Students and local community members will have the opportunity this weekend to get a taste of Vietnamese culture at the WSU Vietnamese Student Association’s (VSA) third annual Footprints of Vietnam event.
This year’s event will feature performances based on the different regions and cultures in Vietnam. VSA Adviser Lai Tran said the theme of the event, "Destiny Awaits," is based on a love story. “This guy from the U.S. fell in love with a girl from Vietnam, and he had to travel all though Vietnam to find her,” Tran said. “On his journey, he met different people throughout the different areas of Vietnam and learned about the different cultures of his loved one. Each of the performances will revolve around the different cities he travels to.” In addition to spreading the Vietnamese culture and connecting with the community, Tran said another purpose of the event is to get members and officers of VSA leadership experience.
“One person can’t do it all alone; each has their own group to direct,” Tran said. VSA President Minh Nguyen said guests will have a variety of dining options, including Vietnamese noodles with egg rolls, vegetables and grilled chicken skewers for the main course.
“We got these pre-packaged from Seattle, so we really didn’t cook any of them but they are really good pastries,” Nguyen said. Nguyen said this year’s event is targeted not only at the Vietnamese community, but the part of the community that is not exposed to Southeast Asian culture and does not know a lot about what Vietnamese culture is.
“We’ve been selling tickets in Idaho and they don’t have a VSA over there, so we’re trying to bring people from Idaho exposure to Vietnamese culture, too,” she said. Proceeds from the event will also benefit a good cause, she said. “Some of our profit will go to the Japan tsunami victims and Vietnam health clinics, some will get to see the doctor for the first time and get vaccine and medicine,” Tran said. Tickets cost USD12 in advance and are USD15 at the door. They are available at the Compton Union Building Spine, Golden Teriyaki and New Garden restaurants. The event will take place at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Gladish Community Centre.