Words by Gracie Piper<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Andrea Nguyen was just six years old when her family fled Vietnam. It was 1975, the end of the Vietnam War. Nguyen, her parents and her four siblings left Saigon\u2014<\/span>now Ho Chi Minh City<\/span>\u2014and landed 8,212 miles away in San Clemente, California. It was nothing like home, despite her parents\u2019 best efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey were hell bent on making sure we retained our cultural roots,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cWe spoke Vietnamese at home and ate mostly Vietnamese food.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

And on Sunday mornings, after church was done, they ate pho. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe used to take pho for granted when we lived in Saigon, but in America, pho became a reminder of our traditions,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cIt also showed us how we could be Vietnamese in America, or rather, Vietnamese-Americans.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n