Group Studiously Avoids Conflict in Tet Plans

GARDEN GROVE —  It’s just about to end, this meeting attended by past and present members of the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations to finalize plans for their Tet Festival, to begin Saturday.

But first, some important words from Khanh Hoang, the group’s president: “Before we go, please, please, remember that everyone has tickets to invite our parents to the first day’s opening. It’s very important that we show our parents our thanks. It’s very important that we show our elders our respect.”

Respecting their elders is a creed members of the student union, which is made up of more than 30 Vietnamese American student groups from college campuses throughout the state, have followed for the past 15 years while organizing one of the largest events celebrating Vietnam’s most important cultural and religious holiday, the lunar New Year, or Tet.

Tet falls on Feb. 7 this year and ushers in the Year of the Ox.

Unlike other Tet festivals, whose celebrations are marked by public bickering and personality conflicts among their organizers, the event hosted by the student union is decidedly devoid of acrimony.

That’s because leaders of the group say they follow to the letter the idea that Tet is a time for harmony among all, and to remember to respect the elderly.

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Respecting the older generation means members of the student union do not even talk about controversies that have marked other Tet festivals, hosted by various community organizations and business people since 1980 in Orange County.

It also means the organizers avoid having their event at the same time as rival festivals, even if that requires holding it on days that do not fall on the actual holiday.

The student union festival, featuring Vietnamese music, shows, art, games and presentations of life in a Vietnam village, will be held Saturday and Sunday at Golden West College in Huntington Beach. A similar event, organized by the Westminster-based Vietnamese Community of Southern California, is scheduled Feb. 7 through 9, in Garden Grove.

“Every year, we put on a festival that is a reflection of the culture and history of the community, but that sometimes seems to get lost on some people looking at our event as one put on by ‘a bunch of students,’ ” said Hoang, 28. “In the eyes of many, we are still children because of our youth. But we feel after 20 years [settling in the United States], we’re mature enough.”

The group may be called the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California, but the name is a misnomer. The organization comprises university students as well as past members, who are professionals in their early 20s and 30s.

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The student union incorporated as a nonprofit group in 1982 and its first major fund-raiser was the Tet Festival, whose proceeds were given to refugees languishing in camps in Southeast Asia. Now, the profits from the event--netting anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000--go to cultural projects, scholarship programs as well as seed money for next year’s festival.

“Some do look at us as if we’re a bunch of kids doing a big project,” said Frances The Thuy Nguyen, 34, a member of the student union who was also its president from 1986-90. “Obviously, we’re not children . . . but in our culture, we’re always taught to respect our elders, so we don’t make [an issue] out of it.”

The first rule of respect is to not sally into van de nguoi lon, or affairs of the adults. So don’t ask members of the student union what differentiates theirs and other Tet activities because candor could result in an inadvertent criticism on their part.

“Can we just say that ours is an effort put together completely by student volunteers?” asked Paul Hoang, a vice-chair of the planning committee. “If we say any more, we may touch the elders and, well, we want to avoid the conflicts.”

And don’t ask what they think of the conflicts that have arisen from other organizations’ celebrations, conflicts such as a group of Little Saigon merchants protesting the event, the leader of one festival suing the leader of another for slander and the city of Westminster canceling its own celebration this year.

“It’s none of our business,” said Nguyen.

Don’t even ask them which is the better, more popular celebration.

“Each festival is an opportunity for the Vietnamese to promote our culture to other communities,” answered Dennis Vo, chair of the planning committee.

Do ask the same question of many community watchers, such as newspaper writer Nha Ca, who gives a diplomatic answer: “How about if instead of saying which is the better event, we say, every year, the festival organized by the young people is full of life and happiness. No bitterness. No division. Just harmony for all.”