ABOUT VSAUW

The Vietnamese Student Association at the University of Washington (VSAUW) is a Registered Student Organization. VSAUW is a cultural, social, and civically engaged organization. Since the 1980s, we've continue to cultivate relationships between students at the University of Washington and the greater Seattle Vietnamese community. We aim to do this by developing the next generation of leaders to strive to help the Vietnamese community in Seattle move in a forward direction.

VSAUW host events that we believe showcases the Vietnamese heritage and culture, as well as supporting our sister VSAs at other college campuses. We strive to make an impact to our campus and city community by learning, educating, and taking action.

CULTURE

VSAUW has many outlets to connect our members to the Vietnamese culture. Our biweekly meetings are highlight pieces of Vietnamese culture, and provides a safe space to speak about the privileges and oppression of our communities.

Every year, VSAUW has a cultural pageant, alternating between our male-cultural pageant “Pho King” and our female-cultural pageant “Hoa Khoi Lien Truong”. Each pageant has its own theme about the Asian-American experience that the contestants and audience can relate to.

Our dance team is currently entering its seventh year. We embody the idea of dancing in the rainy season, choosing to grow and persevere even in adversity. Through dance, we aim to be a gateway for members to become more deeply involved with the Vietnamese culture and with VSA. Dance transcends language and time. With a mix of traditional dance in áo dài to modern hip-hop, we bridge the gap between Vietnam’s past and present culture for our members.

PHILANTHROPY

All year-long, VSAUW helps raise money through our Collective Philanthropy Project (CPP). Within the last 14 years, we have raised over $850,000, with an average of $65,000 a year! TThis year’s beneficiary is the Vietnam Health Clinic (VHC), a nonprofit organization committed to expanding healthcare access and services for under-resourced populations while fostering leadership and professional development among its members. Founded in 2008 and modeled after the Global Medical Brigades mobile clinics, VHC operates a two-week mobile health clinic, providing comprehensive medical, dental, optometric, pharmaceutical, and therapeutic care. In pursuit of their mission, VHC collaborates with local university students and healthcare providers in Vietnam in a joint effort to reduce health disparities in rural communities. To continue delivering high-quality healthcare to these communities, VHC will hold its next mobile clinic in the summer of 2025.

COMMUNITY

VSAUW connects with other campus organizations as well as the greater Seattle community. The Vietnamese Student Association as a whole has branches within Washington, and expanding to the entire North American continent. Local communities we connect with are: Tết in Seattle, Helping Link, Vietnam Health Clinic, Hoa Mai Vietnamese Bilingual Preschool, the Vietnamese American Scholarship Foundation, and many more!

FAMILY

VSAUW strives to bring members together by celebrating our vibrant Vietnamese culture. We accept members of all backgrounds and encourage one and all to come join us. Through our Anh Chi Chanh Em (ACCE) Family Program, members are placed into families that create the home away from home. As family we learn to rely on one another, may that be socially, academically, or professionally. Don’t have an ACCE family? No worries! Let an officer know and we’d be glad to place you in one!

Here is a snippet of what it is like to be a part of the VSAUW community from the 2021-2022 year!

ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Most Outstanding Performance (2024)

  • Most Outstanding VSA of the Year (2022)

  • Most Outstanding VSA of the Year (2021)

  • Most Outstanding Educational Program (2021)

  • Most Outstanding VSA of the Year (2020)

  • Most Outstanding Educational Program (2019)

  • Most Money Donated to CPP in the Region (2019)

  • Most Outstanding Multimedia Production - Pho King (2018) & IAV Project (2018)

  • VSA of the Year (2018)

  • Outstanding Web Presence (2018)