Featuring food, comedy, traditional Vietnamese fashion and a performance, Vietnamese Culture Night, dubbed Luv in Vietnam, was structured to give students a broad taste of a different culture. The performance Sunday night by the Vietnamese Students Association followed the romance of an American teacher and a Vietnamese tour guide and was interspersed with traditional Vietnamese dances, folklore and fashion.
“My goal was to make a cohesive show to showcase Vietnamese culture,” VSA Director Phillip Dang said. “Last year’s was a failure, and I wanted to blow the minds of other student groups.”
Dang participated in the past three annual Vietnamese Culture Nights; however, this was the first time he directed and produced the event. Opening the show, he said the theme was not only a description of romantic love in Vietnam but also a description of the love of Vietnamese culture and tradition.
The night’s events took place in the EMU Ballroom and began with a traditional dinner, prepared by parents of VSA members. After a first course of salad rolls and egg rolls, the meal moved on to pork with fish sauce and finished with a three-bean desert. After dinner, performers took the stage to perform a traditional fan dance featuring elegant robes and feathered fans. The show continued with a children’s dance, a Vietnamese folk tale, a ballroom dance and a fashion show.
Performer Nhi Lam danced and modeled clothing for the shows.
“I participated because it’s a good time and it’s fun to do something for the community,” Lam said.
The audience was mostly composed of University community members, but the evening also attracted VSA groups from both Oregon State University, in Corvallis, and Portland State University.
Gabi Cornell, who spoke for the PSU Vietnamese Student Association, said both groups came primarily to enjoy the show but also to show solidarity.
“The way (the University of Oregon’s VSA) did (the show) was excellent. It was awesome and very creative,” Cornell said. “We also came down to form alliances with the other VSAs in the area.”
The show’s finale fashion show was a staged as a Vietnamese wedding. Despite an unexpected pause and technical difficulties during the final moments, VSA members modeled traditional garments such as the “ao dai” and the “ao ba ba.”
Although the VSA boasts about 25 members, the organization was able to host the event thanks to willing volunteers and sponsors such as Portland Closeout and Blue Heron Bicycles The VSA did not charge an entrance fee to the show but held a raffle midway through the performance for traditional Asian gifts like fans and flowers.