May 30, 2009 | Yvonne Lim Wilson
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The Vietnamese American community in Austin celebrated more than 30 years of history on Saturday, March 7. Politicians, local leaders and community members viewed the exhibit on display at the Austin History Center, heard speeches, and enjoyed a lion dance by Summit Elementary School students.
Two special awards were given to two individuals for their impact on the local Vietnamese community. Mr. Tien Dao is the owner and editor of Tieng Viet monthly newspaper, and Dr. Chat Thiet Tran worked to ensure bilingual education in Vietnamese and English was available at Summit Elementary.
“I’m honored to be standing here. I was baffled to say the least because I never thought my work was that important. I just do my job and it was a job I thoroughly enjoyed,” Chat said. “Tears came to my eyes when I know that our work will not be wasted. It will be remembered by the children of Summit Elementary.”
Mr. Dao was unable to attend the event. His oldest daughter Bich Thuy Dao accepted the award for him.
The exhibit may be the first of its kind showcasing the history of a local Asian community within that community – oral histories, photographs and art collected from local people for all to see.
“This is just the beginning,” said Austin History Center manager Mike Miller. “We act as the collective memory for the City of Austin. Historians have a hard time writing about minorities because their histories are not recorded in libraries and archives.”
Miller called on people to go through their attics and old boxes to donate materials and contribute to documenting our history.
The exhibit was produced in partnership between the Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation and the Austin History Center. The Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation was founded five years ago in Austin to collect preserve and promote the heritage of Vietnamese Americans.
Nancy Bui, a founder and current president of the Foundation, said the organization aims to complete 500 oral histories internationally. To date, the Foundation has collected more than 200,000 documents. All materials displayed at the exhibit will be donated to the Austin History Center.
State representative Hubert Vo, who is the state’s first Vietnamese American legislator, came to Texas with his family in 1975. He praised the welcoming Texan community.
“When we first came to America, we did not speak the language and came with little more than the clothes off our backs,” Vo said. “The first Vietnamese families that came in Austin were hard working and have successfully integrated in the community and their children have graduated from [top schools].”
Vo talked about how important it is to share our Asian heritage with the larger community of Austin.
“I think this is a great opportunity for the larger community to understand the heritage and culture of the Vietnamese community, which is part of the larger community of Austin … not only Vietnamese, but also Chinese, Korean and all Asian cultures,” Vo said. “Diversity enrichens and strengthens our communities.”
Thuy Phan, president of the Vietnamese American Community of Austin Texas (VACAT), talked about the need to make services available to the Vietnamese community.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the Vietnamese community to get into the mainstream society, that is one of the main things,” Phan said. “Austin will benefit because they want to keep Austin weird and diverse. How much weirder and diverse can you get with 13 different Asian communities?”
Chanh-Duy Tran, who moved from New York City to Austin six years ago, said he enjoyed the exhibit. His father had worked for the South Vietnamese government and escaped from political prosecution.
“I like seeing all these things because we came over in 1984,” Tran said. “Seeing how hard it is for everyone else, I can relate.”
City Council Member Laura Morrison read the mayoral proclamation recognizing the event and remarked on the fact that the Asian American population, and in particular Vietnamese Americans, is the fastest growing segment in Austin, doubling every ten years compared to every 20 in other groups.
“The first exhibit of its kind in the country,” Morrison said. “This exhibit gives all Austinites the opportunity to celebrate the Vietnamese heritage in Austin.”
Don't miss the exhibit, which is on display at the Austin History Center through July 17.
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