passion comes with culture

By Kelly Mon And Jason Phan

San Jose is home to the largest Vietnamese Population outside of Vietnam, with over 140,000 people. According to the San Jose Public Library, Vietnamese people played a big part in Silicon Valley becoming a tech giant, with all the Vietnamese people working in it.  San Jose Vietnamese Culture has played an important part in what San Jose has become since the arrival of Vietnamese immigrants due to the fall of Saigon. From Vietnam Town to Yerba Buena High School, the Vietnamese Culture is truly celebrated. 

At Yerba Buena High School, there is a club called VSA, the Vietnamese Student Association. This Club appreciates and represents the Vietnamese community within its performances, events, etc. 

VSA cabinet members Mai Le and Evelyn Thach have been in VSA since their freshman year. Mai is the Dance coordinator, and Evelyn is the historian. They spend a lot of time creating dances, taking pictures/videos for the VSA Instagram page, and keeping us updated on events and showcases. 

Their love for the club is shown through performances and showcases, spreading the culture around the Bay Area. 

Le: “I do enjoy sharing the culture but for me personally, I share the culture by like outfits and dancing. Like traditional dancing.”. 

Thach loves sharing Vietnamese culture and keeping the tradition alive in Yerba Buena High School. 

Thach: “I love sharing the culture, I like how–because of VSA is keeping tradition alive and teaches others about new festival and Moon Festival and Tet, because we get a lot of engagement and a lot of people get to learn from it. 

A few blocks from Yerba Buena is Little Saigon and Vietnam Town. Vietnam Town is a very common plaza amongst students since it's so convenient and nearby. It’s a great place to hang out with friends, buy traditional Vietnamese clothing, eat, and it’s always fun, especially during the Lunar New Year. 

Le: “if you see in all my performances there's very much like–So the typical dress you wear is like a regular “Aoi Dai” but I always make sure I get my outfits like custom traditionally so it’s like very much Vietnamese traditional culture and I do support Vietnamese local brands. Home based. And I also do different types of Vietnamese outfits.”

VSA realizes that bringing people together is very important, and they do this by holding fundraisers and volunteering opportunities so that they can bring the community together. 

Thach: “We also hold fundraisers and volunteering to help our Vietnamese community, and all those events help bring everyone together.”

Every Performance has a meaning behind it. This year's Tet show, which just passed on February 28, had performances about zodiac signs. 

Thach: “Especially for this year, people can learn about Vietnamese history, especially the 12 zodiac.” 

VSA is a special group of people, a place where you're able to express your Vietnamese heritage.

Within that special group of people, Thach and Le were able to express themselves and were even able to build themselves up more as a person.