Dat Phan at Vassar

“What the heo?” Dat Phan was holding down the floor last night. It’s nice to hear someone making jokes on subjects I can relate to. He cracks on the nail business, the family conflict, the Asian roles in Hollywood, the Vietnamese culture, etc. His mother’s impersonation is pretty damn funny. Phan is doing a great job of reaching out the American audience about the Vietnamese culture. Asians are not all the same. Vietnamese doesn’t know kung fu. Calling Phan Chinese is like calling, “Michael Jackson is white.” It’s a nice way of making sure the distinction is clear. The best joke he makes is about his step daughter, “I am the first Asian guy to adopt a white kid.”

Da Phan definitely has potential. His comics are funny; however, he needs to fine-tune his work a bit. He needs to focus on giving more details instead of just touching on the surfaces. Although he is full of energy, too much acting and sound effects gets in the way. He also speaks so fast that it is hard to follow, especially with a squeaking microphone. I have to give Dat Phan credits for making his lines funny without using curse words. The only curse word I could remember is “du ma…” (motherfuck…) something. It’s such a pleasure to see a Vietnamese made it to the mass media with his talent and not sympathy from the audience. The Vietnamese community should be proud of Dat Phan and should show him some love. Dat, you got my support, man. Keep up the good work!