a bite of me
WITH PASSION FOR VIETNAMESE CUISINE & COMMUNITY
Food Anthoropoly
food anthropologist & cultural researcher
Anthropology Program
International Association of Professions Career College
They say "Summer is for falling in love". To me, summer was when my love for Anthropology deepened. Though I had been engaged in various activities to further study this field, I realized I hadn't had any academic foundational knowledge with it. So when I stumbled into "Anthropology Program" by the International Association of Professions Career College, I knew right away it's time for me to take my Anthropology-holic enthusiasm to another level. In this course, I got to foster my understanding about visual Anthropology, ethnographic methods, and field storytelling through a combination of reading and slides provided.
Gắp Một Miếng Việt
The Taste of VietNam Book
If I could describe my relationship with food then I'd say this book is the engagement ring of mine. "Gắp Một Miếng Việt" or "The Taste of VietNam" is a published book centering Vietnamese cuisine along with whimsical illustrations to further highlight the beauty and the diversity of culinary traditions here. What started as a faraway fantasy has led me to many opportunities and experiences that I'm grateful for everyday. Through this book, I got to work with my partner - Lam, one of the most talented and empathetic person I've ever met. Thanks to her, my strenuous workload was reduced significantly, and I also got the chance to improve my art skills professionally. "Gắp Một Miếng Việt" is really the child of my soul. Having more copies sold and donated, I hope this child of mine could be loved and cherished by more and more people.
Vietnam Cuisine and Cultural Identity in the Era of Globalization
Research
I'd be lying if I said my research on "Vietnam Cuisine and Cultural Identity in the Era of Globalization" was an easy process - because it was certainly not - but if I could choose again, I would still choose this topic anyway. In this research, I got to work with Mrs. Trang, my mentor who is also a huge supporter of mine. Through working with her, I learned how to conduct a qualitative research, and by skimming through various food-related content, from media, blogs to government policies, I found my core reason to further study Anthropology in the future: To promote underrepresented Southeast Asians culinary as both art and heritages instead of being viewed as "cheap, street food" options.
Woman's Role in Food Culture and Traditions in VietNam
Research
In my research on "Woman's Role in Food Culture and Traditions in VietNam", I applied the skills I learned from my last research to demonstrate how women play an active role in both maintaining and reshaping VietNam's culinary traditions. Here, Mrs. Trang continued being my mentor and instructed me how to collect data as an approach to data & narrative analysis.
Internship at Ngày Nay
UNESCO Partner
My summer internship at Ngày Nay Magazine was an unforgettable part of my last summer. Here, I was given the chance to co-wrote and wrote over 20 publications about food heritage and collective memories. I was also fortunate to participate in the Heritage Conference 2024 in Ha Long where I conducted interviews with traditional artisans, gaining a deep insight into their worklife and how their passions are directly maintaining Vietnamese unique culture.
My Tiktok Channel
My Food Diary
My friends had always joked about how I should convert my overflowing energy and talkative self into some form of entertainment, and I did. At first, I simply thought my Tiktok page was a fun recreational activity to spend my free time: hangout with friends, enjoy street food delights together,... But the satisfaction I got the moment I finished editing my first video, I immediately fell in love with being a content creator. After that, I was determined to explore my Hanoian identity more, inviting friends to help me film while treating them with amazing meals in return. In the future, I hope I could further development this little hobby into a profession!
MY JOURNEY INCLUDES
Cherish School Time
every moment teaches me to care, connect, and understand
"Com Nong" Project
Warm Meal Initiative
The quote "Because a warm meal can warm a childhood" was what led me to start my own charity organization: "Com Nong", or "Warm Meal Initiative". In stark contrast to the abundance of food I have, there lies the harsh reality - children in the mountainous areas of VietNam often lack a single daily meal. We didn't just serve food – we served hope, hygiene, and happiness. The project lasted for 6 months. We raised over 5000 dollars and provided them with meals, vitamin supplements, along with improving their hygiene conditions through multiple regions in VietNam.
The Match Club
Education Support Program
In 2022, I was invited to join "The Match" - a project that aimed to help 9th graders to prepare for their upcoming High School Entrance exam. As The Head of Communication, I developed our PR strategies to successfully attract 100+ students and parents to attend the main event, increasing our fanpage followers by 300+ and boosting the engagement rate to 30%. Currently, I'm working as a PR advisor for The Match, where I get to coach and advise the next generation of this project!
The Incredibles Project
English Teaching Program
I first learned about Public Relation department through "The Incredible Project" - an English teaching program for underprivileged children in VietNam. As a member of Incre's season 4 PR department, I learned how to create engaging posts, manage timeline and even mastered my camera's photography skills! Later, I was selected as the Head of Communication for Incre's season 5 where I developed our PR strategies to attract 100+ students to enroll our online course "Ready! Set! Grow" and to generate about 1500$ for an offline workshop "Rainbow Realm" attended by 70+ students.
CNH Baking Bliss Club
Community & Fundraising
A chaos covered in tasty frosting. This club marked the start of my high school and evolved from a gathering place for sweet tooths into a family bond. Despite challenges, we successfully hosted 2 workshops, attracting 100+ attendees (children and teenagers), managed 70 members with 300+ orders per event, and raised more than 1000$ to support 40+ pediatric patients at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion with medical supplies. What a sweet journey after all, don't you think?
Creativity & Compassion
ART
I was 3 when I first picked up a pencil, thinking a sketchy My Little Pony drawing was my maximum. As I grew up, my love for Art has never stopped. From tracing cartoons on my dad's computer, I later learned how to sketch a portrait, try to shade with my pencils; now, with the help of my dear partner - Lam, I continue to broaden my capability, challenging myself with digital arts and colorful paints. Art to me isn't just a hobby, it's also a journey recording my self growth as I'm more willing to step out of my comfort zone and further explore my ability day by day.
Volunteering
It'd be a very cool weekend if we could sleep in, but wouldn't it be cooler if weekends are spent contributing to collective welfare? Ever since the start of high school, I have participated in multiple trips to hospitals to provide supplements and meals for patients. Though my cooking skills aren't Michelin-star level, but they still cherished every meal we provided with such genuine happiness. Recently, VietNam was severely affected by the Bualoi typhoon. My friends and I quickly opened a charity campaign to collect old clothes, books, money to buy food and essentials for victims of the natural phenomenon. I hope in the future I could join in more activities to help my community.
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HONORS
I also challenged myself with competitions and fortunately excelled in some.
let's connect!
Whether you want to discuss food anthropology, collaborate on a project, or just chat about our favorite recipes, I'd love to hear from you!