The Vietnamese Student Association or VSA is a student organization dedicated to promoting cultural awareness at the University of Illinois and in the Urbana-Champaign community. The VSA’s annual cultural show, entitled “Family Day: A Soy Story” will take place Saturday, April 4th 6-8 p.m. at the Illini Union Ballroom. I spoke with ViVien Bui, a U of I sophomore and VSA intern, to learn more about the organization and her experiences as a Vietnamese American student at the U of I.
Smile Politely: What are the aims of VSA?
Bui: We’re a cultural/social organization. [Our goals] are like the goals of any social organization except our events [are] for appreciation of Vietnamese culture. But VSA isn’t just for Vietnamese people! [You] come for friends and a chance to learn about something you wouldn’t normally learn about in class.
SP: What are the typical activities organized by VSA?
Bui: Our most popular event is called Pho Night. We sell bowls of pho, Vietnamese noodle soup. We have a service auction every year that raises money for a charity picked by UNAVSA, the Union of North America Vietnamese Student Associations. We also attend conferences for Vietnamese American students like VIA-1 (Vietnamese Interacting as One).
SP: What charity did you raise money for this year?
Bui: Foodaid.Compassion [was] the beneficiary this year. [The charity] strives to enhance quality of life of the people in Vietnam, Bhutan, and Tibet through fighting hunger and HIV/AIDS. Foodaid.Compassion is also doing a water filtration project to bring fresh and clean water to the communities in Vietnam where people have no access to drinking water.
SP: Tell me more about the conference you attended, VIA-1. What did you learn?
Bui: It was held at Michigan State University. There were workshops. One was about learning to lead with emotional intelligence. [Another] I liked was about the model minority myth, and how Vietnamese people are affected by it. The environment…at VIA-1 really makes you feel prideful of your culture. The network is really strong because people get to know one another.
SP: How are Vietnamese people affected by the “model minority myth?”
Bui: Well, when I applied for school, I filled out the “Asian American” box. This makes it seem like all Asian Americans are kind of lumped together, which is troubling because [Vietnamese students] are compared to other Asian American students. Most of the Vietnamese American [students] are here because they fled Vietnam during the Vietnam War, so we came under refugee status and our higher education percentages are really low. [When] compared to Chinese and Korean students, the percentage of Vietnamese Americans going to college is significantly less. We’re economically/academically behind the curve.
SP: Have you personally been affected by misconceptions about Vietnamese people and culture?
Bui: One of my writing professors told me that he had two Vietnamese students before, and he was surprised when I said I was Vietnamese because I ‘showed more interest in the class and didn’t slack off.’ That’s a recent example of my realization that Vietnamese Americans have a bad reputation. [We are stereotyped] as the typical nail salon-working type.
SP: Would you say then that VSA has helped you create a cultural network with other Vietnamese students who feel misrepresented?
Bui: Even though I grew up in a diverse neighborhood, I barely knew any Vietnamese people my age. VSA gave me a sense of solidarity for sure, especially since racism on campus isn’t really gone.
SP: On that vein, U of I’s “Inclusive Illinois” program has been criticized by many students who feel our campus is racially divided. How can we work to unite our campus across racial/ethnic/cultural boundaries?
Bui: I’m not sure there’s anything U of I [administration] can do. It starts with the mindset of the student…to try to understand the people around them and make connections that transcend what our facial features represent.
It’s hard; I try to change a lot of my friends’ minds about stereotypes but I guess you only act on what experiences you’re exposed to. So it’s up to us as individuals to try and expose ourselves to many different types of people and cultures as we can.
I have my VSA friends, but I also have my non-VSA friends…friends who are white and people of color, English major friends and radio station friends… so I get to experience a lot of different people and for that I’m super lucky. But it’s hard to escape the comfortable bubble of people who look like you and are just like you.
SP: So events like VSA’s Soy Story are important because they educate people about cultures they may not understand or be exposed to everyday. What aspects of Vietnamese culture will Soy Story showcase?
Bui: Vietnamese dances, Vietnamese foods, Vietnamese language. The storyline is about a boy who is Vietnamese American and very “whitewashed” who comes back to Vietnam and learns about his culture. So it’s very related to the topic of exposure.
SP: Where did the theme of Toy Story originate?
Bui: In a way, the characters of Toy Story are always on some kind of quest. [Soy Story] is an adventure in the sense that Andy is dragged along by his friend (played by your’s truly) and along the way learns about his culture.
SP: Is the event free? Open to the public?
Bui: The event is completely free! Free show, free food, free cultural exposure, and free potential friends! It’ll be open to anyone and everyone. [The show] will be held in the Illini Union Ballroom. Food will be served after at the YMCA.
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To learn more about the Vietnamese Student Association, you can visit out their website.
If you are interested in attending Soy Story, check out the Facebook event.