“The internet is probably the thing that actually affected my life the most.”

Story #46, Johnson Do, Vietnamese-American

Interview conducted and story written by Selene Ho

Edited by Margharita Marras

There are no limits to the first-generation label. As a child of Vietnamese immigrant parents, Johnson Do seems to look beyond the expectations weighing on him by pursuing his artistic dreams. Do is a Vietnamese American born in Hanoi, Vietnam, currently living in Boston, Massachusetts, where he and his family immigrated shortly after Do was born. Do is studying art illustration at Lesley University and learning Japanese in his free time. 

From a young age, Do harbored a passion for drawing. Later in life, Do recalled: “People noticed how cool my drawings were and I thought maybe I should take a jab at it,” Do said, “I fully went for it when I was watching a few anime and I thought I could do a little better–I could draw something better.” 

Do accredits the internet in helping him develop more into an artist and Japanese culture connoisseur: “The fact that the internet is a thing, I was able to find more about Japanese culture, video games, and things I enjoyed.” 

Do also gives some credit to his parents, saying, “One time, I was on a bus. Someone was drawing and my mom noticed. I screamed ‘Spider-man’ and the guy drew Spider-man for me.” This experience with his mom, Do recalls, gave him some support in pursuing drawing. However, Do believes his parents were a small part of his artistic journey, especially when compared to online resources, in fact, Do affirms: “The internet is probably the thing that actually affected my life the most.”  

Being among the first in his family to graduate from an American college, Do’s interest in art seems to be frowned upon by his family. “My parents were discouraging me not to do [art]. I don’t think they find much success in the business,” Do said. His parents wanted him to have a job that would give him a “stable well-being,” Do noted, “but to be fair, it is hard out there, even as an artist.”

Nevertheless, being a first-generation college student impacts Do in other ways. “There are a lot of expectations weighing on me about trying to be the best I can,” he said. Additionally, Do feels a difference in generational experiences: “My parents have been through a lot, and I can definitely see that. I just feel a bit of a disconnect whenever I talk to my parents about it.” 

Yet Do still tries his best to connect with his Vietnamese culture. “I usually talk to my family [in Vietnamese]. They listen to DVDs in Vietnamese, they also go to Dorchester–I got very acquitted with understanding Vietnamese,” Do explained. Dorchester is a well-known neighborhood in Boston housing a Vietnamese population, along with Vietnamese restaurants and shops. 

Yet Do seems to feel more American than Vietnamese, saying, “there are more times where I speak more English than Vietnamese.” Growing up, Do also said there was confusion with which of his identities to stick with: “As a kid, you kind of are just confused about what to go with. But later on, I felt it was better off to stick with my identity as a Vietnamese person.”

There are times when Do felt his American culture and Vietnamese identity clashed, however, he says: “In Vietnam, there was a very popular thing known as Gaoranger, and I am a huge fan of Tokusatsu, Power Ranger stuff,” pointing out a certain Asian film genre he enjoys and also saw in Vietnam. Seeing an interest of his in his ethnic country made Do feel like, “maybe it’s not divided after all. There’s just that language barrier that made me feel so disconnected from [my culture].”

Drawing out his artistic career as a first-generation student and connecting to his Vietnamese side, Do is driven to become a manga artist. He often posts his artwork on Instagram @fgc_johndo in hopes of sharing his talent and passion with others.