Ngai Ethnicity in Western Countries

This project analyzes the Ngai ethnic group in Western countries (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, etc.) by tracing their migration history beginning from the group’s ethnic Hakka origins in China during the 4th century CE to Vietnam in the 1800s and lastly to Western countries after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. The timeframe this project focuses on dates from the 1960s to the present day, exploring the classification of the Ngai ethnic group and their identity in Vietnam and in the West. This project examines the group’s process of assimilation into multiple host countries from adapting to the environment and adopting different cultural norms and practices. To visualize this movement and to capture the parallels between ethnicity and migration, this project will utilize ArcGIS Storymap, a web-based application that combines narrative text with multimedia, including maps and data visualizations. The digital storymap will narrate the migration of the Hakkas from northcentral China to southern China; from southern China to Vietnam; and from Vietnam to Western, English-speaking countries. 

Sally Hy is a graduate student at California State University, Fullerton where she is studying for a Master's degree in the public history program. Since 2018, her research interests have been focused on the Chinese diaspora and the Vietnam War. This current thesis project was born through her own family's ethnic Ngai background and a growing interest in Chinese and Vietnamese ethnic history. 

E-mail: sallyhy@csu.fullerton.edu or sally.hy.hist@gmail.com 

Faculty Advisor: Lisa Tran, Ph.D., Professor of History