Kenny & Susie Chan

Kenny Chan (00:00): My original name is K Kai Chan and when I came to become a citizen I changed Kenny Chan.

Susie Chan (00:13): My name is Sui Chan and now I change my name is Susie Chan.

Anna Ye (00:22): My name is Anna Ye.

Alan Chan (00:26): My name is Alan Chan and today's date is March 29th, 2026. Okay, so I guess first off, thank you for both of you coming today. We have a lot of questions for my dad, so a little bit of context. I am the son of Kenny Chan. Susie is my aunt. So across from me is Kenny, my dad and Susie, his sister. And then to my left is Anna, who's also my wife. So I want to maybe take us back a little bit and maybe I also asked Emily, my sister, some questions too. And so this is going to be some questions from the three of us. And the first one is maybe think about childhood a little bit. So what life was like in Vietnam. What was some of your favorite memories as a child either playing together or in your neighborhood? I know you have a lot of friends you still keep in contact with, so can you talk a little bit about what childhood was like and what playing with your neighbors was like?

Kenny Chan (01:48): When I was child in Vietnam, usually when the raining, we are all neighbor, childhood come out, play on the raining day and special, no clothes (laughter) That's true, true.

Susie Chan (02:13): To our house. The fun house.

Kenny Chan (02:16): The fun house. We have a tile on the front floor and when they wet we slide in like slide all the way over the week everybody playing very have a good time.

Alan Chan (02:34): And when you say everybody, who are the neighbors?

Kenny Chan (02:38): Me and my brother younger and my neighborhood, about six or seven kids played together.

Anna Ye (02:49): Was Jin part of this?

Kenny Chan (02:51): Who?

Anna Ye (02:51): Ju Jin?

Kenny Chan (02:53): No

Anna Ye (02:53): No.

Kenny Chan (02:54): Jin is on the other part of Vietnam. I in Chợ Lớn.

Alan Chan (03:00): So you're in Chợ Lớn and this is a neighborhood, is it a small neighborhood? Could you tell me a little bit more about your neighbors?

Kenny Chan (03:10): This is more alley way to get into the big neighborhood inside and hay là exit to the neighborhood. So when the government come in to searching, go pick up whoever have the age of going to the army, going to fight. So as soon as they heard that and then everybody go to hiding. If they already have they already have to go to Army.

Anna Ye (03:54): But I know Chợ Lớn is the Chinatown, right of Saigon?

Kenny Chan (03:57): Chợ Lớn is Chinatown and Saigon is the other part of Vietnam. So Saigon is more popular and modernized than Chợ Lớn

Kenny Chan (04:17):

Saigon is the capital of Vietnam, is in Saigon, and the president of Vietnam president should be stay in that capital.

Alan Chan (04:34): You talked about how you and your neighbors like to play and one thing that everyone, all of the family and the cousins always say is you like to tell stories. You like to make people laugh. Growing up where you always like that? Were you always the playful person in your group of friends?

Kenny Chan (04:56): Yes, we play a lot of kind activity, playing on the ground a lot kind of thing. But that kind of thing is you make by your hand cannot be like a computer in here or technology, a symbol like 中秋節

Anna Ye (05:24): Mid Autumn.

Kenny Chan (05:26): Mid Autumn. And then you have to make the đèn lồng

Anna Ye (05:32): The lanterns?

Kenny Chan (05:33): The lantern by yourself.

Kenny Chan (05:36): You use the 嗰啲線轆 and the can. So you make it and you put the candle inside the can. And the can you have to put some hole in there. So when you use the 轆推嗰個燈轉. 噉嗰啲嘢轉咁好靚.

Anna Ye (06:06): Wow, so innovative. That's amazing.

Kenny Chan (06:11): Also you have make the kite by yourself.

Anna Ye (06:19): Do you think about these memories a lot, Baba?

Kenny Chan (06:22): Yes.

Anna Ye (06:23):Yeah. Childhood, your playfulness?

Kenny Chan (06:25): Childhood a lot. A lot. Play a lot thing for childhood was very interesting and I still remember that I never could that because in Vietnam you want something, you have to create yourself, you cannot go to buy it because everything you make by yourself.

Anna Ye (06:49): So now that you say that all, hey, when you think about creating it for yourself, creating the opportunity for yourself, I always felt like Baba, you're like a opportunist. You came to America, you came to the US and Chinatown and you found friends and you made really long-term relationships that I think of like Alex is one of them. And so I think you created a lot of those opportunities for yourself as well.

Kenny Chan (07:19): Right? When I came to United States, before I came to United States and 1972, I get out from my country. The reason I get out because I find the freedom. Scary, scary. So I, because my age have to go to military, but I don't want to go. So I try to make money, use money by the permit. Stay in Saigon, stay in Chợ Lớn. You don't have to go out there to fighting. So until in Vietnam 1972, I said no, I don't want to stay in here anymore because I want to get outside to get more freedom for myself. So from Vietnam to get out to Hong Kong by boat by ship or what do you call that? Smuggling? No.

Anna Ye (08:40): Yeah, you were.

Kenny Chan (08:42): Smuggling. Smuggling out. Smuggling. So cost me $1 million since 1972. $1 million Vietnam Dong.

Anna Ye (08:55): Vietnam Dong. (laughter) I said wow 1 million US dollars?!

Kenny Chan (09:01): But by that time, Vietnam, that's a lot of money. Vietnam a lot of money. So we use that. So me and my uncle have $1 bill. We tear off half one, half my uncle hold it. The other half I hold it. So that's one for when you get the place your destination in Hong Kong and then you give the other half to the people that people bring the other half back to my uncle match up. So they pay another half money to who make that journey big.

Anna Ye (09:51): How was it like when you finally came to the us? Where was your first place that you landed?

Kenny Chan (09:58): When I come to US, 1975, but before that in Hong Kong I'm very, very difficult life for me. I work very hard every day. More than 12 hour a day, one month, one day off. So that day off I go to US Embassy in Hong Kong, my sister sponsored me, come over to United States when I got all the paperwork, because I'm smuggling in Hong Kong, I have no paper, no ID or no nothing. So United from Embassy USAMS embassy in Hong Kong to make that envelope for me, that paper. So I have to go and then I have to show that paper on the police station in Hong Kong and then they give me a visa to get out to go to United States. 1975. When I got in United States, I have to thinking how to survive in here, how to make peace to living. So first thing 20 day I walking around and stay around and take a subway, take a bus, go here and there, know where we have to go and how to go. Until then and then I got the job in Chinatown.

Alan Chan (12:05): What'd you do in Chinatown?

Kenny Chan (12:06): Oh, very, very hard job in Chinatown. I working in government factory 12 hour a day. Very low labor because they said I don't know English and I have to step from the A to Z, have to work very hard in Chinatown. I worked for government factory, do everything in there until two year. And then I have to work another job for busboy in American restaurant. So I have two job.

Alan Chan (12:53): So going back to the garment factory and that being your first job, were there other Vietnamese immigrants that looked for that job? Can you talk a little bit about what maybe the Vietnamese community was like in Chinatown?

Kenny Chan (13:11): Oh, by that time not much Vietnamese in Chinatown and every time, every time I have to go to eat Vietnamese food, I have to go to United Nation the New Year Vietnamese make a party over there, New Year party.

Anna Ye (13:33): Really?

Kenny Chan (13:34): So I can eat Vietnamese food over there.

Anna Ye (13:36): You were able to go to the UN to eat for Tết?

Kenny Chan (13:39): Yeah, because a lot of Vietnamese there.

Anna Ye (13:41): Oh wow.

Kenny Chan (13:42): Because in UN they have Vietnamese people working inside there too. A lot of Vietnamese lady married with American people and they try to group together in United Nation. So that's why Vietnamese not too much like right now.

Anna Ye (14:05): So once a year?

Kenny Chan (14:07): That's 75. 1975.

Anna Ye (14:11): How did you first find out about this party at the UN? I want to be invited. I want to be invited to this party.

Kenny Chan (14:22): Because when I work in Chinatown and then I go see what kind of things, Vietnam too. And then they have a Vietnam 個越南—越明寮會.

Anna Ye (14:46): Like association.

Kenny Chan (14:49): So they said they have there. So until now, 75, 74, 76 and keep going. And then a lot of Vietnamese people come in Chinatown.

Anna Ye (15:02): Oh, so the 個越南會係喺唐人街呢度㗎? Oh is that where 你識好多朋友? 

Kenny Chan (15:21): 係㗎. 個越南會叫越緬寮. 即係越南，寮國，同埋緬甸.

Anna Ye (15:26): Oh, so Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. It's like an association that was here in Chinatown?

Kenny Chan (15:32): Yes, in Chinatown.

Anna Ye (15:33): Oh wow. That's amazing.

Kenny Chan (15:36): Yeah.

Alan Chan (15:37): And so is that where you found most of your friends?

Kenny Chan (15:40): I found most of my friends.

Anna Ye (15:42): Is that where you met Alex?

Kenny Chan (15:45): Yes, Alex because I met them, the reason met them is my younger brother, he played the band. He played lead guitar and Alex drum drumming. So they played together and we know each other.

Anna Ye (16:07): What were you doing? Were you singing?

Kenny Chan (16:09): No

Alan Chan (16:11): You're just drinking, right?

Anna Ye (16:14): No, he was telling good stories.

Kenny Chan (16:17): So that's why we know a lot of people when the band going here to there and going to over there to play and going to Philadelphia to play Pennsylvania to play.

Alan Chan (16:29): Did the band perform a lot in New York?

Kenny Chan (16:32): A lot in New York? Yes.

Alan Chan (16:33): Where in New York?

Kenny Chan (16:34): Alex name of that band is Subway. (laughter) Yes.

Anna Ye (16:41): I didn't know this

Kenny Chan (16:42): Subway. Very famous in Chinatown.

Anna Ye (16:44): Really?

Kenny Chan (16:45): Yeah

Alan Chan (16:46): In Chinatown?

Anna Ye (16:46): In the 1970s?

Kenny Chan (16:48): In 75. Subway.

Anna Ye (16:51): So did you join the whole band as well?

Kenny Chan (16:56): No, I when they going to play and I go to joined, well I join to listen and let them play and my brother Ben is name, I forgot the name, but they play very good too.

Alan Chan (17:22): Is this the one that the family was in, like 姑姑 and everyone?

Kenny Chan (17:25): Yes, my sister and my brother-in-law

Anna Ye (17:35): 姑丈, right?

Kenny Chan (17:37): Yeah 姑丈. My cousin now live in California. He played the bass. My brother played the lead guitar. My brother-in-law played the drum. My sister, younger sister singer and have another guy in New Jersey is a singer too.

Anna Ye (17:57): Do you remember where they played and performed in Chinatown?

Kenny Chan (18:00): They would play in Grand Ballroom.

Anna Ye (18:04): Oh wow.

Kenny Chan (18:06): On Grand Street.

Anna Ye (18:07): Is this the guitar that Alan has right now?

Susie Chan (18:10): Yes.

Anna Ye (18:15): We should have brought it today.

Kenny Chan (18:18): That's a Gibson kit guitar.

Anna Ye (18:20): Wow, that's cool.

Kenny Chan (18:22): That's the one I bought it to him.

Anna Ye (18:24): Oh wow. That's awesome. Wow.

Alan Chan (18:31): If it's okay, I wanted to go back a little bit, maybe Gu ma if you have a chance to share. When dad first started talking about Vietnam around the 1970s, you said it was scary. Would you feel comfortable sharing? A little bit.

Susie Chan (18:54): He coming out, when he come out that year I was in Vietnam but I'm in United States, I'm coming 68 and I'm very lucky I met the Chinese room lady. She opened a beauty parlor in New York and she interview take me, come over to United States because I have a special, something to do for the beauty product. So she say I need this kind of person to my beauty product business. That's why I come over, I stay here and I'm very lucky. Then I work for that beauty partner almost like a three year. But then I get 19 70, 73, I get American citizen. When I get American citizen and apply everything to apply, he come over. But when he left from Vietnam, 叫做咩? 偷渡?

Susie Chan (20:04): So I was in Vietnam, I was in New York, I go back to Vietnam. That time I was so worried. I was so scared because you never know, lucky you are alive. If you're not lucky, you're just dead from the ocean. That's why I be more nervous and shake. Then when he right in Hong Kong, I fly to Hong Kong, then we stay there, we have cousin and friend and stay take care of everything. Then I flight back to United States. Then when I get citizen and I'm applying everything to come over. But I lucky I'm very young. I don't like Vietnam because when I come out that time is because he had 旅遊 before. They did not let people to go out and not let people to come in. It's just like a cut block up everything in Vietnam before. But 1968 you have money, you want to buy visa, you pay some money, you get passport, you go out. So after I go out, not coming back, I stay in New York until now, almost like 53 years and I should say I'm very lucky and I met a lot, lot of American people, very, very good. Then I worked for Chinatown three years. I'm not happy but I work for American people. I'm so happy. I have a very, very good future. I met a lot of different people.

Anna Ye (21:55): Yeah.

Susie Chan (21:56): That's the, that woman sponsor me

Anna Ye (21:59): Sponsor.

Susie Chan (22:02): Yeah. Before then, after three years she say she went to Los Angeles. She asked me to go with her and I say I can't because I have to support all my family to come to New York. I can't go to Los Angeles.

Anna Ye (22:15): So you said you lived in this building?

Susie Chan (22:18): Yeah when I come I live with my boss and two friends, four people together. I live on the fourth floor, only three. My best friend and my boss and the other one, I don't know where she work. She share with us.

Anna Ye (22:34): Who's your best friend?

Susie Chan (22:36): Best friend is Kun and I still have my best friend but I am not contact with her.

Anna Ye (22:44): I see. Wow. I remember she told, Gu ma you told us that you paid $50 for rent.

Susie Chan (22:51): 200 a month. It's so cheap and that time, but a lot of money already. 200 a month for one bedroom on four four they have elevator. So we fought from each one. Pay $50 a month.

Anna Ye (23:07): Yeah. So, did you also go to the party in the UN for Tết?

Susie Chan (23:15): No, I didn't go to any of the parties. Yeah, I worked and also I don't speak good Vietnamese.

Anna Ye (23:24): So it was mostly Vietnamese people? Yes.

Alan Chan (23:27): So you were the first in the family to come to America, right?

Susie Chan (23:32): Yes.

Alan Chan (23:33): Can you share what it was like coming to America for the first time? Do you remember?

Susie Chan (23:39): Oh, when I come here I was so scared and I see Chinatown just look like a farm. Not a lot of restaurant. And I eat wonton. The wonton skin, it look like a half inch stick. I said what? Then also the noodle is like a chopstick and no taste and no Chinese food. No dim sum only very, very old fashioned. Oh the food, Chinese food is, it's nothing. Not preparing in Vietnam, Chinese food. And finally after almost like 80 something and they first have dim sum then that's why.

Anna Ye (24:34): What is one of your favorite food of Chinatown from the eighties? Do you remember? Wow.

Susie Chan (24:53): It is very good already. But another thing is very, it's not preparing.

Alan Chan (25:03): And so how did it feel when the rest of the family started coming to New York?

Susie Chan (25:08): Oh, very hard. First when I worked for uptown, I met a lot of nice American people. They know people, friend to friend in Italy. They apply my mom and my younger sister to a church association to let them come in before 75. But everything really, but Vietnam, they don't let my mom and my younger sister out. They don't let them out. So finally they have to skip. That's why I have very lucky to come to United States and I met a lot of American people. Excellent, excellent. Everybody nice. They're very rich but they're very kind and they're really nice. That's why I work for one beauty parlor. It's like 28 years One beauty parlor uptown. I still with very good friend with her beauty parlor close then I do and I'm very happy in my life in America and I think I'm very lucky to come to United States.

Alan Chan (26:25): So do you remember what it was like coming here for the first time?

Kenny Chan (26:34): I come in first time is very bad memory for that story, but is still move on until I find a job in jewelry, no before jewelry. Find a job in Chinatown selling vegetable and fruit. So I work in there about almost a year and I said no, not for me in Chinatown because if I still stay in China, I cannot learn English. I decide to work on jewelry factory in 47th Street, fifth Avenue. That's a diamond district over there. So I worked for that company about three year I salesman for the culture pearl and diamond and stone after three year. And then my boss hiring another person said come in to help me. I for, because I'm so busy, my sell is only for Chinese people here in San Francisco. Wherever they have jewelry, Chinese jewelry I go to sell. We are wholesales the culture Pearl and Pearl. So after that the boss hiring the new person to help me. So he said, Kenny, you're so busy I just hiring someone to help you out. So you do not too busy. So until about one to two months I find out that guy helping me. He's the salary, same thing. I have I working three year, but I have come up let's say $300 a week. That guy just coming up help me. He have $300 a week too.

Anna Ye (28:52): Wow.

Kenny Chan (28:52): So I upset. So I've come talk to my boss, I said, I give you one month. I'm quit. Why? I said you're hiring this guy coming to help me but he's salary with me. I'm working for you three year, same salary. He and I am even salary $300 a week. So I said no because he English better than you. I said don't worry about my English, you only worry about how I sell your merchandise because when I sell I just got the permission, get money. But you said my English, I didn't use my English. I go to all my customers is Chinese people. They have jewelry, they have a store I sell in San Francisco. How did that say that? Okay, I give you three week, I'm quit. So three week go by. When I quit he keep me says come on, don't quit work for me. Because when I quit all my customers Chinese, I give out to my friend. So after that I quit and then he just find out this guy working for the gold company, he's stealing gold. So he got fired. So now he cannot hire him anymore. He call me, come back. So I said I cannot come back as long as you say I'm not good English. I quit all my customers. I give it out to my friend already. I'm quit and then my sister introduce me for the other boss for Maytag company, the washer and dryer.

Kenny Chan (30:59): I go there to work for him 30 year in there, from the bottom to the top, I become the collection manager. The whole money in that company, I'm in charge.

Anna Ye (31:17): Wow. Boss.

Kenny Chan (31:19): A lot of money but very heavy. Very heavy. All coin. All coin. 4,000 coin is $1,000 bag, very heavy, 25 pound a bag. I worked for him for 30 year. After that he sold the company and then he's very good boss. He's a Jewish boss. Very nice. And he said, Kenny, I miss you and this car I give it to you for my heart to give it to you. That Honda Accord four door new 2008 and just only three year. And then he give to me.

Anna Ye (32:16): Did you have laundromat here in Chinatown too?

Kenny Chan (32:19): Oh laundromat. When I working for this company, I work open the side job.

Anna Ye (32:27): Oh, you opened the laundromat.

Kenny Chan (32:30): Laundromat

Anna Ye (32:31): In Chinatown?

Kenny Chan (32:32): Not in Chinatown, in Brooklyn Prospect Park and in three of them. So when I build up the laundromat and build up the visit, I sew and make money.

Anna Ye (32:47): Did you come to Chinatown on the weekends or during when you had time between work, after you stopped working in Chinatown, did you come back often

Kenny Chan (32:57): Come back to eat on the weekend. Only weekend. So I'm not coming back to Chinatown because Chinatown, I'm very, very hard work and they abuse my labor because I don't know English and they give the salary very low.

Anna Ye (33:23): Yeah. Is there anything you miss about that time when you were working in Chinatown here? Is there any food?

Kenny Chan (33:31): No, nothing missing. Chinatown. I miss my boss in the Maytag company

Susie Chan (33:40): And also I still have customers. I work for 52 year and 50 year and 49 year. I still have them when they come back from Florida every month or every two months and some they come back from Puerto Rico. I still keep customers and being a very good friend and they very, very rich people. They very kind, very kind. I'm so sorry. They have a little bit money.

Anna Ye (34:17): I do have a question Baba. So now that you're in Chinatown again, obviously a lot of things have changed here in Chinatown as well. The streets look different. Maybe some of the shops are different types of food. Now, how do you feel when you come back here to, I know you still have some friends here that have businesses in Chinatown.

Kenny Chan (34:42): Chinatown is big change, 75 until now before Canal Street it divide little Italy and Chinese people. The other side is little Italy. Chinese people cannot open the store on that side. That I think is that big mafia. John Gotti.

Alan Chan (35:14): John Gotti.

Kenny Chan (35:15): Yeah. So at that time, no Chinese people in this side. So I am decide to selling fruit and a lot of gangsters start coming to asking for protection money. My brother, Peter. He had a store, he renting the store outside the restaurant 4, 5, 6 restaurant right in the corner of Pell Street and Bowery. So my brother said No, I cannot pay you and we cannot pay them. And they just, the rush hour, they standing 10 or 10 or 20 people front of the store, nobody come in to buy thing or they just kick the stand and then all the foot rolled outside the street. So we have to pay one month, $300. So same group same gangsters coming to asking him protection money. I said, oh we pay that guy already. That group that said gold shadow or white tiger or what the name all kind of name of the gangster. So they said, no, I'm different than that. Same gangster. But they keep asking. And then my brother had to close down. I said no, I cannot make money. I cannot give you all time. So that's a lot of you and thank God, thank God we have very good mayor. That's Giuliani get rid of everything.

Alan Chan (37:20): So I think maybe one last question to ask, one of the reasons I asked you to come here or the way that I convinced you was thinking about your grandchildren. And so I guess my question is, is there something you want your grandchildren to know about you and your story in coming to America?

Kenny Chan (37:48): Yes. I think that's the way to keep them, know your grandpa, how to get out to Vietnam and survive in United States and let them learn how to survive in this world.

Anna Ye (38:09): What do you think that is? How did you survive?

Kenny Chan (38:13): I try.

Anna Ye (38:15): What do they need to have? Baba? What qualities do they need to have to survive?

Kenny Chan (38:20): You need to survive in United States. American is learn how to learn, how to create yourself strong and move on to your life.

Alan Chan (38:45): Gu ma, is there something you wanted to share?

Susie Chan (38:49): I think I really happy. I'm really happy and very lucky to come to American in United States and I'm really, really lucky to meet all the American people. Yes, maybe some Chinese very good, but I don't have chance to met the good people to take care of me. But I met all American customer people. They wonderful. They very wish they helped everything. And I'm very happy and I think very lucky to come to United States.

Alan Chan (39:29): Okay, well thank you again for coming here today. I love you both. Thank

Susie Chan (39:37): You. I love you too. I love you all. Love you all. Thank you.