Khmer Voices

Bourey Lim is a 20 year old second generation Cambodian Canadian who feels a strong connection to his Cambodian heritage. He is currently pursuing the Bachelor of Technology in Automotive Engineering degree at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, his hometown.    A large part of Bourey's free time is playing in a Khmer cover band, performing at Cambodian events in southern Ontario. As hi...

Mary Prum is your classic third culture kid - trying to fit in, whether it meant not feeling Cambodian enough because she didn't speak Khmer as well as her friends, or trying to assimilate into Canadian culture and forcing her mother to make Kraft Mac & Cheese every week. Born to Khmer refugees in Vancouver, BC, she eventually set her roots in Hamilton, ON. She tried following the path th...

Yay! Khmer Voices turns 2 years old! I reflect on the work it took to get here and how appreciative I am to listeners. I share why someone would want to attend Khmer Voices Live in Vancouver and why I'm sending out letters every two weeks.  Join us at Khmer Voices Live in Vancouver October 24, 2026 https://www.vannyw.com/khmer-voices-live/live-in-vancouver Sign up to recieve my letters every...

Khmer Voices Live in Hamilton was our first live audience show. It began with a Buddhist blessing followed by an interview with Venerable Dhammo and a panel discussion.  Speakers: == Venerable Thach Truong Dhammo is a distinguished Khmer Krom Buddhist monk  born in Vietnam and ordained as a Novice Monk in 1980. He subsequently took higher ordination as a full Theravada Buddhist monk in 1985. Arriv...

Sok Visal shares his journey from growing up in France to pioneering hip hop in Cambodia. He discusses his cultural influences, the challenges he overcame, his vision for the future of Cambodia's creative industry, and what we need to do to keep the country moving forward.  Bio: Sok Visal is a Cambodian-French filmmaker, music producer, and creative entrepreneur who has spent more than two de...

Dr. Nielson Sophann Hul is a Khmer linguist specializing in phonetics, heritage language acquisition, and Southeast Asian linguistics. In this episode, he shares his journey from his birth when his parents fled Cambodia to becoming a linguistics university professor. His research focuses on the phonetic and phonological systems of Khmer, with particular attention to implosive consonants, voice qua...

What's happening with Khmer Voices? What are some takeaways from conversations with Khmer Voices guests over the last 3 months? What surprised me during this podcasting journey? What's next for Khmer Voices? I cover all this in this solo episode. ------------ Khmer Voices Live in Hamilton July 5, 2026 https://www.vannyw.com/events Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell you...

Chankrisna (Krisna) Chea is the Founder and CEO of Chea Labs, where he built ReanKhmer—the first AI-powered Khmer learning platform helping the Cambodian diaspora reconnect with their heritage.  With a BS in Computer Science and MS in Wireless Communication, Krisna has over 20 years of technical leadership in wireless technologies, software development and validation, and artificial intelligence a...

Marie is Khmer-French, currently based in Berlin. Her dad's family immigrated to France in the 80s. Fifteen years later, he returned home on his own, met her mom, and decided his children would grow up between two cultures.  Marie and her sister were born and raised in Cambodia but mostly within a French bubble and she described existing in that in-between space, confusing. As a bridge betwee...

Borey Chau is a second generation Khmer American who uses art to share his perspective of Cambodian diaspora life in Califorinia. Many know him as G Funk Supreme, Long Beach, California rap artist, entrepreneur, and creative. His personal persona though includes his day job as a Mechanical Engineer.  Discover how he overcame stereotypes, pursued his passions, and built initiatives to uplift his co...

Thank you to Dr. Kara Uy Has, PysD for sharing her keynote presentation slides with me: Memory, Healing, and the Work of Becoming for the Khmer Diaspora Conference held March 27-29 in Lowell, MA, United States. I was wiping tears throughout her keynote and couldn't focus on writing notes. This episode offers a summary of her powerful message that set the tone for the conference, The Next 50 y...

The first ever Khmer diaspora conference was held in Lowell, MA, USA from March 27 to 29, 2026, organized by Dr. Christine Su. I managed to get some time with 7 people throughout this meaningful, jam-packed weekend to ask these powerful questions, courtesy of Cathy Chen on Threads @triggeredbutcurious: Question 1: What did you once reject that you now understand differently? Question 2: Are you re...

Denys Meak is a second generation Khmer American born in Atlanta, Georgia to Cambodian refugees. She describes her family as self-taught artists and makers.  Her passion for fashion saw her pursue and attain a degree in Fashion Merchandising. Today, she works as a Visual Merchandising Manager for a retail brand, but most in the Cambodian community know her professionally as a photographer, with th...

I share a big pivot in my life and what I plan to do with Khmer Voices and other projects.  One of them is a newsletter coming out April 2026. It'll be letters I write to my younger self and to my daughter and will be related to the podcast Khmer Voices. If you're interested in receiving my letters in your inbox, DM me your email on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/khmervoices I'...

Sotheara Lim is a second generation Khmer American who grew up in Long Beach, California, home to the largest Cambodian diaspora population in the United States. You may also know him as the man behind Khmer Renaissance on Instagram, a platform dedicated to celebrating Khmer culture and identity, with careful attention to nuances. Sotheara holds a BA in English from California State University, Lo...

Born in a Thai refugee camp, Lin Sok arrived in Canada with her family when she was only 6 months old. They had modest means, and she recalls her early  childhood years with fondness. She and her two brothers did well in school, but when she was 18, she got pregnant and decided to move out and live with her then boyfriend.  In this conversation, Lin Sok shares her insights on resilience and perspe...

Randy Kim is a queer Vietnamese-Khmer American storyteller and podcast host of The Bánh Mì Chronicles as well as content writer for his Substack, “Bánh Mì Bites”. His work centres intergenerational healing, identity, and uplifting voices from Asian, queer and BIPOC communities. Randy is an experienced nonprofit development professional. With a background in public storytelling and relationship-bui...

Silong Chhun, a 1.5 generation Cambodian American from Tacoma, Washington, is an accomplished communications strategist with extensive experience driving multimedia campaigns across government, non-profit, and private sectors. He is also co-founder of the Khmer Anti-Deportation Advocacy Group and co-founder of the award winning SEA Comedy Collective comedy production company.  In this episode, Sil...

As a 1.5 generation Cambodian American growing up in Stockton, California, Sophaline Mao was shaped by the vibrancy of her heritage and the challenges of navigating a bicultural identity. These early experiences forged her deep empathy, strong work ethic, and lifelong devotion to empowering others. Fueled by a commitment to education and self-betterment, Sophaline worked tirelessly to excel academ...

Dorothy Chow is a second generation Cambodian American who grew up in donut shops. She described her father as the northern California version of The Donut King.  Her father's detailed account of his time surviving the Khmer Rouge regime and his subsequent life in the US on their podcast Death in Cambodia, Life in America earned them international coverage in media such as the CBS Morning Sho...

Part 2 of 2 of Khmer Voices Turns 1 features 6 takeaways to round out my 12 takeaways of the year. I wanted to highlight more, but saving them for another episode. Enjoy, and let me know if you've got any favourite takeaways from Khmer Voices. ------------ Khmer Voices Live in Hamilton July 5, 2026 https://www.vannyw.com/events Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your ticket...

This is a first! This interview with me was part of a study that Saran Uthayakumar is conducting for his PhD dissertation that examines the diasporic experiences of Cambodians and Tamils.  The dissertation asks: How do memories of violence and transgenerational trauma make 1.5/2nd generation refugee diaspora members more compelled or repelled from embracing identities and participating in communal...

Khmer Voices is 26 episodes in and I've been podcasting consistently for one year! To celebrate, I'm highlighting 12 takeaways from guests. This is part 1 of 2.  Please share Khmer Voices podcast with someone you think might enjoy our stories.  ------------ Khmer Voices Live in Hamilton July 5, 2026 https://www.vannyw.com/events Hosting an event in Canada? Use Bloom Tickets to sell your...

Sophoan Seng is a first generation Khmer Canadian, a husband, a father and he was a Buddhist monk for 14 years! In this episode, Sophoan shares his memories of growing up during the Vietnamese invasion in Cambodia. We cover his journey from his time in the monastery, his academic endeavours, and finally his work as a professional interpreter and community leader in Canada.  Sophoan holds a BA in P...

Cheerted Keo immigrated to the Netherlands with his family in 1988 when he was two years old. Today this Khmer-Dutch mural artist lives in Phnom Penh and his work has been commissioned by the likes of Air Asia, Marriott Hotels, and OCIC, to name a few.  In this conversation, Cheerted shares his journey as an artist navigating cultural identity, personal growth, and Cambodian art. He discusses the...