Son (Erikson) Nguyen Perspective
< The Allan Michael Lane Perspective
In 2018 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada the first Vietnamese from Vietnam friend I made, Viktor Bastion Phan, introduced to me Son Nguyen an international student from Hanoi, Vietnam. Viktor knew Son Nguyen could be a friend with me. Viktor understood me and found a friend for me.
Son Nguyen was only 18 years old in 2018 while I was 33 years old.
I felt similar to Son when I met him at the local college/university here in Oshawa because we both liked computers. I told him the scoop of culture in the Canada and my life from zero to now being a Vietnamese born in Canada.
I told him my situation in Canada and why I was 33 years old still studying. I never did what I wanted growing up basically.
We had a course together at the college and I learned from him early on I am supposed to live for myself and be good competitive the Vietnamese sportsmanship way, have forwardness and always moving life when we studied together.
He knew his surroundings and had his own good views and got along with everyone easily.
He was very mature at 18 and finished school.
He is so strong headed that he even had jobs while going to school.
He even worked during pandemic.
After he got one of the best jobs in Ottawa working for a big name IT company: Fortinet.
He also taught me basically study for yourself so you are smart and understand and can be opinionated independently with everyone in the world.
I being a Vietnamese born in Canada was lost at times. I felt negative, think bad and try to think good.
But Son over the years taught me to live for myself. You have to so you get working and grow.
His mindset was so understanding and broad. He taught me to live and work. “Working was key”.
Over the years, we socialized. I would sometimes disagree with him.
Then I realized all it was in life was to move on and grow up according to him. Son was right.
Life was all about growing up working and having a wife and family and house of your own.
Then I realize today, I never socialized with Vietnamese when I was young to have that same similar grounds to talk and grow with. I lived alone away from Vietnamese.
Son Nguyen told me life was to reach milestones.
Socializing and growing up in the West is different. You only live for yourself … until what??? Sometimes living my way without Vietnamese can make you live endlessly for yourself??? It might turn up bad …
I socialized with Vietnamese then grew and grew until I realized Son was right. It is reaching milestones and working and having a family.
Son Nguyen has been working for many years in Canada even at hard jobs like restaurants and thrift stores. He understood life in the West.
Without him, I wouldn’t have someone to share my interests and reflect.
So at the end, it is different perspectives of the world really that makes life. People just doing what they like and doing work they like. Son is working at one of the biggest companies in the world: https://www.fortinet.com/.
He is living the best life. He is still young and learning and growing and it is ‘just normal’.
He is wiser than me.
Part 2
After socializing with Son (Erikson) Nguyen for the past month or so (around August – Sept 2025), I learned a lot of cultural perspectives.
NOTE: He has been working for years now and still is upbeat and doing his thing.
Vietnamese in Vietnam friends like Son can offer a entirely new perspective for life that can offer a different way of living for people like me. Even socializing with him I can feel better and turn my perspective around and add to it.
This is mainly because of these reasons:
- Son Nguyen kind of grew up doing what he really wanted in life. He was pretty forward in his life plans. This is the most important thing I think. Every point after this is secondary.
- He grew up in Vietnam after the Vietnam War where Vietnam was modernizing.
- Maybe his family is more positive than mine naturally??? I am not sure how to compare Vietnamese parents in Vietnam compared to Vietnamese parent now in Canada.
- His outlook is more positive than me???
- He grew up with other Vietnamese
But the most important thing I realize about growing up in North Vietnam is that they have this climate (culture) that is go-go. The Vietnamese from the North helped me see their life perspective initially when I went back to school in 2017.
It is a combination of all these things that make me happy to befriend Son Nguyen.
When talking to him, I realize this feeling.
I feel I also come from North Vietnam.
According to Son Nguyen, North Vietnamese overtime came down South over the thousands of years.
I feel this in my brain. Talking to him opens up parts of my brain to feel similar to him.
Then it is right for Canada to have people like Son Nguyen to come to Canada to share their life and perspectives with the Vietnamese born in Canada. This way it helps the people here reconnect to their homeland soul.
I was missing this opportunity all my life.
Son had similar interests like me and just like to do his thing. So forward and ambitious. I also kind of do the same.
So at the end, I needed a Vietnamese friend like Son from Vietnam to learn and grow my world perspective. I grew the Vietnamese from Vietnam perspective.