Holding Heritage

In this behind-the-scenes reflection, director and producer Hollie Ha, director of photography Julian Fok, and translator Jacky Li revisit powerful moments from this seven-part series. As they watch and discuss memorable clips, they share personal reflections on how the project evolved from an idea into a deeply meaningful journey. This final episode offers a thoughtful look at the making of the s...

Rainbow Ly, a Chinese-Vietnamese Boat People refugee, sits down with Blaine and Margaret Lee, 2 of the sponsors who helped bring her family to Canada. In the 45 years since her family arrived—now settled in Vancouver—Rainbow has never had the chance to fully share her gratitude with the help of a translator, until now. The Lees say sponsoring her family felt like a calling that gave back more than...

Rainbow Ly sits down with her grandson, Andrew Ha, to share stories rooted in family bonds and sacrifice. She reflects on her childhood in Vietnam and the circumstances that forced her and her family of 8 to flee as Chinese-Vietnamese Boat People refugees. Now settled in Vancouver as a proud mother and grandmother, Rainbow’s story is a powerful reminder that families are held together not only by...

For Michael Ly, faith wasn’t just a belief—it was survival. In this conversation with his daughter, Cassandra Ly, he shares his journey as a Chinese-Vietnamese Boat People refugee, recalling his escape from Vietnam and his sponsorship to Canada. Now a proud father of three, Michael reflects on the strength it took to rebuild his life in Vancouver, while Cassandra expresses gratitude for the love t...

Over tea, Joe Thoong and his father, Tom Thoong, finally have the conversation they never quite had the chance to before. Tom reflects on his past life in Vietnam and his journey to Canada as a Chinese-Vietnamese Boat People refugee. Joe shares what it was like growing up on Vancouver Island with a hardworking father, revealing the quiet bonds and unspoken love that has shaped their relationship....

Genie Nguyen sits down with her father, Trong Nguyen, for a heartfelt conversation about his journey as a Vietnamese Boat People refugee and their relationship. At 19, Trong captained the refugee boat that brought him to safety. Now living in Vancouver, he reflects on the risks he took, the day Genie was born, and the quiet questions about fatherhood he’s carried but never voiced—until now. Watch...

Hollie Ha sits down with her grandmother, Mui Trong, to hear her story as a Chinese-Vietnamese Boat People refugee. In 1978, Mui fled Vietnam with her seven children, leaving behind her detained husband. Now living in Vancouver, she shares her journey while cooking her favourite Vietnamese-style dumplings. Through food and conversation, they reflect on family, survival, and the importance of prese...

Cultural content creator Hollie Ha bridges generations by sharing candid conversations and untold stories of Chinese-Vietnamese Boat People refugees and their descendants. Through these meaningful exchanges, the series explores the delicate interplay between heritage, identity, and family dynamics. Rooted in Vancouver, Unspoken Stories invites viewers to embrace intergenerational healing and offer...

Before diving into the stories of my new video series, I wanted to share a few personal reflections on how this project came to life, what it means to me, and what I hope you’ll take away as you listen and watch. Welcome to Holding Heritage: Unspoken Stories! Watch the whole series at holdingheritage.com

January 22nd 2023 is Lunar New Year! ✨ To help get you ready to receive your red envelopes 🧧🧧🧧 tune into this episode to brush up on your Cantonese and Vietnamese greetings!  Visit the Holding Heritage website and episode show notes to view/download all of these greetings in a pretty PDF! 😊 Wishing you all the best for this year to come 💛 As always, head over to holdingheritage.com to check...

Taj Singh is the owner of Campbell River's first ever Pita Pit ! Taj immigrated from India, and has a wealth of experience and drive that is incredibly inspiring! Listen to us chat about his education and career journey, cultural upbringing, family, and more! Taj's story is also featured in Campbell River's People Project Magazine - so be sure to check out the printed article, too! ...

Sarmad Almoullem is a Syrian artist and photographer - and current owner of Campbell River's camera goods store Phototech Fotosource ! We talk with Sarmad about his immigration story to Canada from Syria, his passion for photography and art, culture and community, and more! Sarmad's story is also featured in Campbell River's People Project Magazine - so be sure to check out the prin...

Make sure to check out the full Filipino Snack Tasting Video ! We made a trip to the JRV Filipino Asian Store to pick up some of their most popular items to give them a try.  😋 --- This episode is produced in collaboration with the Immigrant Welcome Centre's Welcoming Communities Coalition and the Campbell River Mirror Newspaper - which are both based on beautiful Vancouver Island.  The goal...

Meet my uncle Kenny and join us in a chat about heritage, finding belonging and guidance, and passing along the things we learn and value to the next generation. Also hear the heartwarming story of how my dad and him became best friends, and brothers! As always, head over to holdingheritage.com to check out the episode show notes! Intro & Outro Music by Blue Wednesday – be sure to check him ou...

In May of 1978, the North and South Vietnamese đồng currencies were unified. This episode features a story from my  婆婆 po4 po4 (maternal grandmother) about one particular memory and experience she had during this time in Hanoi. Her home was raided, searched and most of her belongings taken away. Tune in to hear the full conversation in both English and Cantonese! ----- As always, head over to ho...

Today, April 30th 2022 marks 2 special occasions - Journey to Freedom Day here in Canada, and Holding Heritage's 1 year anniversary! To learn more about Journey to Freedom Day, hop back over to Episode 3 ! In today's episode, I share a couple parts of a really special memento, which is a handmade scrapbook that was gifted to my mom’s family by their 9 sponsor families when they first arr...

Today’s episode is the final one in this round of our Newcomer Entrepreneur Series and I am so excited to have the honor of featuring Thanushi Eagalle - Thanu for short - she is the owner of Wild Bee Florals in the Comox Valley. Head over to wildbeeflorals.com to check out Thanu’s beautiful website and everything they have to offer and you can also find her on instagram @wildbeeflorals ! This epis...

Today we sit down with Juan Calero - owner of HJ Landscaping in the Comox Valley. Juan was born and raised in Nicaragua and left the country during his mid twenties - around the historically significant Nicaraguan Revolution.  We explore Juan's immigration experiences and entrepreneur journey. You can also read the online article for Juan's story here. This episode is produced in collabo...

Today we sit down with Tania Ly - owner of Gold Phoenix Asian Foods in the Comox Valley. Gold Phoenix Asian Foods focuses on offering the Comox Valley authentic Cantonese and Vietnamese cooking classes as well as small batch dim sum orders via their online store! We explore Tania's entrepreneur journey, experiences, challenges and successes. You can also read the online article for Tania&apos...

Today we sit down with Linh Nguyen - owner of Pearly Nails and Spa in the Comox Valley. Linh was born and raised in Vietnam and immigrated to Canada 7 years ago. Within the short amount of time, she worked hard to open her own salon at the age of 23! We explore her newcomer entrepreneur journey, experiences, challenges and successes. You can also read the online article for Linh's story here...

Happy Lunar New Year!   |    新年快樂!    |    Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! In today’s episode, I’ll be going over some of the many common New Year greetings and wishes in both Cantonese and Vietnamese to help wish you, your family and loved ones all the best for the year of the tiger to come! As always, head over to holdingheritage.com to check out the episode show notes - where you’ll find all of these gr...

In this episode I chat with 2 friends - Michael and Chon about growing up speaking an obscure dialect of Chinese referred to as Ngai! We dive into what it was like for them, and how they've both navigated growing up in Canada and England.  Be sure to visit holdingheritage.com for show notes and more information. Music by Blue Wednesday – be sure to check him out! Also check out Chon's ow...

Today’s episode is an exciting one because I get to introduce one of my best friends, Annie - and her incredible mom!  We share with you today a really remarkable and poignant moment in Annie’s Mom’s refugee story - which was when she was almost left behind in China while being 7-8 months pregnant with her first child! Then Annie and I hop into conversation around some of her experiences connectin...

In today’s episode, I’m really happy to be able to introduce you to Raymond Liens, he shares pieces of his wonderful family story - like growing up in South Vietnam, their journey to Canada being government sponsored, opening the first South-East Asian grocery store in Winnipeg - being the first to bring Sriracha to Canada, we also discuss how food is an incredible conduit to preserving culture an...

Trong Nguyen is one of my uncles! In this episode, you hear about his personal experiences fleeing Vietnam in the 1980’s from South Vietnam. He was one of the captains of his boat at the age of 19, and he lets us into several of his incredible memories including escaping from the army, planning and organizing the escape, fixing a damaged boat, being rescued by a ship from  the US, and eventually a...