“It’s Not Just a Job—It’s My Sport, My Legacy”: Cooking and Highlighting AAPI Stories in Southern Nevada
This blog post is generously provided in kind by Kathy Pham. The Double Down blog is also supported by Nevada Humanities’ donors.
By Kathy Pham
It has been a little over a month since my end-of-the-year project as a Nevada Humanities intern: creating and leading the community program, Phoetry Night, which celebrated AAPI heritage through a conversation between a local Vietnamese restaurant owner, Vinh Nguyen, and UNLV professor and principal researcher of the Neon Pacific Initiative, Mark Padoongpatt; free pho sampling; and poetry performances and a creative writing activity led by local AAPI creatives Mei-Mei Mijares and Niko Mendoza. As I look back on my time at Nevada Humanities, I am forever grateful to be granted the opportunity to delve deeper into the vibrant AAPI community of Las Vegas and how they celebrate culture and the humanities.
At the program, we sampled bowls of special combination pho, courtesy of Vinh Nguyen and his team at Pho Vegas. Vinh, the newest owner of Pho Vegas, shared his many stories and what led him to where he is today, shaping Pho Vegas to be awarded as one of the 2025 Top Three Vietnamese Restaurants in Las Vegas. He shared his many challenges when he was working to earn his two degrees, and the many doubts he faced while being a restaurant owner, but all in all he never gave up and persevered through passion and hard work.
Pho bowls. Photograph courtesy of Kathy Pham.
Mei Mei and Niko’s poetry performances tugged at my heartstrings, combining both humor and raw human emotion. Growing up, I experienced similar expressions of love from my family through home-cooked meals and dinner talks. Food is such an important part of AAPI culture, where it is notoriously difficult to receive words of affirmation or physical touch from family members, despite knowing that they loved us dearly. I loved hearing their unique poems and the welcoming space that allowed other attendees to share what food means to them.
Photograph courtesy of Bobbie Ann Howell.
Along with creating this event, I also had the chance to interview other Vietnamese chefs so they could share their stories and bring a voice to the hardworking restaurant industry of Vegas. I first had the pleasure of interviewing Tan Vo, the restaurant owner of Pho Viet Cafe. His restaurant first started in Bend, Oregon, where it was voted the Number One Asian Restaurant of the year. In 2008, during the housing crash and as individuals lost their jobs, Bend’s economy collapsed. But because of that reason, Tan decided to move to Bend to open his restaurant and share his cooking to comfort the community. Taking this risk allowed Pho Viet Cafe to thrive somewhere unconventional. After 14 years, he sold his restaurant to his good friend. Tan and Tammy, his wife and restaurant partner, then moved to Las Vegas, where he has resided for the last three years.
During his time as a restaurant owner, Tan has always stayed determined and positive. “Always so proud to be an Asian American,” Tan says. “My personal target is to come to the United States of America to try for a new life, to prove to the American people that we, Asian, Vietnamese Americans — if you can do it, I can do it. If I’m not doing better, maybe I’ll do equal, maybe a little bit less, but I will do all my best.” I asked if he has faced any challenges while being an Asian American, to which Tan replied, “Not at all … you need to offer love to others. You always smile and respect, and with that in mind, you get very good results.” His perspective showed the love and care he puts into his cooking and business, and it is no wonder that many return to Pho Viet Cafe for the sheer comfort and hospitality.
Tan shared with me one of his greatest memories that has inspired his perspective of sharing love and receiving good karma. In Bend, when he was building his new restaurant, he had spent almost his last dollar on the place for the grand opening. Unfortunately, they failed the final inspection on a tiny electrical issue, preventing them from opening and postponing a secondary inspection until another week. Knowing they had already prepped and stocked the food, it would all go bad if they couldn’t open in time. Amidst the distraught, Tan had a plan in mind. He gathered his documents and went to the city manager himself. “I know you guys are so excited for the first brand new Vietnamese restaurant to open here. And I said, it’s likely not gonna happen, unless each of you lends me $500,” Tan remarks. After explaining his situation, with only having $108 left in his bank account, they agreed to hear him out and see what they could do. Eventually, they organized for an electrician to fix the issue, and they were willing to re-inspect at 9 pm so they could open the next day. “Let me say, many years in America, I never heard anybody in the city working after hours.” At 9:30 pm, they fortunately passed the test, and Tan recalls it as one of his most wonderful memories and a gift that he cherishes from the Bend community.
Tan Vo. Photograph courtesy of Kathy Pham
I also had the chance to speak with Ngan, a chef at Pho Bac Bac. She only knew how to speak Vietnamese, but I did not want a language barrier to get in the way of someone sharing their story, so thankfully, I had the help of my mother as a translator. Ngan moved from Vietnam to Massachusetts and has been living in Las Vegas for three years. One of the challenges she faced was the struggle to learn English, but overall, she has been thankful for the many opportunities that America provided for her, such as being more open and providing better job opportunities to support their families.
Ngan had been cooking in the restaurant for two and a half years, but actually started cooking for her family around 13 years old, and cited her mother as a role model who gave her lots of experience. When I asked about the pressure to change recipes to suit the tastes of American customers, Ngan mentioned that she pushes for Americans to try traditional Vietnamese dishes, day by day. The number one thing she learned from the restaurant industry was that despite the stress, she prioritizes the happiness of the customer and sharing her cooking; so as long as they were happy, she was as well. Finally, I asked how Ngan believed Southern Nevada could become more inclusive and supportive of Asian Americans. When compared to bigger churches and religious holidays, she wishes for the Buddhist temples to grow bigger and expand their community and freedoms, as well as improve safety for Asian Americans to protect against AAPI-targeted violence. Overall, I was thankful for Ngan’s time and patience, as she was excited to share her story despite her busy schedule and language efforts.
Ngan. Photograph courtesy of Kathy Pham.
I greatly enjoyed my time as a Nevada Humanities intern, and I feel like I got to learn a lot more about the AAPI community in Las Vegas. Asian Americans in the restaurant industry have deservedly been receiving more recognition now than ever. Interviewing these individuals and spotlighting Pho Vegas at my Phoetry Night event allowed me to learn more about the Asian American community. AAPI individuals are often stereotyped and perceived to be passive, keeping their heads down, and known as the “silent” model minority, but my internship at Nevada Humanities has reinforced the importance of storytelling and giving a voice to those who usually may not get the chance to speak. I am grateful for the Neon Pacific Initiative and the great work they are doing to uplift and share the tales of Asian Americans in Southern Nevada. Learning about the backgrounds of these diverse communities is essential to the humanities and understanding the human experience.
I would love to keep spreading these hard-working individuals’ stories of perseverance and faith, whether that be by fostering connections or bringing the community together through sharing, learning, and programming. After Phoetry Night, I hope to have left attendees with a greater sense of community and belonging, and I can’t wait to see Nevada Humanities’ future programming.
Kathy Pham is a third-year sociology student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and recently served as an Events Intern for Nevada Humanities. Kathy enjoys working with nonprofit organizations to make an impact in her community and uplift marginalized voices. She is passionate about the AAPI community, women’s rights, education, and mental health. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family and trying new foods.