When his father suggested that the family move from the US to Vietnam,Ryan Duy Hung's mother thought that her husband had lost his mind.
Later,seeing that her children were keen to check the place out, she agreedto a six-month trial, and regretted the choice immediately. It was toocold, there were all kinds of insects in their house and she was reducedto tears often for the first three months.
Later,seeing that her children were keen to check the place out, she agreedto a six-month trial, and regretted the choice immediately. It was toocold, there were all kinds of insects in their house and she was reducedto tears often for the first three months.
After six months, shewas crying again, but this time, sad that they were leaving. When thedecision was taken that the family would move back to Vietnam again,this time for good, Hung (whose original name is Ryan Ford) felt he wascoming home. It was 1999.
The affinity he'd developed for Vietnamhas made him a well-known name in the country, especially among theyouth, with several music videos of him singing Vietnamese songs a hiton YouTube.
The number of fans on his Facebook account has risenrapidly since early last year when his first music video, Anh Khong DoiQua (I Don't Ask for Gifts Back), was posted on YouTube.
Peoplewere impressed to see a young American with blond hair and green eyessing Vietnamese songs from the heart, without an accent.
Othermusic videos that followed, like Chac Ai Do Se Ve (Because I Miss You),Xe Dap Oi (Oh My Bicycle), Nang Am Xa Dan (Sunshine Has Gone) attractedthousands of "likes".
"I love singing Vietnamese songs because Ihave loved singing since I was a child, and when I sing Vietnamesesongs, I can learn better and faster the literary words that are notused in everyday conversation."
His fluency in Vietnamese neverfails to impress locals, but he says most of it was picked up bychatting with friends and imitating their accents.
His friends, meanwhile, are impressed by other aspects of his personality.
"Iappreciate Hung's joyful heart, his friendliness and his kindness,"said Nguyen Duc Huy, a long-time friend who has taken part in several ofthe American singer's music videos as a cameraman and video producer.
Loves everything
After 16 years in the country, dividing his time between Hanoi and Da Nang, Hung considers himself Vietnamese.
He said he loves Vietnam, loves speaking Vietnamese with his Vietnamese friends, and eating Vietnamese food everyday.
Bundau mam tom (rice noodles and fried tofu with shrimp paste), a dish hecould not eat when he first came here, is now one of his favourites.
Father's footsteps
Hung's interest in Vietnam began with seeing his father's love for the country.
RogerFord, an entrepreneur, professor and author, had worked in Vietnam andSoutheast Asia since 1992, when he first visited the country along withstudents from the university he was teaching at.
Ford said thatwhen he alighted at the airport in Hanoi for the first time, he wasapprehensive, thinking that the Vietnamese people would hate him becauseof the American War.
When he found that they welcomed him as an American, he was touched, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Landmark event
Hungtravels often between Hanoi and Da Nang. He follows an MBA course inHanoi, while working for his family's company that is based in Da Nang.He devotes his free time to his passion: music.
This passion formusic and for Vietnam will soon see him present to the public the veryfirst song that he has composed in Vietnamese, about Tet (Lunar New Yearfestival).
He still remembers very clearly his very first Tet in the country in 1996, when he just eight years old.
"Itwas the first time I ate mut Tet (dried candied fruits), banh chung(glutinous sticky rice) and was invited to xong nha (be the first personto enter the house) by a Vietnamese family friend. It was exciting!"
Itis about to get even more exciting. Hung has been invited to sing thesong on Vietnamese television in a programme to welcome the New Year.-VNA
The affinity he'd developed for Vietnamhas made him a well-known name in the country, especially among theyouth, with several music videos of him singing Vietnamese songs a hiton YouTube.
The number of fans on his Facebook account has risenrapidly since early last year when his first music video, Anh Khong DoiQua (I Don't Ask for Gifts Back), was posted on YouTube.
Peoplewere impressed to see a young American with blond hair and green eyessing Vietnamese songs from the heart, without an accent.
Othermusic videos that followed, like Chac Ai Do Se Ve (Because I Miss You),Xe Dap Oi (Oh My Bicycle), Nang Am Xa Dan (Sunshine Has Gone) attractedthousands of "likes".
"I love singing Vietnamese songs because Ihave loved singing since I was a child, and when I sing Vietnamesesongs, I can learn better and faster the literary words that are notused in everyday conversation."
His fluency in Vietnamese neverfails to impress locals, but he says most of it was picked up bychatting with friends and imitating their accents.
His friends, meanwhile, are impressed by other aspects of his personality.
"Iappreciate Hung's joyful heart, his friendliness and his kindness,"said Nguyen Duc Huy, a long-time friend who has taken part in several ofthe American singer's music videos as a cameraman and video producer.
Loves everything
After 16 years in the country, dividing his time between Hanoi and Da Nang, Hung considers himself Vietnamese.
He said he loves Vietnam, loves speaking Vietnamese with his Vietnamese friends, and eating Vietnamese food everyday.
Bundau mam tom (rice noodles and fried tofu with shrimp paste), a dish hecould not eat when he first came here, is now one of his favourites.
Father's footsteps
Hung's interest in Vietnam began with seeing his father's love for the country.
RogerFord, an entrepreneur, professor and author, had worked in Vietnam andSoutheast Asia since 1992, when he first visited the country along withstudents from the university he was teaching at.
Ford said thatwhen he alighted at the airport in Hanoi for the first time, he wasapprehensive, thinking that the Vietnamese people would hate him becauseof the American War.
When he found that they welcomed him as an American, he was touched, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Landmark event
Hungtravels often between Hanoi and Da Nang. He follows an MBA course inHanoi, while working for his family's company that is based in Da Nang.He devotes his free time to his passion: music.
This passion formusic and for Vietnam will soon see him present to the public the veryfirst song that he has composed in Vietnamese, about Tet (Lunar New Yearfestival).
He still remembers very clearly his very first Tet in the country in 1996, when he just eight years old.
"Itwas the first time I ate mut Tet (dried candied fruits), banh chung(glutinous sticky rice) and was invited to xong nha (be the first personto enter the house) by a Vietnamese family friend. It was exciting!"
Itis about to get even more exciting. Hung has been invited to sing thesong on Vietnamese television in a programme to welcome the New Year.-VNA
