Focus: Explore your parent’s birthplace, childhood, family tree, and ancestral roots.
Questions
CHILDHOOD
Can you describe a significant challenge you faced during your childhood or early education?
How did this challenge impact your daily life or studies?
Who or what helped you to overcome this challenge?
How did overcoming this obstacle shape your character or future choices?
CAREER
What was a major obstacle you encountered when starting your career or professional life?
How did this challenge affect your career path or ambitions?
What strategies or resources did you use to overcome this obstacle?
Looking back, what did you learn from this experience?
FAMILY
Reflecting on your family life, what was a significant challenge your family had to overcome together?
How did this challenge affect your family dynamics or relationships?
What role did you play in addressing or overcoming this obstacle?
How did your family's approach to this challenge influence your own coping strategies?
SOCIAL
Can you share an experience where you had to adapt to significant social or political changes in Vietnam?
How did these changes directly impact your daily life or community?
What were your initial reactions or feelings towards these changes?
How did you adapt or respond to the new circumstances?
FINANCES
What was a financial hurdle you faced, and how did you manage to navigate through it?
What immediate changes did you have to make to your lifestyle or plans?
Who or what provided you with support or guidance during this time?
How did this experience influence your financial habits or perspectives?
CULTURAL DISCONNECTION
Was there ever a time when you felt disconnected from your cultural roots or traditions?
What caused this feeling of disconnection or change?
How did you address or cope with this sense of loss?
What steps did you take to reconnect with or preserve your cultural heritage?
HEALTH
Can you discuss a health-related challenge that you or a family member faced, and how you dealt with it?
How did this health issue affect your family life or daily routine?
What resources or support systems did you rely on during this time?
What lessons did you learn about health, resilience, or family through this experience?
FAMILY DISAGREEMENT
Can you describe a significant disagreement within your family and how it was resolved?
What was the cause of the disagreement, and how did it escalate?
What steps did you and your family take to address and resolve the conflict?
What lessons did you learn from this experience about communication and reconciliation within the family?
BELIEFS
Was there a moment when you had to stand up for your beliefs or values, despite opposition?
What were the beliefs or values you were defending?
What risks or consequences were you facing?
How did this act of standing up for your beliefs impact your life or relationships?
UNCERTAINTY
Reflect on a time when you had to navigate through a period of uncertainty or instability.
What were the main sources of uncertainty or instability?
How did you manage your stress or anxiety during this time?
What strategies or mindsets helped you to cope with the unknown?
LANGUAGE BARRIER
Can you recall an instance where you had to overcome a language or communication barrier?
What was the situation, and who were you trying to communicate with?
What methods or tools did you use to improve communication?
How did overcoming this barrier affect your relationships or opportunities?
PREJUDICE
Describe a time when you faced discrimination or prejudice, and how you handled the situation.
What form did the discrimination or prejudice take?
How did you respond or advocate for yourself or others?
What impact did this experience have on your perspective or actions?
RELATIONSHIP
Talk about a challenge you faced in maintaining or nurturing a significant relationship.
What was the nature of the challenge or conflict?
How did you work towards resolving or managing this issue?
What did this experience teach you about relationships or communication?
SACRIFICE
Can you discuss a time when you had to sacrifice your personal interests for the greater good or for your family?
What were the personal interests or goals you had to put aside?
How did you come to the decision to make this sacrifice?
Looking back, how do you feel about the decision and its outcomes?
TECHNOLOGY
What was a challenge you faced in adapting to technological changes or learning new technologies?
What specific technology or change did you have to adapt to?
How did you approach learning or integrating this new technology?
How has this technological adaptation impacted your life or work?
DOUBT
Reflect on a time when you had to overcome self-doubt or lack of confidence in your abilities.
What was causing your self-doubt or lack of confidence?
What steps did you take to overcome these feelings?
How did overcoming this self-doubt change your approach to challenges or goals?
RESPONSIBILITIES
Describe a challenge you faced in balancing your personal life with your professional responsibilities.
What specific conflicts or difficulties did you encounter?
How did you prioritise or manage your time and commitments?
What lessons did you learn about work-life balance from this experience?
LOSS OF SUPPORT
Can you talk about a time when you had to deal with the loss or absence of a support system?
What was the nature of the loss or change in your support system?
How did you cope with this change or find new forms of support?
What impact did this experience have on your independence or resilience?
PARENTING
Discuss a challenge you faced in upholding your responsibilities as a parent, sibling, or child in your family.
What was the specific responsibility or challenge you were facing?
How did you address or fulfil this responsibility?
What did this experience teach you about family dynamics or support?
ETHICS
Reflect on an instance where you had to make a difficult moral or ethical decision.
What was the dilemma or decision you were facing?
How did you weigh the pros and cons or consequences of your decision?
Did your decision make you feel better or worse?
FAILURE AND REJECTION
Can you describe a time when you experienced a failure or rejection, and how you responded to it?
What was the situation, and what do you think led to the failure or rejection?
How did you cope with the initial feelings of disappointment or frustration?
What did you learn from this experience, and how did it influence your future actions?
NEW ENVIRONMENT
Talk about a period when you had to adjust to a new environment or culture, and the challenges it presented.
What were the main differences or challenges in the new environment?
How did you approach learning or adapting to this new setting?
What did this experience teach you about flexibility or cultural understanding?
LEADERSHIP
Describe a challenge you faced in managing or leading others, whether in a professional or community setting.
What was the nature of the challenge with your team or group?
How did you address or resolve the issues you were facing?
What leadership lessons did you learn from this experience?
REBUILDING
Can you talk about a time when you had to rebuild or start over, whether in your career, personal life, or after a setback?
What caused the need to rebuild or start over?
How did you approach this new beginning or reconstruction?
What growth or changes did you experience through this process?
EDUCATION
Reflect on a challenge you faced in pursuing education or professional training.
What were the obstacles or difficulties you encountered?
How did you manage to overcome or navigate these challenges?
How did this educational or professional journey shape your aspirations or career?
ADVOCACY
Discuss a time when you had to stand up for yourself or someone else, and the challenges involved.
What was it about the situation that forced you to make a stand?
Did you need to make any preparations or arrangements to make a defence?
Were you successful in making your stand, and what was the impact?
TRADITION
Can you describe a challenge related to maintaining traditions or customs in a changing society or environment?
What specific tradition or custom were you trying to maintain?
What were the challenges or pressures you faced in doing so?
How did you address these challenges, and what was the outcome?
BUREAUCRACY
Talk about a challenge you faced in dealing with bureaucracy or institutional systems.
What was the nature of your interaction with the bureaucracy or system?
How did you navigate or cope with the complexities or frustrations?
What lessons did you learn about patience, persistence, or advocacy?
CHANGING BELIEFS
Reflect on a time when you experienced a significant change in your personal beliefs or values.
What prompted the change in your beliefs or values?
How did this change affect your relationships or life choices?
What was the process of adjusting to or integrating this change like for you?
OVERCOMING A HABIT
Can you discuss a challenge you faced in overcoming a habit or making a significant lifestyle change?
What was the habit or lifestyle you were trying to change?
What motivated you to make this change, and what strategies did you use?
How did this change affect your health, well-being, or personal growth?
NATURAL DISASTER
Describe a challenge you faced in dealing with a natural disaster or community crisis.
What was the nature of the disaster or crisis?
How did you and your community respond or cope with the situation?
What did you learn about community, resilience, or preparation from this experience?
OPPOSITION
Talk about a time when you faced resistance or opposition to a goal or project you were passionate about.
What was the goal or project, and who was opposing it?
How did you handle the opposition or resistance?
What was the outcome, and what did you learn from this experience?
PERSONAL WEAKNESS
Can you describe a personal limitation or weakness you had to confront and how you worked to overcome it?
What was the limitation or weakness, and how did it affect you?
What steps or actions did you take to address or improve this area?
How has overcoming this limitation changed your approach to challenges or self-improvement?
PRIORITISATION
Describe a specific situation in your life where you had to manage multiple competing demands or responsibilities.
What were the specific demands or responsibilities involved in this situation?
What criteria did you use to determine your priorities and allocate your time?
What insights did you gain about effective decision-making and prioritisation from this experience?
ENVIRONMENT
Discuss a challenge you faced in protecting or preserving the environment in your community.
What was the environmental issue or challenge?
How did you or your community address this challenge?
What impact did your actions have on the environment or community awareness?
STIGMA
Can you talk about a time when you had to cope with the stigmatisation or misunderstanding of a personal or family issue?
What was the issue, and how were you or your family being stigmatised?
How did you address or cope with the misunderstanding or stigma?
What did this experience teach you about compassion, advocacy, or resilience?
MODERN LIFE
Describe a challenge you faced in modernising your lifestyle or beliefs.
What specific aspects of modernity were you trying to deal with?
How did you navigate the tensions or conflicts between traditional vs modern influences?
What did this teach you about adaptation, compromise, or identity?
OVERCOMING FEAR
Talk about a time when you had to overcome fear or anxiety to achieve a goal or face a situation.
What was the source of your fear or anxiety?
How did you confront and overcome these feelings?
How did facing this fear or anxiety change your perception of yourself or your capabilities?
IDENTITY
Can you discuss a challenge you faced in relation to your identity, such as your cultural, ethnic, or social identity?
What were the challenges or conflicts related to your identity?
How did you address or reconcile these aspects of your identity?
What did this experience teach you about self-understanding or acceptance?
LOSS
Reflect on a time when you experienced a significant loss or failure and how you recovered from it.
What was the loss or failure, and how did it impact you?
What steps did you take to cope with or recover from this experience?
How did this experience of loss or failure contribute to your personal growth or perspective?