NCVA has grown to become the major deliberative forum of the Vietnamese American
community, a federation of organizations and concerned individuals across the 50
states. It is estimated that over the years, some 200 Vietnamese American
organizations have been at one point or another affiliated with NCVA. There are
others who chose to stay outside of the organizational structure of NCVA, but
who still cooperate with it on issues of common concern.
Regular, Open and Public Meetings
NCVA organizes every year a national convention,
usually in late summer, alternating between the East and the West Coasts for
purposes of balanced attendance. Besides, the Board of
Directors meets once or twice a year to review the work of the Executive Board
which meets monthly (2nd Saturday of the month) to assess recent developments
in the community, both domestically and abroad, designing timely responses and
policies. Members of the Boards are elected
in a democratic manner with limited terms to ensure fresh motivation while at
the same time maintain the organization’s continuity.
A Forum and a Network
There have been professional networking, religious networking, networking
efforts for specific purposes, many of which predate NCVA by several years. In
such a context, NCVA tries to become a broad-based national network with a
rather comprehensive scope of action. It seeks to become an accepted forum for
all Vietnamese Americans of every persuasion to come together and discuss all
issues of concern to that community, which is more than one million strong.
NCVA does not claim to represent all the Vietnamese in the United States, but it
is the closest to a confederation representing the widest spectrum of Vietnamese
American opinion the country. Its opinion is being sought after by the media,
including television, radio, and newspapers both in the U.S. and abroad (BBC,
Radio Australia, RFI, Wall Street Journal,
Washington Post,
Los Angeles Times,
Orange
County Register, Chicago Tribune,
Mercury News and others). NCVA speakers appear on many forum, both national and
international, in a wide range of issues going from education, social programs,
civil rights, to international relations and economics, especially in regard to
Vietnam.
