More Than Pho: 50 Years of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian Restaurants in Montreal

Tuan Nguyen dang arrived in Montreal in 1966 to pursue studies in economics. Over the course of his career, he served as Director of Continuing Education at Polytechnique Montréal, among other roles. Today, he is dedicated to preserving the memory of Vietnam, his homeland, and sharing his love of cooking. In 2024, he published a cookbook titled Comme au Viêt Nam : Phở, nem, bánh mì… et autres délices!

Natassia Marier is of Laotian and French-Canadian heritage. She grew up in her family’s small restaurant and, in 2021, opened Sep Lai with a simple dream: to introduce people to Laotian cuisine and culture through an approach that balances accessibility, tradition and adaptation. Her recent travels have inspired her to deepen her craft and bring a little more of Laos back to Montreal, both through the flavours she creates and the stories behind each dish.

Michel Lim is a chef and hip-hop dancer born to Cambodian parents and raised in Montreal’s Saint-Michel neighbourhood. His bold fusion cuisine reflects his unique journey, shaped by the people, cultures and cuisines of his community, as well as by his Cambodian roots and boundless creativity.

Cindy Ha proudly carries on her family’s legacy as the owner of Au 14, one of Quebec’s first Vietnamese restaurants, which has been welcoming guests since 1976. Born in Canada, proud of her Vietnamese heritage, and the mother of two daughters, she loves bringing people together through food and music to create meaningful shared experiences.

Moderator: Rémy Chhem, Co-founder and Co-coordinator, Super Boat People

Through Super Boat People, Rémy Chhem develops dynamic projects that foster dialogue, collaboration and connections across communities and generations. His work focuses on community and family history, documentary and photographic archives, and culinary and horticultural knowledge. Outside the collective, he works as a social science researcher.

Super Boat People is a collective that brings together people of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian heritage, along with their allies across Quebec, to foster a deeper connection with their histories, cultures and communities. Through projects centred on history and memory, community archives, food sovereignty, storytelling and social engagement, the collective works to preserve and share these rich cultural legacies. In 2025, to mark the 50^th anniversary of the arrival of the first waves of Southeast Asian refugees in Quebec, Super Boat People launched the exhibition More than Good Refugees: 50 Years of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Presence in Montréal, along with a series of public programs documenting and celebrating the communities’ contributions to the city’s economic, social and cultural life. This roundtable continues that important conversation.