Story by Cari Johnson
Photos by Max Barkley
Families, students, and UO faculty gathered on Saturday, April 23, for the UO Vietnamese Student Association’s (VSA) annual Culture Night. Upon arriving at the EMU Ballroom, guests were greeted by a room full of elegant circular tables glowing with candle centerpieces.
Once the guests were settled, the event kicked off with the song “Hello Vietnam” performed by various VSA members accompanied by a guitarist. Two ornate lion costumes then slithered on stage. Tony Ngo, a dancer for Eugene’s CABA Lion Dance Team, said that the lions are meant to “bring in good luck and prosperity.” A deep drum echoed throughout the Ballroom as the performers weaved through the crowd and elongated to full size with dancers hopping on each others’ shoulders.
The lights dimmed as VSA director Oanh Nguyen took the stage. “We want to show our community how we view Vietnam,” she said during her opening speech explaining the night’s theme of “Through Our Lens.” “We want to show you Vietnam’s beauty and diversity.” The evening also raised money for the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, an organization that aids youth in crisis throughout Vietnam.
The main performance of the evening was a play written and directed by Oanh. “It’s about a Vietnamese-American man who goes back to Vietnam,” said UO freshman Andrew Dang. Each act followed lead character Viet through a different Vietnamese city—Hanoi, Hue, Can Tho, and Saigon—with Viet dragging a suitcase across stage as he visited each new location.
The first two acts included a traditional Vietnamese dance followed by a fashion show. During this part of the performance, VSA members Jackie Nguyen and Andrew Dang performed a duet as fifteen models walked the stage. Each wore a bright silk dress, called ao dai or “long dress.”
Volunteers flooded the Ballroom at intermission with plates full of traditional Vietnamese cuisine. Chef Duy Vo prepared a colorful assortment of food, including pickled carrots and papaya, stuffed tofu, thinly sliced steak, and a sweet red bean soup for dessert.
The play continued with a second song performed by UO students Dan Nguyen and Thao Bui. The final scene, Saigon, buzzed with loud traffic sounds and cicadas. “We are trying to show that Vietnam is progressing,” Oanh said. The performance concluded with a hip-hop dance, highlighted with neon clothes and a contemporary Vietnamese song to, Oanh said, “show the more modern side of Vietnam.”
“Culture Night is our time to shine,” Monica Mai, VSA Public Relations manager, said of the evening. “I hope people walk away with something new about Vietnamese culture.”
