In this oral history, Portland State University student Rio Le interviews his father, Hang Le. Hang Le was born in 1967 in La Lang, Vietnam. In Vietnam, he met his wife, who qualified for a green card program which allowed her and her husband to move to the United States. When Le arrived in the United States he and his wife settled in Eugene, Oregon, where Le attended the University of Oregon. After graduating he moved to Wilsonville. He did not stay there long because he moved to Portland for a job opportunity. While in Portland, Le has remained involved in the Vietnamese community through his work at the Van Lang School Vietnamese school and has helped organize important cultural events such as the Tet festival and the Mid-autumn festival.

In this interview, Hang Le describes how he arrived in Portland and how he has remained involved in his community through his work at Van Lang Vietnamese school and other organizations. He describes how the language barrier was difficult for him when he first arrived in the United States. He had received English language lessons in the Philippines before arriving, but he stated it did not fully prepare him for moving to the United States. Le also describes how he and his wife had always been drawn to Portland because of the Vietnamese grocery stores and the larger Vietnamese community. He has held multiple positions at the Van Lang Vietnamese School, including being on the board of education and also serving as the vice principal. He expresses his commitment to his work at the school by stating that it is important for the next generation of Vietnamese to learn about their language and culture so they don’t forget their roots. Le ends his interview by discussing how the next generation can learn about and participate in their culture while living in the United States.