[vacets-gen] The Inner Voice: Tieng Magazine

[Anh (Ly) Vuong]

The inner voice

It was late in the afternoon of a bitterly cold day
here on the East Coast, the time when people were
"packing it in", "calling it a day", and heading home.
It signaled the end of a busy work day. That was when
I received an email from my sister, letting me know of
this yet-another-website: Tieng Magazine. I
reluctantly clicked on the link to give it the benefit
of my last 5 minutes at work. Little did I know that
it lasted much longer.

The website takes on the format of a Blog (web-log),
and much to my amazement, even though the site is
quite new, it is packed of interesting articles and
where-have-I-been web links. The site pulled me along
in a fast pace, like boarding an express information
train through cyberspace. I was led from one article
to another, jumped from one link to the next; it was
endless and never a dull second. One hour passed, and
I then knew that I was hooked!

Tieng Magazine does not promote its own Vietnamese
American editor, nor does it give credit to the
contributed writers; it introduces you to another
Vietnamese American who may live in your next town,
sharing the same interests, facing similar Vietnamese
American cultural experiences, and yet you would not
know it if you haven't read the interview. This online
magazine is not just a reprint of another online news
papers, but with sharp observation and digested
thinking. The materials are presented through the eyes
of the Vietnamese Americans. Tieng Magazine is not a
gen-Y venting rag; it presents real issues and
relevant materials to me, and the individuals who
share the same background, similar environment. It
does not promote electronic gadgets or virtual
services; but it points out the current trend or
issues in the Vietnamese American community.

Living in the most advanced country with diverse
ethnicities like the United States, one can very
easily get lost in the identity crisis. The
internet-speed living pace does not help but sweep you
along on the ride of a fast-food culture, and
materialistic life. You tend to forget the people
around you, the community blurs, the neighbors who
seem so distant. All it takes is an inner voice of a
cold day like today, a sound for you to take a moment
of your busy schedule to glance over to notice others,
recognize friends, and reclaim your identity. That
inner voice is one of the efforts of Tieng Magazine,
repositioning the identity for us to face the world
together. It helps solidify the Vietnamese American
culture, to be proud of being unique, and secure sense
of belonging.

In the Tieng Magazine, you will find that inner voice
is the voice of the editor, the contributed writers
and most important, your voice as well. I can
associate with those articles and news, since they are
relevant to me and I hope that it also sparks
interests to whomever is caught between the two
cultures. So, here is the online magazine that I would
like to recommend for your reading & contributing:
http://www.tiengmag.com


Warmest regards,
Ly Vuong