Nguyen, Dat

Dat Nguyen discusses the obstacles he faced while pursuing his dream of becoming a professional musician and songwriter despite being blind from birth, orphaned at the age of five and living in impoverished conditions in Vietnam. In 1989, he applied to immigrate to the United States through the American Homecoming Act or Amerasian Homecoming Act, an Act of Congress giving preferential immigration status to children in Vietnam born of U.S. fathers. In 2007, he performed with his hero and inspiration, Stevie Wonder. He has also created a foundation to support people with talent that are disabled. He plays songs that he wrote on his guitar and describes how he uses music to heal and impart positive messages to people around the world, especially young people and those with disabilities.

2012-08-03

Interviewer: Nancy Bui

Audio and Video Recorder: Nghia Tran