Hearing history: Vietnamese-American students prepare audio documentary of families

Kim Do knows what to expect with the advent of each new spring. Trails of acrid smoke wafting from bunches of crackling firecrackers. Lion dancers slithering to the rhythm of a nearby drum. Crisp new dollar bills delicately folded into golden-etched red envelopes.

But until a few months ago, the eighth-grader at Hamilton International Middle School in Wallingford never knew why her family celebrates Tet — the Vietnamese lunar new year — the way they do.

The 13-year-old said her parents were ecstatic when she began asking questions about her family's traditions for the first time as a history assignment.

"They have always wanted me to know about Vietnamese culture," she said. "They think doing this project will benefit me."

For the past 10 weeks, Do and 10 of her Vietnamese-American classmates interviewed family members, penned personal vignettes and recorded their voices. The students were asked to choose and write an essay about a celebration to be read aloud in Vietnamese and English.

Today, Hamilton students will have the chance to hear the audio documentaries at a listening station at the school.

Last week, the teens recorded their final audio tracks before sound engineers at Jack Straw Productions in the University District mixed them for radio play and a compact disc.

The Seattle-based nonprofit organization received money to record the students from several groups, including the YMCA of Greater Seattle, the Seattle School District's Family Partnerships Program and the National Endowment for the Arts.

In between nervous giggles and pauses for deep breaths, Do and her friends stood in front of a hanging microphone, reading scripts, acting out dinner conversations and tearing envelopes to mimic the sounds of opening their "li xi" — pouches of lucky money.

"I think if there was actually any money in those envelopes, it would be in pieces by now," joked engineer and producer Scott Bartlett.

Sue Ranney, Hamilton's international-education director, said the oral-history assignment was meant to be a catalyst for the teens to research a part of their culture they normally wouldn't have thought of exploring.

"Because of peer pressure, this is a time when kids are usually not inclined to find out about their heritage," she said.

Tet is one of the most important holidays in Vietnam, and most of the students chose to highlight the three-day celebration as the subject for their projects.

Also known as Tet Nguyen Dan, the lunar new year commemorates the beginning of spring and is a time to reunite with family and ancestors, exchange gifts and pray for a prosperous year.

Do, who left southern Vietnam seven years ago with her parents, said a teacher approached her to see whether she was interested in working on the project.

"I wanted to write about how I feel about my family's traditions," she said.

In her essay, she describes custard apples, mangoes and other fruit set on the dinner table to honor her ancestors, wearing an "ao dai" — a traditional long gown — and wishing her elders a happy and healthy new year.

"We get to have time to bond and just enjoy the warmness of family around us," she wrote.

Though she left Vietnam at 6, Do still remembers the celebrations before the new year on the dusty streets of Saigon — now Ho Chi Minh City — and the bustling outdoor markets.

"I miss it," she said. "In Vietnam, we had a lot of family who lived close so we got to go visit each other. Over here everyone lives far away."

But, she adds, the spirit is the same.

Nguyen Huy Vu: 206-464-3292 or vnguyen2@seattletimes.com