Việt Day at Yerba Buena Garden Festival
Marking half a century since the end of the Vietnam War, Blood Moon Orchestra and Vân-Ánh Võ weave intricate stories honoring 4,000 years of Vietnamese culture at this unique event, collaborating with fellow pioneers of the greater Bay Area Vietnamese community.
Cost: Free
RSVP with Yerba Buena Garden Festival here.
More information here.
Press release excerpt:
Viet Day at Yerba Buena Gardens adds a poignant thread to an event that honors Vietnamese cultural roots, lived experiences, and contributions to the broader American landscape. A vibrant celebration that brings together voices from different generations to share stories and artistic traditions of an underexplored community, Viet Day is an invitation to hear, see, taste and touch Vietnamese culture, fostering connection and understanding beyond the community itself.
The celebration includes exhibitions on Vietnamese history in the U.S. and the Bay Area, authentic Vietnamese finger foods and a performance by the genre-bending musical collective Blood Moon Orchestra, led by virtuoso Vân-Ánh Võ. Featuring master musicians, Blood Moon Orchestra seamlessly blends diverse sounds with traditional Vietnamese instruments to create fresh and unexpected musical dialogues. Adding to the celebration, student performers from the Vietnamese Educational & Cultural Association (VECA) and Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center play an opening set, taking the stage alongside their teachers.
‘It has been fifty years since the Vietnamese community has been calling America home," says Vân-Ánh. But as she points out, "there is a lot more to our community than phở, bánh mì, and nail salons! Our event will open the doors for people to take a deep look into our rich 4000-year cultural heritage, emerge into our traditions, and experience our community’s experiences through exhibitions of language, presentations of Việt costumes, performances of different music genres, and tasting of different traditional food. I am humble to be a part of this event to offer and deliver this unique experience to the audience. The event also provides a safe platform for community members to share their voices through the community’s performance section which audiences will witness.’”
Guest artists:
Le Gianna & The Finest City Dance Team — 12-year-old Vietnamese American rap superstar
Costume collections designed and curated by model & designer Maya Mai & Runway director Quang Tu
Chef Nikki Tran — an acclaimed Vietnamese-American chef, restaurateur, Featured in Netflix series like Somebody Feed Phil, Street Food: Asia, and Ugly Delicious
50 community performers from around the Bay Area
Community partners for cultural exhibitions:
Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center in San Francisco
Vietnamese Education & Cultural Association in Hayward
Foundations / Corporate / Individual Sponsors:
San Francisco Arts Commission
Gerbode Foundation Grant for New Music
California Arts Council for Creative Youth
Umpqua Bank
Yerba Buena Partnership’s Community Benefit Fund
Bun Mee Restaurant
Crustacean Restaurant from House of An
Jerry & Thao Dodson
Huynh Vo Charitable Fund
Blood Moon Orchestra
Dinh & Kochan Family
Event credits:
Executive producer: Blood Moon Orchestra Board of Directors
Executive Producer: Rosalina Tran Lyster
Artistic Director: Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ
Music Directors: Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ & Joel Davel