SAN FRANCISCO-They came by the dozens, more than 100 mostly young, mostly Vietnamese Americans, to
celebrate the birth of a collective one night late last month. They came to see the showcase of works by a dozen
young, up and coming artists whose work encompasses several fields — visual, film, poetry and prose — and to
raise some seed money for the new group.
The Vietnamese Artists Collective (VAC) is a relatively new creation, said Ly Nguyen, who shared the master of
ceremonies duties for the event with Tony Nguyen (no relation). In November 2003, a band of young
Vietnamese Americans held a small fundraiser for Tony Nguyen’s Asian Pacific Islander program in Oakland,
Calif. Through the conversation that evening, many talents were discovered. The idea of bringing them together
took hold.
"In March, we sent out an open call for people to join the VAC, and the first artists are the ones showing or performing
tonight," Ly Nguyen said at the VAC opener. "So it’s like a flower blooming, hence the title Hoa No for
this event. It’s also like a birth of a child, our collective child."
These were some of the artists brought together at the VAC opening:
-Anne Nguyen Do Ngan, a graphic designer from San Leandro, Calif., and a recent graduate from the California
College of the Arts, showed her work "Assimilation Essentials." It included four panels inside a box, all on a pink
rose background. The panels showed facets of adjustment — straight hair, round eyes, light skin, and tall nose —
each with comments that read like instructions often seen on cosmetics. Or as she summed it up on the outside
box: "Ingredients: Four self-help cards, the history of race relations in the United States and genuine concern for
the foreigner that wants to belong."
-Ha Dinh An, who graduated in May from the University of California, Berkeley, showed his video, "Regret." He
co-produced the piece in 2003, a reflection of suicides at his school.
His next project is equally thoughtful, though likely more enjoyable: As a graduation gift, he will return to
Vietnam this month and equipped with a camera, he will interview family members and friends.
It will be his first time to see assorted aunts, uncles, and cousins in the country.
-Other artists included: Richard Tran Quoc Lam, a senior at San Francisco State University, who wants to communicate
his ideas through words, images and graphic design; Tran Nhat Ky Phong, who is working on his first
novel, "Napalm Children"; Vanessa Phuong Cao, an undergraduate student at San Francisco State; Nguyen Thi
Anh-Hoa, a master’s of fine arts candidate in creative writing at Mills College, as well as a printmaker and photographer;
Vu Thi Thu Ha, who showed her trailer to the video "Shut up White Boy"; Claire Tran, who read her
love poems; and Danny Thanh Nguyen, a humorist and editor currently working on his first collection of essays
while teaching writing workshops for youth. Audience members appeared to enjoy what they saw.
"I was struck by the atmosphere here tonight," said Jenny Do, a San Jose, Calif., attorney who attended with her
husband. "Everyone was so upbeat and supportive."
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Danny Nguyen
Ky-Phong Tran
Anh-Hoa Nguyen
Kathy Minh Bach, Bruce Cheung, An Dinh Ha, and Vu Thi Thu-Ha
Claire Tran
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