THE SMITHSONIAN PROPOSES TO CELEBRATE

30 YEARS OF VIETNAMESE AMERICAN PRESENCE

Nguyen Ngoc Bich

Last month, in a meeting with about 20 community activists held at the Museum of American History in D.C., Franklin Odo, Coordinator of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program, suggested that the Smithsonian is interested in doing exhibits of aspects of Vietnamese American life in 2005 to mark the 30^th anniversary of the mass arrival of Vietnamese refugees in the U.S. following the fall of South Vietnam in April 1975.

The idea hit home right away with the audience that evening because in the Vietnamese American community across the nation, there has been much talk about doing similar things to mark the anniversary, including a Viet Music Fest 2005 and a Freedom March for Vietnam that is expected to draw between 10,000 and 20,000 Vietnamese Americans to the nation’s capital. 

Tentative, conditioned on community response

The idea, said Odo, is still tentative and conditioned on the response from the community at large.  Francey Youngberg, the consultant called in for the occasion, then describes what has been done two years ago with the Korean American community which celebrated its centennial presence in America.  The realm of possibilities is great and could include, among other, a painting or photograph exhibit, an exhibit showing artifacts of Vietnamese American presence from 1975 to 2005, a film festival and/or lectures on various aspects of Vietnamese American life (literature, art, cooking etc.).

However, all of that is conditional on the response from the Vietnamese American community.  If it is good and enthusiastic lots of things can be accomplished.  If it is lukewarm then the Smithsonian might decide against doing it.

As proof of community response, said the presenters, one could have fund-raising as one of the main expressions.  One could also try to find out what the responses of artists would be to something like that.  Regarding fund-raising, the levels projected by the Smithsonian are: Coral ($5000), Ruby ($10,000), Pearl ($15,000), Jade ($25,000) and Diamond ($50,000).  According to Youngberg, if $60,000 could be raised before the end of the year, then the Smithsonian would likely go ahead with the proposed exhibit(s).

Enthusiastic artists’ response

Present at the meeting were Ban Nguyen and Chau Nguyen of VANG (Vietnamese American National Gala), that put up a very successful national gala last year in DC to recognize some prominent achievers in the community, and two top executives of the National Congress of Vietnamese in America (NCVA) among others.  Nguyen Ngoc Bich, NCVA Chairman, took it upon himself to go out to California to drum up support for the project and talk to some major community and artist groups.

Over the weekend, he met with several major artists on the West Coast including Ngo Bao, Nguyen Khai, Ho Anh, Nguyen Dong, Nguyen Thi Hop, Nguyen Tuong Qui among the older ones, Nguyen Viet Hung and An Phong representing some of the younger voices in painting; Y Sa Le-Dinh, who was responsible for the first Vietnamese American Film Festival held last year at UC-Irvine; Le Van Khoa, a famous composer and also President of the Vietnamese American Art Photographers Association, not excluding a number of writers (Nhat Tien, Hoang Khoi Phong, Phan Lac Tiep, Truong Anh Thuy), poets (Nguyen Chi Thien), journalists (like Yen Do and Anh Do of Nguoi Viet) and scholars (Dr. Pham Cao Duong, a historian, among others).  And the response was overwhelmingly positive.  Everybody was raring to join the effort.

Community response

The community response is no less enthusiastic.  A meeting was held at Song Long Restaurant (Westminster, CA) at which representatives of various media, including Television (Bui Binh Ban of FreeVN.net), radio (Little Saigon Radio), and the printed media (Nguoi Viet, The Ky 21, Dien Dan Giao Dan) and the Internet (Vietbaoonline, Kicon) showed up and agreed to lend a hand by getting the word out and drumming up support for the project.

Everybody was confident that given the economic success of the Vietnamese American community, the raising of $60,000 before the end of the year is certainly within the realm of possibility, especially if corporate donations can be alerted to the occasion.  And since donations directly go to the Smithsonian (checks payable to “Smithsonian Asian American Program”), they will be tax-exempt and can be trusted to go into good hands.

For information on the above, please call Franklin Odo or Gina Inociencio at 202-786-2409 or write to Francey Youngberg, Development Consultant at Francey.youngberg@verizon.net (or call 703-660-9166). Also, to check out prior APA exhibits and programs, visit www.apa.si.edu.  Inquiries in Vietnamese can be addressed to NCVA (Nghi Hoi) at 703-971-9178 (telephone) or 703-719-5764 (Fax).