By Kaylee Tornay, Daily Emerald
Ask co-director Nhi Dao what she thinks the Vietnamese Student Association contributes to the University of Oregon, and she’ll have a very personal answer.
Groups perform on-stage at the EMU for Vietnamese Culture Night on April 13, 2014. (Dominic Allen/Emerald)
“There are times I feel I need a home, a place to be myself, and the VSA provides an environment where members can embrace their roots and develop their own cultural identity,” said Dao.
The welcoming spirit of home was palpable in the EMU Ballroom Sunday night at the VSA’s 2014 Culture Night.
“These events are meant to be social, cultural and educational,” Dao said. “We use this event to… make people aware of the existence of Vietnamese culture on campus.”
The club puts on such an event every term, but the spring one is by far the most sumptuous. The theme of Sunday’s social gathering was “Vietnam Oi!” or “Hey Vietnam!” which looked into the lives of Vietnamese-Americans. The event particularly focused on the joys and struggles of emigrant mothers from the Vietnam War era.
There were many performances executed by students not only from the VSA, but also from other ethnic associations including Lane Community College. This is the first time the spring event has resulted from collaborative effort, and Dao was eager to express her gratitude towards the students not from VSA. “We could not have done this show without their help,” Dao said.
There was play which ran in segments throughout the evening, and told the story of a Vietnamese-American student wrestling with his identity as well as with his relationship with his stoic and steadfast mother — whose sacrifices for her son are revealed through the testimonies of visiting family members.
Read the full article by Kaylee Tornay from Daily Emerald.
