As a child, I grew up with a storyteller — my father, Tiet Van Nguyen. He was endlessly imaginative, and bedtime was filled with joyful, funny Vietnamese folk tales that gently carried us off to sleep. I can still picture him pulling up a small plastic stool, sitting beside our beds, ready to transport us to another place. Through these stories, he taught us about life, morality, and kindness.

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After A Dream from a Bombshell, I knew my next work needed to honour my father and share his legacy with others. This became Rice Paper Tales — a vibrant, humorous, and adventurous collection of Vietnamese folk stories, including How the Tiger Got His Stripes, The Magic Pencil, and The Papaya Tree. Accompanied by original composition and sound design, the team and I sought to capture the essence of Vietnam and recreate some of the joy I shared with my father, bringing it to new audiences.

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The production was supported by workshops designed to deepen learning and engagement, and, as always, remained rooted in meaningful work with the Vietnamese community - touring community centres and language schools.

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