The Vietnamese Student Association at the University of Virginia was founded in 1983 and is proud to be the first Asian student organization on Grounds. On Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, a group of Vietnamese students resolved to form an organization promoting Vietnamese cultural awareness while assisting each other in university life. Over the years, we have helped to foster a growing Asian-American community and embrace a diverse student body. We have worked cooperatively with various Asian Cultural Organizations to build unity within the community. We have also strived to foster strong connections with other organizations both within the University and in the greater global community. Now, nearly forty years later, we are still proud to carry on the VSA tradition.
Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts or omissions. Our mission: The Vietnamese Student Association strives to create a community that raises awareness of Vietnamese culture, gives back through charity, and forms meaningful connections within and outside of the UVA student body. Interested in joining? We'd love to have you as part of the family! |
SportsVSA at UVa strives to incorporate athleticism into who we are as an organization with participation in many sports including, but not limited to, flag football, soccer, and volleyball. Thanks to our Sports chairs, who organize practices and gather teammates, VSA is able to compete in intramural sports against other teams on Grounds.
One of our biggest sporting events of the year is Turkey Bowl, a region-wide flag football competition in which various MAUVSA schools in the Mid-Atlantic region compete against one another. |
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Community ServiceOur organization strives to leave a lasting impact on the community through different service events throughout the year. Our Service chairs find ways for us to give back to our community while also raising money for our Collective Philanthropy Project (CPP). Through the CPP each year, we, along with all other participating MAUVSA schools, raise money for causes combating current important issues facing Vietnam.
Our biggest service event of the year is Phofest, a time where our organization creates a pop-up Vietnamese restaurant in Charlottesville. During Phofest, we serve popular dishes like pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), goi cuon, (spring rolls), and che (Vietnamese dessert). |
Cultural Arts
As a cultural organization on Grounds, our mission is to spread awareness of the Vietnamese culture and what it means to be a Vietnamese student at UVa. Whether it is educating those of Vietnamese descent who lost touch with their own culture or simply sharing our cultural traditions and ideals to our members and friends who are not Vietnamese, we use our culture to bring those around us closer together.
In our largest cultural event of the year, Tet Show, the members of VSA put on a show for friends, family, and the community showcasing Vietnamese culture through acting, singing, dancing, and much more. |
The Mid-Atlantic Union of Vietnamese Student Associations (MAUVSA)MAUVSA unites VSAs from schools in the Mid-Atlantic Region in order to engage and empower Vietnamese-American communities by encouraging cultural awareness and promoting the development of young leaders. Every year, MAUVSA hosts multiple events such as their annual Leadership Conference and summits across different schools in order to fulfill their mission. Learn more about MAUVSA and how you can get involved here.
Each year, MAUVSA schools participate in a Collective Philanthropy Project (CPP) in order to raise funds and awareness for non-profit organizations and their initiatives. Our Service chairs lead fundraising efforts toward CPP through smaller actions such as bake sales and car washes to larger operations such as our semi-annual Phofest. This year, our CPP for 2021-2022 is the Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC). As a non-profit organization, the APSC is dedicated to supporting Asian and Pacific Islander (API) prisoners and to raise awareness about the growing number of APIs being imprisoned, detained, and deported. Learn more about the APSC here.
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