His journey of rediscovering his identity transformed him from someone caught between two worlds —wanting to be American but not quite... American, wanting to be Vietnamese but not quite Vietnamese either...—to a deeply insightful storyteller of Vietnam, and more than that, contributing to connecting hearts yearning for their homeland. Chris Tran's story is a prime example of how a young person navigates identity dilemmas to find where they belong and chooses to stay, not for nostalgia, but for action.
Practical support for the poor is appreciated, and for Thai Minh, that is a source of happiness.
PHOTO: LAM PHONG
Returning to Vietnam helped me rediscover my identity.
Born in the US, Chris Tran, Christopher Hargraves Tran, whose Vietnamese name is Tran Thai Minh, grew up in America, but the feeling of "belonging" was never truly complete. "In America, people call me Chris. Only my family calls me Minh. When I return to Vietnam, everyone calls me Minh, and it suddenly feels familiar, like coming home," he says, his voice slowing down as if drawing the listener into the depths of his memories of his time in America.
Minh's childhood wasn't entirely a rosy picture of beautiful memories. He used to feel embarrassed when his mother spoke Vietnamese in front of the school gate, and he wanted to hide when he heard the melodies of traditional Vietnamese opera playing from his mother's car. At elementary school, in a multi-ethnic environment with few Asians, Minh was teased. At home, he had to speak Vietnamese to preserve his roots. Outside of school, he tried to act like an American. Amidst this vastness, Minh didn't know where he truly belonged.
Thai Minh at the inauguration ceremony of the Hai Luong bridge for the people of Son Hoa, An Hoi Ward, Vinh Long.
PHOTO: LAM PHONG
That feeling of uncertainty stayed with him throughout his school years. In high school, Thai Minh realized that Vietnam was almost absent from school lectures, apart from stories about the war. This absence sparked a deeper exploration. Later, in university, Minh chose to study Asian history as a way to find answers for himself. In his final year of university, Minh decided to study in Vietnam, and that choice "completely changed my life. For the first time, I felt I belonged in a place where I found a true connection."
After graduating in 2008, Minh returned to the US and found a stable teaching job. But his longing for Vietnam grew. "I miss Vietnam every day," Minh said sincerely. In 2011, Minh decided to return to Vietnam, not for a short time, but to settle down. He chose Ho Chi Minh City, where he had friends, teaching opportunities, and, more importantly, where he felt like himself.
Then, his cross-Vietnam journeys began. It wasn't just tourism ; it was a journey of discovery—of culture, people, and history—things he had never known while living in America. Each region, each accent, each dish revealed a new layer of meaning about this country. "Vietnam is so diverse that you can never truly understand it," he said, a simple yet deeply moving confession.
Vietnamese storyteller
"Many Vietnamese people living abroad now only know Vietnam through pho and banh mi. But Vietnam has so much more to offer," Thai Minh shared, recounting how he started a channel promoting Vietnamese culture and image to his peers and people of Vietnamese descent who were born and raised outside of Vietnam.
Thai Minh creates social media content naturally, stemming from his love of the language. As a teacher, he sees Vietnamese not just as a means of communication, but as a key to unlocking culture. "Each short video is my way of sharing my experience learning Vietnamese. I often advise people who are just starting out that they don't need to speak perfectly; simply loving Vietnamese is enough to connect with family and their roots," Minh says.
Thai Minh acts as a bridge, connecting foreigners to help poor students in Vinh Long (formerly Ben Tre).
PHOTO: LAM PHONG
On Thai Minh's content channel, it's clear that his style doesn't follow popular trends. Minh chooses to explore lesser-known areas and tell stories that few people pay attention to. From discovering simple details in Dong Ho paintings in Bac Ninh, to meeting with Cai Luong (traditional Vietnamese opera) artists in the Mekong Delta, to making short films introducing the distinctive dialects of Nghe An and Quang Nam...; explaining the meaning, as Minh puts it: "Many people of Vietnamese origin have never heard or accessed this interesting information, so I want to introduce this interesting information to help people understand Vietnam better."
With the advantage of being a linguist, coupled with a strong family education and the maternal love of his childhood, Thai Minh inherited many lessons about being a good person and about his national heritage from his mother. When asked what impressed him most about living in Vietnam, he immediately replied: "The sense of solidarity, that's incredibly strong. Especially during storms, floods, and natural disasters, when people face hardship, everyone unites and supports each other very effectively."
Also, out of pride in that virtue of the Vietnamese people, when regions suffer from natural disasters, Thai Minh joins hands with the Vietnamese people to participate in relief efforts for victims of storms and floods, victims of Agent Orange, raising money to build bridges and roads, and installing solar-powered streetlights for roads prone to accidents at night in rural areas of Tan Hao commune, Vinh Long.
What's even more interesting is that during trips bringing friends and acquaintances from abroad back to Vietnam, their initial idea was simply to eat, sightsee, and experience the country. However, after the trip, they all changed their minds about Vietnam. They felt a sense of responsibility and a desire to be more connected to Vietnam, to help people and contribute to society, rather than just thinking about enjoyment as before.
In a place that was once unfamiliar, it has now become home. And in that journey, Chris Tran, or Tran Thai Minh, not only rediscovered his identity but also chose to live in a way that preserves and spreads it.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ve-lam-viec-nghia-noi-nguon-coi-185260427154313151.htm
Comment (0)