…it is a cool addition to my uniqueness as a multicultural global nomad.

Name:

Anh Dao Kolbe – Lan Bui Thi

History:

Anh Ðào left Vietnam in 1972 and was adopted by a couple of Greek and German ancestry. Anh Ðào came to the United States via New York City in 1972. She left two years later and grew up in the Middle Eastern countries of Qatar and Oman, spending a good part of her childhood schooled in the British system and was then moved to London. She came to the US Again via Boston for college. Anh Ðào visited Vietnam with friends in 2003. She describes herself as ‘forever 33’ and lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA.

Occupation:

Anh Ðào has worked in the medical field and is a ‘freelance visual merchandiser’. She is a well respected photographer and activist. She is considered the unofficial dyke photographer of Boston’s queer community alongside her activism with non-queer Asian communities over the last three years. This includes her time with Viet Aid, Asian community art projects and digital photography teaching. Her work and bio are featured in several publications and she is currently working on publishing her photographs as an adoptee revisiting her birthplace.

Happy to have Achieved:

I’ve been blessed by the numerous publications, both from my black and white portrait series and my journey through Vietnam photographs, and currently am working on submitting an application for a photography book publication. Some of my work can be viewed at www.thesegirlfriendsofmine.com

On Being Vietnamese:

Since it is only a small part of me, it is a cool addition to my uniqueness as a multicultural global nomad. For any communities that are non-white, I wish for their voices to be heard and their history never to be forgotten. Mutual representation is key.

Vietnamese Mentors/Inspirations?

Activists on the Vietnam Women’s Forum