Binghamton University students celebrate Vietnamese culture

By Pelle Waldron, Pipe Dream

Close to 200 Binghamton University students came out to celebrate the 21st annual Vietnam Night.

Binghamton University students celebrate Vietnamese culture. Photo from Facebook.

On Sunday, tables were set up in front of the stage in the Mandela Room, where the audience was served authentic Vietnamese food cooked by members of the Vietnamese Student Association’s (VSA) E-Board. The dishes included cabbage salad, a traditional Vietnamese soup, chicken and rice and Vietnamese coffee.

The theme of the night was “high school,” and members of the VSA played video skits to take the audience through various aspects of Vietnamese culture, such as how students in Vietnam get into high school and college and the tests they have to take.

Eric Dinh, the president of the VSA and a junior majoring in biology, said the event was designed to educate.

“It’s informative for Vietnamese culture,” Dinh said. “That’s the main purpose of the Vietnamese Student Association.”

A fashion show was one of the main attractions of the night; students modeled ao dai dresses, which are traditional Vietnamese uniforms that women wear for special occasions such as weddings.

There were also authentic Vietnamese hat dances, a summer roll-making contest and other singing and dancing performances.

Read the full story by Pelle Waldron from Pipe Dream.