the conference.

Thank you to Dr. Christine Su and the planning team for organizing such a thoughtful, inspiring, and empowering conference. 

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Learn Khmer with the ReanKhmer app! This is what I’m using to increase my proficiency. 

Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your tickets, like me! Here's my referral link.

Let's connect on Instagram @KhmerVoices

Do you have an inspiring story you'd like to share on Khmer Voices? DM me on social.

Intro and outro music by https://pixabay.com/users/chhuchchhuch-26181660/

The first ever Khmer diaspora conference was held in Lowell, MA, USA from March 27 to 29, 2026, organized by Dr. Christine Su.

I managed to get some time with 7 people throughout this meaningful, jam-packed weekend to ask these powerful questions, courtesy of Cathy Chen on Threads @triggeredbutcurious:

Question 1: What did you once reject that you now understand differently?

Question 2: Are you rediscovering parts of your heritage you once pushed away?

Question 3: Are you finding new meaning in old traditions?

Question 4: What part of your upbringing are you slowly making peace with?

Interviewees:

Linda Thach  https://www.instagram.com/lthach27

Ani Vong https://www.instagram.com/ani_v

Li-Da Kruger https://www.instagram.com/lidamix

Oussa Bun https://www.instagram.com/oussa__56

Sophia Lee https://www.instagram.com/beyondthemekong

Pichchenda Bao https://www.instagram.com/pichchendabaopoet

Minda Sam https://www.instagram.com/one.naga

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Learn Khmer with the ReanKhmer app! This is what I’m using to increase my proficiency. 

Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your tickets, like me! Here's my referral link.

Let's connect on Instagram @KhmerVoices

Do you have an inspiring story you'd like to share on Khmer Voices? DM me on social.

Intro and outro music by https://pixabay.com/users/chhuchchhuch-26181660/

Denys Meak is a second generation Khmer American born in Atlanta, Georgia to Cambodian refugees. She describes her family as self-taught artists and makers. 

Her passion for fashion saw her pursue and attain a degree in Fashion Merchandising. Today, she works as a Visual Merchandising Manager for a retail brand, but most in the Cambodian community know her professionally as a photographer, with the Instagram @thekhmercollective. Founded in 2021, The Khmer Collective is a traveling project where she documents the Cambodian diaspora through colorful portraits and storytelling. 

Denys shares her compelling journey from growing up in Atlanta's Cambodian community to navigating identity, education, and artistry. Discover how she uses her photography work to document cultural identity, foster healing, and leave a legacy for future generations.

Follow @thekhmercollective on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thekhmercollective

Khmer Diaspora Conference March 27-29, 2026 

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Learn Khmer with the ReanKhmer app! This is what I’m using to increase my proficiency. 

Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your tickets, like me! Here's my referral link.

Let's connect on Instagram @KhmerVoices

Do you have an inspiring story you'd like to share on Khmer Voices? DM me on social.

Intro and outro music by https://pixabay.com/users/chhuchchhuch-26181660/