Rewind: Out & Proud Vietnamese Man, Daniel Doan

2026-02-01

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WARNING: If you are small minded and homophobic you can probably skip this episode.Daniel was born and raised in Saigon by conservative Northern parents, with his dad having fought for the North before moving South. Daniel faced the familiar familial pressures that many young people in Saigon face, to study hard and get good grades.Daniel's passions are and always have been music, food and fashion but under those family expectations went on to study Biochemistry in California. He spent six years studying in the US before being pressured to...

WARNING: If you are small minded and homophobic you can probably skip this episode.

Daniel was born and raised in Saigon by conservative Northern parents, with his dad having fought for the North before moving South. Daniel faced the familiar familial pressures that many young people in Saigon face, to study hard and get good grades.

Daniel's passions are and always have been music, food and fashion but under those family expectations went on to study Biochemistry in California. He spent six years studying in the US before being pressured to move back home to Saigon by his parents despite wanting to pursue his biggest passion, fashion.

We talk about what it was like to come out to his parents as a gay man, and how they have handled that since. And what it is like to be LGBTQ in Saigon compared to other parts of Vietnam. You'll be surprised to learn that he is now married and expecting a baby boy soon.

After moving back to Saigon Daniel was admittedly lost, qualifying to become an English Language teacher but never finding a job. He eventually made peace with his families demands on him as a gay man, and followed his other passions, American and food. He is now a restauranteur, owning American Bistro Hungry Bunny.

If you go to Hungry Bunny and tell Daniel you've heard this episode he'll give you 30% off your bill!
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Theme music composed by Lewis Wright.
Main Cover Art designed by Niall Mackay and Le Nguyen.
Episode art designed by Niall Mackay, with pictures supplied by guests and used with permission.

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