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2013 | A group of volunteers organize as a "roundtable" of Vietnamese American community members

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2013 | A group of volunteers organize as a "roundtable" of Vietnamese American community members

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VAR hosts our first mayoral candidates forum, bringing together all major candidates to discuss major policy implications for the Vietnamese American community in San Jose in a full theater at Evergreen Community College. VAR begins its initial goals of establishing itself as a neutral, credible policy partner.

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San Jose City Mayoral Candidates Forum With The Vietnamese American Community

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First time meeting Christine.  I am apparently the first person to arrive for the work session which she seems confused about.  She says "Who are you?" 

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I should have brought cheesecake or Viennetta!!

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Christine's Address Black April 2014.JPG

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November 2014? Isabella meets VAR for the first time

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November 2014? Isabella meets VAR for the first time

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wow throwback

the folks i remembered meeting: Quyen Mai (lol), Kayla Tran, Minh Nguyen, Thi Ly

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October 31, 2015 - First VARoween! The idea came about when a group of us were sitting at Christine's house brainstorming events that VAR could do besides Black April. We started our initial plans for the Haunted House on the back of a napkin.

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October 31, 2015 - First VARoween! The idea came about when a group of us were sitting at Christine's house brainstorming events that VAR could do besides Black April. We started our initial plans for the Haunted House on the back of a napkin.

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January 27, 2018 - Immigration Symposium!  The first symposium we ever held focused on why we had to fight the immigration policy changes being proposed to deport Vietnamese nationals.

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January 27, 2018 - Immigration Symposium!  The first symposium we ever held focused on why we had to fight the immigration policy changes being proposed to deport Vietnamese nationals.

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April 25, 2017 - VAR Formally Incorporates as a 501c3 Nonprofit

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April 25, 2017 - VAR Formally Incorporates as a 501c3 Nonprofit

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VAR resisted being incorporated for many years as we didn't want to become yet another Viet-Am organization. But as our workload, reputation, responsibilities grew, incorporating would provide us with necessary governance to continue the projection of our goals.

Fun fact: VAR was a fully flat structure prior to this date. But incorporation required a president and officers for state filings. Christine became the first president of VAR as her name was picked out of a hat (and all the work that came with it). Lucky her!

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search find query retrieve california corporations limited partnerships limited liability companies online on-line lp llc lp/llc corp record records details

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Search records online for California Corporations, Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies.

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VAR hosts our first overnight retreat with bonding activities over Myer-Briggs personalities and CodeNames Male vs. Female Showdown (females won of course). This retreat is also where we established our first 5 year strategic roadmap to have an ED and staff at the end of 5 years!

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Away Board Retreat (pre-kids) 🤣

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First time attending Black April Event

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Jacklyn, Cindy, Nancy, Shawna, Vivian, Sarah, Annie, Nghi.  #thefutureisfemale

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June 2018 | Launch of SEEDS Inaugural Class 

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June 2018 | Launch of SEEDS Inaugural Class 

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https://varoundtable.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/35972941_1412227472256959_510182126956576768_n.jpg?w=300

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I joined SEEDS Inaugural Class! This is when I learned more about VAR, met amazing friends, and was introduced to civic engagement :)

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I joined SEEDS Inaugural Class! This is when I learned more about VAR, met amazing friends, and was introduced to civic engagement :)

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~July/August 2018 | Amy asks me to be VAR's next Treasurer.  She said it's just writing checks.  I reluctantly accepted.  The event in the photo is where it took place.  (Thanks Christine for the pop-up escape room too!)

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~July/August 2018 | Amy asks me to be VAR's next Treasurer.  She said it's just writing checks.  I reluctantly accepted.  The event in the photo is where it took place.  (Thanks Christine for the pop-up escape room too!)

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https://varoundtable.org/vision-mission/

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The Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR) is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Vision: VAR envisions a strong and unified Vietnamese American community that works towards improving the quality of life for all.

Mission: VAR's mission is to mobilize, advocate for, and inform our community of the critical issues that impact their lives. We accomplish our mission through building coalitions, strategic advocacy, and organizing meaningful community events for all. We are community volunteers who work collaboratively to research, develop, promote, and support programs and projects that benefit the local community. As Vietnamese Americans spanning different generations, we are able to bridge both aspects of Vietnamese and American culture and lifestyle, which helps us bring inclusive perspectives to our events.

VAR is composed of young professionals and representatives from various Vietnamese American community groups who works collaboratively to research, promote, and support joint programs and projects to benefit the local community.

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The Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR) is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Vision: VAR envisions a strong and unified Vietnamese American community that works towards improving the quality of life for all. Mission: VAR's mission is to mobilize, advocate for, and inform our community of the critical issues that impact their lives.

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VAR Hires first part-time staff member! aka me! aka admin assistant! woo

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December 2019| First time receiving an award! Last fun event attended before never leaving the house again. 

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December 2019| First time receiving an award! Last fun event attended before never leaving the house again. 

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It's not difficult to find YouTube channels spouting misinformation about the pandemic in Vietnamese - misinformation that's often couched as personal opinion - to tens of thousands of subscribers. And YouTube's community guidelines don't always stop certain channels from spreading harmful content.

KQED brought one such video in Vietnamese to YouTube's attention. It was from a channel with more than 96,000 subscribers which has been suspended twice for violating YouTube's content guidelines. YouTube didn't remove the video from its website because a spokeswoman said it didn't violate its guidelines.

But Nick Nguyen, a board member with PIVOT and a writer for Viet Fact Check, worries the video still spreads harmful misinformation. He argues YouTube's promise to combat misinformation takes a back seat to its monetization of popular channels, especially when the channels operate in languages other than English.

"If they are responsive to our small community, then they will have to spend time and money on other groups who fairly ask, 'Why aren't you taking down this content in Farsi or Spanish?' " Nick Nguyen said.

Cultural Brokers in a Pandemic

In the absence of effective misinformation control, a number of young Vietnamese Americans have been taking matters into their own hands.

Peter Lai in Connecticut started an Instagram account called Viet Fake News Buster, where he pinpoints parts of YouTube videos that spread misinformation and encourages his followers to flag the videos for YouTube to take down. In Southern California, young Vietnamese American volunteers translate news articles from English into Vietnamese for The Interpreter.

In the South Bay, there's the Vietnamese American Roundtable, which had organized webinars for local Vietnamese American business owners on shelter-in-place guidelines on Facebook, and sent those who sign up for them vaccination alerts in Vietnamese.

"This information needs to be out in Vietnamese and there's no one go-to, or yellow page, or a one-page resource for all our community that is translated into Vietnamese," said Vietnamese American Roundtable Secretary Christina Johnson.

She added that the information needs to be more than accurate, but culturally nuanced, too. For instance, she points to Santa Clara County information about COVID-19 and sheltering in place in Vietnamese as technically accurate, but culturally "clumsy."

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'Cultural Brokers for Our Families': Young Vietnamese Americans Fight Online Misinformation for the Community | KQED

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It's not difficult to find YouTube channels spouting misinformation about the pandemic in Vietnamese - misinformation that's often couched as personal opinion - to tens of thousands of subscribers. And YouTube's community guidelines don't always stop certain channels from spreading harmful content. KQED brought one such video in Vietnamese to YouTube's attention.

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June 2021 - Atkinson asked me if I was interested in joining VAR Board. Volunteering with VAR opened so many doors for me in terms of community involvement, so this moment was really special because I never expected to be able to join a board with such amazing people!! There was no hesitancy in my answer (YES), I knew that this opportunity would continue to help me grow more than I already have thanks to VAR.

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June 2021 - Atkinson asked me if I was interested in joining VAR Board. Volunteering with VAR opened so many doors for me in terms of community involvement, so this moment was really special because I never expected to be able to join a board with such amazing people!! There was no hesitancy in my answer (YES), I knew that this opportunity would continue to help me grow more than I already have thanks to VAR.

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This article mentions voters and whenever Vietnamese voters are mentioned it makes me think of the Census and how I first become involved with VAR. 

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This article mentions voters and whenever Vietnamese voters are mentioned it makes me think of the Census and how I first become involved with VAR. 

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From the sensory delights of Little Saigon to colorful celebrations at Lion Square, the influence of the Vietnamese community is seeped in San Jose - except on the City Council.

Following November's election, San Jose - where more than 1 in 10 residents is Vietnamese - no longer has a councilmember representing the community, leaving leaders with mixed feelings. Some see it as a loss while others say they are waiting for a strong candidate to step up.

Lan Diep, the council's most recent Vietnamese leader, was unseated by David Cohen this past election. Manh Nguyen, another former Vietnamese councilmember who was ousted by Diep, called his departure a "big loss" for a city that has the largest Vietnamese population - more than 100,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau - outside of Vietnam.

Nguyen said local government should include Vietnamese representatives who will combat inequality - especially among the elderly and new immigrants.

"It would be better for the whole city if (the City Council) had someone from the community to extend the Vietnamese leadership," Nguyen said.

But Frank Nguyen, a business owner, said the city hasn't found the right candidate for the job.

"Obviously (Vietnamese) representation is important and would be great to have on the City Council with the right candidate," Frank Nguyen said. "That just hasn't happened yet, but I am thankful that there is some representation within staffers at councilmembers' offices."
Language barriers
Frank Nguyen applied for dozens of grants to keep his cafe, Academic Coffee, afloat during the pandemic. Even as a fluent English speaker with a college degree, he struggled to complete the time-consuming applications, which he said required hours of reading.

He said he can't imagine how difficult navigating resources must be for first-generation Vietnamese business owners who may not have access to resources in their native tongue. As long as the current leadership is looking out for Asian residents, Frank Nguyen said there doesn't necessarily need to be a Vietnamese leader on council.

He said many non-Vietnamese lawmakers, including former councilmember and now California Assemblymember Ash Kalra, have been strong and effective advocates for the Vietnamese community.

"I remember when Ash Kalra was a councilmember here and he went to like every single Vietnamese American event. It was insane," Frank Nguyen said. "I would follow his social media, I would see him represent (the community) everywhere and he always supported all the causes."
City staffers try to fill gaps
David Tran, a Vietnamese-speaking policy director for District 3, said the council office gets a number of calls from Vietnamese residents looking for business and housing resources. Many are worried they will be displaced during the pandemic. Tran said and it is up to him and his colleague Mindy Nguyen to communicate their concerns to Councilmember Raul Peralez.

"Would it be nice to have someone of Vietnamese descent on the council? Absolutely," Tran said. "But the work doesn't stop just because someone of Vietnamese descent isn't on the council."

Language and cultural barriers make it difficult for leaders to know what the community needs, Tran said. Vietnamese staff can help create policy that is privy to cultural values such as family, education for children and business-ownership.

Huy Tran, a board member at the San Jose-based community group Vietnamese American Roundtable, said local leaders need to be cognizant of how cultural celebrations such as February's Lunar New Year may impact the COVID-19 mitigation effort. To celebrate the new year, families traditionally gather for meals and often deliver food and gifts over the course of several nights to strengthen bonds.

In the same way many families couldn't ignore Thanksgiving and Christmas, Huy Tran said many Vietnamese residents will struggle to avoid Lunar New Year traditions. According to Santa Clara County data, rates of COVID-19 cases among Vietnamese and Filipino residents are rising faster than other Asian subgroups.

"We're still dealing with a surge, so how do we deal with that in a way that allows the cultural practices to be engaged in in a way that is safe, but also without forcing people to feel like they are being prohibited from engaging in the most important holiday?" Huy Tran said.
Vietnamese leadership
Despite calls for representation, Vietnamese leaders struggle to maintain seats on the City Council. The first Vietnamese councilmember, Madison Nguyen, was the only Vietnamese councilmember to serve two terms from 2005 to 2014. Tam Nguyen served one term from 2015 to 2019. Manh Nguyen served one year after a special election from 2015 to 2016. Diep served from 2017 to December 2020.

"The history of Vietnamese representation in San Jose is very short," said Huy Tran. "So the candidates who have come out and run and won have shown that the community wants representation and does have the strength to get people elected."

Tran, who ran against Diep in the March 2020 primary, said Vietnamese voters are still finding their voice.

In a previous San José Spotlight report on the power of the Vietnamese vote, political expert Terry Christensen said San Jose's Vietnamese residents typically voted as a bloc but diverged in 2016 when Diep unseated Manh Nguyen by a mere 28 votes.

As the Vietnamese population grows, more qualified candidates will run for office, Manh Nguyen said. But the community needs to unify and network with other minority groups to support them, he added.

Huy Tran said appointing Vietnamese leaders to influential commissions, such as the Charter Review Commission - which will decide key issues including whether San Jose gets a 'strong mayor' system - will be critical for getting more representation across the board, Tran said.

Christina Johnson, a Vietnamese American Roundtable board member, was recently appointed to the commission. Mayor Sam Liccardo also appointed Diep to serve on the commission after Diep lost reelection.

"Representation is important, for a couple of reasons: one is that it breaks the norm, to show and establish that people from different communities, different backgrounds, are qualified to serve in these decision-making roles," Huy Tran said. "It also ensures that these communities are understood and served in times of distress that we are in now, and that the needs are not forgotten."
Contact Carly Wipf at [email protected] or follow @CarlyChristineW on Twitter.

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Election creates void on San Jose City Council for Vietnamese community - San José Spotlight

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From the sensory delights of Little Saigon to colorful celebrations at Lion Square, the influence of the Vietnamese community is seeped in San Jose - except on the City Council. Following November's election, San Jose - where more than 1 in 10 residents is Vietnamese - no longer has a councilmember representing the community, leaving...

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7/15/22 | VAR hires its first Executive Director! (EXAMPLE)

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7/15/22 | VAR hires its first Executive Director! (EXAMPLE)

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I share this  not only just because it includes my name and face, but also because it marked a significant moment of growth for our organization, and I was so proud to be a part of it.

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10/15/21 | First interview with VAR for the position of Community Organizing and Outreach Program Coordinator | First time ever in my life I got to say this at an interview "The system we live in harms people of color, we can fix it." The rest was history :-) 

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10/15/21 | First interview with VAR for the position of Community Organizing and Outreach Program Coordinator | First time ever in my life I got to say this at an interview "The system we live in harms people of color, we can fix it." The rest was history :-) 

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11/13/2021 | First Time being interviewed by Huy Tran !!!!

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11/13/2021 | First Time being interviewed by Huy Tran !!!!

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Silicon Valley Vietnamese American Community Empowerment Symposium

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VAR will be hosting the first-ever Silicon Valley Vietnamese American Community Empowerment Symposium to discuss equity issues at the VACC

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Listening to the panelists at the Silicon Valley Vietnamese American Empowerment Symposium inspired me to lean towards policy work for more systemic change in my community. I felt really empowered that day and am really glad I was able to attend. 

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Listening to the panelists at the Silicon Valley Vietnamese American Empowerment Symposium inspired me to lean towards policy work for more systemic change in my community. I felt really empowered that day and am really glad I was able to attend. 

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December 9, 2021 - VAR and Si Se Puede collaborate on a redistricting effort to preserve as much of the Latinx and Vietnamese voice that we can in East San Jose, the first time that we worked this closely with a non-Vietnamese org.

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December 9, 2021 - VAR and Si Se Puede collaborate on a redistricting effort to preserve as much of the Latinx and Vietnamese voice that we can in East San Jose, the first time that we worked this closely with a non-Vietnamese org.

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12/13/2021 | Hired onto VAR as Operations and Development Manager!

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12/13/2021 | Hired onto VAR as Operations and Development Manager!

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12/17/21 First Chan Uot Chan Rao VAR on Air | Vietnamese Women Navigating the Male-Dominated Worlds of Business & Investing 

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12/17/21 First Chan Uot Chan Rao VAR on Air | Vietnamese Women Navigating the Male-Dominated Worlds of Business & Investing 

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VAR Ugly sweater shindig-1st in person social at our place since pandemic, rusty host :)

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Great event that community was much in need of and 1st in person event I attended for VAR.

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Witness how much of an impact such significant programs (SEEDS) are to Viet youth, coming into their own... VAR shaping the future!

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This was the first event I volunteered for with VAR and loved it. MTVNC helped plan the gratitude wall which was super wholesome and inspiring to read.

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Alex, Oscar and I presented and led activities around civic engagement and informed high schoolers about how to be civically engaged at their age. It was interesting stepping up to this role since I was still new to VAR, but was grateful for the resources I was given. This workshop actually inspired a few folks to participate in SEEDS!

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Sept 2020: Census collaboration ICAN x VAR x NorCal UVSA

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Sept 2020: Census collaboration ICAN x VAR x NorCal UVSA

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this was my first major project since joining ICAN and I remembered not only taking pride in doing outreach for the Census, but also feeling delighted at the opportunity to collaborate with familiar faces and those of shared values from VAR and UVSA.

i believe this was also the beginning of my many collaborations with VAR

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It was awesome seeing SEEDS return to an in-person format, and I think it was a success! It seemed like participants really benefited from SEEDS in a variety of ways and it was an honor being able to show up to some sessions and participate myself.

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so much had happened and so quickly...it's amazing that we pulled together multiple days for the rapid updates, the many public comment sessions, and the all around support and coordination with talking points

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SEEDS