Vietnamese Student Association
Encyclopedia
The Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) refers to campus-based not-for-profit student groups located all over the world in areas where communities of overseas Vietnamese exist. It is also known as Hội Sinh Viên Việt Nam (postsecondary) or Hội Học Sinh Việt Nam (secondary) in Vietnamese
.
Each VSA operates independently, therefore the structure, mission, membership requirements and activities may vary from school-to-school. In general, VSAs exist to preserve the Vietnamese culture and heritage. But because of these variations, some organizations operate under different names, such as Vietnamese Student Union (VSU), Vietnamese American Student Organization (VASO), etc. The majority of organizations, however, use Vietnamese Student Association as its name. The earliest documented establishment of a Vietnamese Student Association is 1968 at San Diego State University
. Following the end of the Vietnam War
on April 30, 1975, which brought about a massive exodus
of refugee
s up until the early 1990s, many new VSAs were established to deal with the cultural transition for the refugees entering college.
VSAs are often affiliated with postsecondary schools, although a notable number are also affiliated with secondary schools. Most VSAs are structured to be run by a board of elected officers including, at minimum: president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer. Other elected positions may include public relations, historian, webmaster, etc.
Many VSAs do not use the official flag of Vietnam
to designate their country of origin, and instead often use the flag of South Vietnam, what is now known as the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag, which is banned in Vietnam. Such VSAs have adopted this flag through formal resolutions or de facto usage.
With the rise of international students from Vietnam studying overseas, there has also been a conflict concerning the opposing flags. While there is no definitive study concerning flag usage of all Vietnamese student groups in the world, a few groups exist whose membership consists of Vietnamese international students, and who do use the official flag of Vietnam, such as the Vietnamese International Student Association of Adelaide. In the United States, they remain a minority among Vietnamese students, with approximately 8,800 international students out of 153,000 college-enrolled Vietnamese American
s as of the 2007 American Community Survey
.
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
.
Each VSA operates independently, therefore the structure, mission, membership requirements and activities may vary from school-to-school. In general, VSAs exist to preserve the Vietnamese culture and heritage. But because of these variations, some organizations operate under different names, such as Vietnamese Student Union (VSU), Vietnamese American Student Organization (VASO), etc. The majority of organizations, however, use Vietnamese Student Association as its name. The earliest documented establishment of a Vietnamese Student Association is 1968 at San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
. Following the end of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
on April 30, 1975, which brought about a massive exodus
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
of refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s up until the early 1990s, many new VSAs were established to deal with the cultural transition for the refugees entering college.
VSAs are often affiliated with postsecondary schools, although a notable number are also affiliated with secondary schools. Most VSAs are structured to be run by a board of elected officers including, at minimum: president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer. Other elected positions may include public relations, historian, webmaster, etc.
Hierarchy
It is important to restate that each VSA is autonomous, and that it enters coalitions by choice. Unlike other chapter-based organizations that may require dues or an adherence to organizational policy for each chapter, these coalition-based organizations of VSAs exist autonomously as well. Also, there might be some organizations that have a broader youth-based constituency rather than the more limiting qualification of being a student. The following list helps to clarify the scope of each organization.| Scope | Examples |
|---|---|
| International | Len Duong International Vietnamese Youth Network Len Duong International Vietnamese Youth Network The Len Duong International Vietnamese Youth Network is an international non-profit network composed of Vietnamese student and youth organizations for the purpose of networking as well as philanthropic and political work related to the Vietnamese youth... |
| Continental/National | Federal Vietnamese Students Association of Australia Federal Vietnamese Students Association of Australia The Federal Vietnamese Students Association in Australia is an Australia-wide non-profit network composed of Vietnamese student and youth organizations for the purpose of networking as well as philanthropic and political work related to the Vietnamese youth.... (FVSAA) Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations The Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations is a non-profit, community-based organization founded in 2004 as a means for Vietnamese youth organizations from across North America to network, share common resources, and collaborate with one another on youth-related and philanthropic... (UNAVSA) |
| Regional | Mid-Atlantic Union of Vietnamese Student Associations Mid-Atlantic Union of Vietnamese Student Associations The Mid-Atlantic Union of Vietnamese Student Associations is a non-profit alliance of college-based cultural organizations from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia... (MAUVSA) Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest (UVSA Midwest) |
| State/Province | Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California The Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California is a network of Vietnamese Student Associations at various Southern California universities and colleges... (SoCal UVSA) Vietnamese Students Association of Victoria (VSAV) |
| Metropolitan | Association Générale des Etudiants Vietnamiens de Paris Association Générale des Etudiants Vietnamiens de Paris The Association Générale des Etudiants Vietnamiens de Paris was officially founded in 1964 to the growing needs of young Vietnamese students. Composed mostly of youth leaders, AGEVP pays special attention to sports and organizes numerous cultural events including the Festival of the Vietnamese... (AGEVP) Vietnamese American Youth Alliance of San Diego (VAYA) |
| Campus | San Diego State University Vietnamese Student Association (SDSU VSA) |
Flag Politics
Flag of Vietnam
The flag of Vietnam, also known as the "red flag with yellow star" , was designed in 1940 and used during an uprising against French rule in Cochinchina that year. The flag was used by the Việt Minh, a communist-led organization created in 1941 to oppose Japanese occupation...
to designate their country of origin, and instead often use the flag of South Vietnam, what is now known as the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag, which is banned in Vietnam. Such VSAs have adopted this flag through formal resolutions or de facto usage.
- In 2004, some Vietnamese American students at the California State University, FullertonCalifornia State University, FullertonCalifornia State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs...
threatened to walk out on their graduation ceremony to demand that the university use the former flag of South Vietnam as well as the current flag of Vietnam to represent its Vietnamese students. This resulted in the university scrapping all foreign flags for the ceremony.
- In 2006, Vietnamese-American students at the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonThe University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
requested that the university add this flag in addition to the communist flag as a part of its student diversity in the Hall of Flags, Nedderman Hall. After several weeks of protests from the Vietnamese-American community in the area, the president removed all the flags from display in its Hall of Flags.
With the rise of international students from Vietnam studying overseas, there has also been a conflict concerning the opposing flags. While there is no definitive study concerning flag usage of all Vietnamese student groups in the world, a few groups exist whose membership consists of Vietnamese international students, and who do use the official flag of Vietnam, such as the Vietnamese International Student Association of Adelaide. In the United States, they remain a minority among Vietnamese students, with approximately 8,800 international students out of 153,000 college-enrolled Vietnamese American
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
s as of the 2007 American Community Survey
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey is an ongoing statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly . It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census...
.
See also
- List of Vietnamese American Groups
- Overseas Vietnamese
- International Vietnamese Youth ConferenceInternational Vietnamese Youth ConferenceLen Duong International Vietnamese Youth Network organises multi-day International Vietnamese Youth Conferences every 2-3 years, drawing Vietnamese youths from around the world to gather and discuss topics relating to Vietnamese youths and to network with each other. These conferences draw anywhere...
External links
- History of Overseas Vietnamese Youth Organizations
- VIA-1 Conference Vietnamese Interacting As One
Regional or State/Provincial Organizations
- Len Duong International Vietnamese Youth Network
- Vietnamese Students Association of New South Wales (Australia)
- Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations
- Mid-Atlantic Union of Vietnamese Student Associations
- United Vietnamese Student Associations of Northern California
- Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California
- Vietnamese American High School Alliance (Los Angeles & Orange Counties, California)