Vaan Nguyen (in Hebrew: ×•× ×Ÿ × ×•×™×™×Ÿ; birth name: Nguyá»…n Thi
Hong Vaan; b. April 18, 1982) is an Israeli poet, actress, journalist
and social activist.Nguyen is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, who
were part of a group called the Vietnamese boat people. They escaped
Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War, in 1977, after her
grandfather was killed by the communist authorities. The boat was
wrecked on the Philippines shore, but they were denied entry, and were
interned in a refugee camp.In 1979, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem
Begin granted 180 Vietnamese refugees Israeli citizenship, Nguyen's
parents among them. They were settled in the desert town of Sderot,
but moved from place to place for several years. Nguyen was born
during this time, in the southern city of Ashkelon. The family
eventually settled in Jaffa, where Nguyen and her four sisters grew
up.Her childhood was difficult; she faced racist bullying and
violence. As a result, she tried to distance herself from her
Vietnamese identity, going so far as to write to members of parliament
to ask to have her "Ethnicity: Vietnamese" erased from her identity
card. She would hide in the library, where she read many different
authors and genres, citing this early exposure as a major influence on
her creativity. Since her first collections was published, Nguyen is
considered at the forefront of a new generation of poets, lauded and
supported by some of Israel's leading cultural and literary
influencers. In her work, she deals extensively with personal issues,
such as sexuality, and her marginalization in Israeli society.
Hong Vaan; b. April 18, 1982) is an Israeli poet, actress, journalist
and social activist.Nguyen is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, who
were part of a group called the Vietnamese boat people. They escaped
Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War, in 1977, after her
grandfather was killed by the communist authorities. The boat was
wrecked on the Philippines shore, but they were denied entry, and were
interned in a refugee camp.In 1979, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem
Begin granted 180 Vietnamese refugees Israeli citizenship, Nguyen's
parents among them. They were settled in the desert town of Sderot,
but moved from place to place for several years. Nguyen was born
during this time, in the southern city of Ashkelon. The family
eventually settled in Jaffa, where Nguyen and her four sisters grew
up.Her childhood was difficult; she faced racist bullying and
violence. As a result, she tried to distance herself from her
Vietnamese identity, going so far as to write to members of parliament
to ask to have her "Ethnicity: Vietnamese" erased from her identity
card. She would hide in the library, where she read many different
authors and genres, citing this early exposure as a major influence on
her creativity. Since her first collections was published, Nguyen is
considered at the forefront of a new generation of poets, lauded and
supported by some of Israel's leading cultural and literary
influencers. In her work, she deals extensively with personal issues,
such as sexuality, and her marginalization in Israeli society.
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