Around 200 students ate, sang, danced and celebrated at OU’s Vietnamese Student Association’s annual Lunar Moon Festival on Saturday.
Andrew Hoang, Vietnamese Student Association family chair, said the festival is the organization’s biggest and most popular event of the year.
“The Lunar Moon Festival is our most popular event,” Hoang said. “We host it with all sorts of external schools. We offer cultural foods like sushi and pad Thai. We also display cultural dances, such as line dances. It’s a great time.”
The festival was a collaborative event between multiple universities’ Vietnamese Student Associations, such as the University of Tulsa, the University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas A&M.
Hoang said hosting these celebrations is important so communities do not forget their traditions.
“It is important that Vietnamese, any sort of Asian American or any culture to continue the fire and the passion and pass it down to the next generation,” Hoang said. “Events like these educate people. Not just people in the culture, but by inviting other people out, they will learn more about our culture.
“We don’t want the tradition to die.”
VSA staff during the Vietnamese Student Association Lunar Moon Festival on Oct. 5.
Mike Pham, Vietnamese Student Association vice president external, said events like the Lunar Moon Festival are important and relevant to the history of Oklahoma.
“In Oklahoma, there is such historical significance to Vietnamese Americans, especially how they immigrated here and how they have become Americans themselves,” Pham said. “Having events like these shares that culture with other people who might not be aware (of Oklahoma Vietnamese history) and also celebrates our accomplishments.”
After the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, many Vietnamese refugees came to Oklahoma City. Along with cities in California, Texas and Florida, Oklahoma City is one of the main settling places in the Vietnamese diaspora in the United States.
In Oklahoma, over 65,000 people, or about 1.7% of the population, identify as Asian, and over 16,000 Asian Americans identify as Vietnamese. In Oklahoma City, about 1 in 60 people are of Vietnamese descent. In 2020, the Asian population increased to 2.3%.
Pham said that history can still be seen in Oklahoma’s diversity today.
“You can see that whenever you go to downtown OKC and the Asian District. I believe 90% of those businesses are Vietnamese-owned. Military Park was where they erected a statue about Vietnamese immigrants and the Vietnam War and gave them respect,” Pham said. “Being in such a very Vietnamese-dense community like that, it is good to represent the Vietnamese-American experience and Vietnamese students at OU.”
Elizabeth Nguyen, Vietnamese Student Association member, said the organization gives her a chance to immerse herself in her culture when otherwise she might not have the chance.
“I am Vietnamese but I never celebrated Lunar Moon with my family,” Elizabeth Nguyen said. “Coming to OU and being a part of VSA exec was important because it exposed me to such a wider community at OU who are passionate about celebrating events like these.”
Lauren Nguyen, Vietnamese Student Association vice president internal, said being from Edmond, a predominantly white town, the Vietnamese Student Association has given her a home away from home.
“In Edmond, there is not a lot of Vietnamese culture and I felt really disconnected,” Lauren Nguyen said. “Growing up, I didn’t go to temple or anything, but coming here and having multicultural organizations and clubs helps me keep in touch with my community.”
Lauren Nguyen said reconnecting with culture doesn’t have to start at big events like the Lunar Moon Festival.
“My roommates are Hispanic and just talking to them and inviting them to events like this, sharing each other’s foods and taking the time to explain the culture to one person can lead to them telling their other friends,” Lauren Nguyen said. “It can start anywhere.”
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure, Ana Barboza and Gracie Rawlings. Kylie Caldwell, Avery Avery and Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
Andrew covers business news across the OU campus and in the Norman community. Originally from Tulsa, OK, Andrew strives to deliver meaningful and enduring news for all to read and enjoy. He can be contacted at andrew.j.paredes-1@ou.edu