On the evening of Friday, March 25, students gathered in the University of Massachusetts campus center auditorium for the sold-out “VSA by Night: Colors of Vietnam,” an event hosted by the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). This marked the 35th annual spring show and the first major in-person event for VSA since the start of the pandemic.
The auditorium was illuminated with fuchsia lights and colorful lanterns lined the stage and surrounding walls. The venue was packed with a wide range of attendees eager to see what VSA had in store.
“This is my first time running the ropes of the event this year,” said Clinton Nguyen, the president of VSA and a senior public health and journalism major,. “This show is a showcase where we’re able to display the talents and diverse culture of not only Vietnamese but other various cultures on campus.”
My Hyuynh, a UMass class of 2019 alumna, shared how excited she was to be back to attend the spring show again after graduating.
“It’s great that they’re able to continue the culture of bringing everyone together and showing other cultures,” Hyuynh said. “Especially because of COVID-19 and with how people are treating Asian Americans and Asian people terribly. So, it’s nice seeing that there is still a strong culture to support each other and that we’re not going to be ashamed of who we are.”
The event showcased different student groups of various musical and artistic talents. The night began with a performance by the UMass Lion Dance team, who weaved its way through the audience to welcome everyone. As the night progressed, the show was packed with a range of dynamic dance performances by Yoo-Yoo, DBJ, Bulnoriya, Dhadak and the Korean Dance Club (KDC).
“It’s nice to be able to show how hard we’ve worked on it,” said Jordan Richo, a dancer in KDC and junior English major. “We also performed a new set tonight, so it made it even more exciting to show people something new.”
The two emcees of the event were VSA Assistant Activities Coordinators Phillip Tran, a civil engineering sophomore, and Ahana Thapa, an undeclared freshman – both of whom had never emceed before.
“We were given a script for the spring show but me and Phil decided to improvise,” Thapa explained. “Both the support from the e-board and the energy from Phil being my co-emcee is what really made me have fun at this event.”
The show also contained the musical talents of CD2K, a musical group that performed songs in Vietnamese. Rang, a Hindi fusion acapella group at UMass, performed a medley of songs. Attendees were also treated to a performance by the TASC team, who did a performance with diabolos (Chinese yo-yos), all while executing tricks and choreography.
As a special performance, VSA e-board members took to the spotlight to perform their own dance as well, before taking a moment to put a spotlight on their graduating seniors. Words of admiration were shared and flowers were handed to those leaving.
The night then shifted to a fashion show where students walked down the stage dressed in a range of clothing, from Vietnamese áo dài to monochromatic themed outfits, showcasing both traditional and modern styles.
Sabrina Nguyen, a model in the fashion show and freshman computer science major at UMass, talked about how the fashion show provided a platform for students to wear and celebrate their cultural clothing.
“I like showing off my culture and wearing my áo dài because I never really get the opportunity to wear it any other time,” Nguyen said. “We have a really big Vietnamese community at UMass, and I think it’s important that we showcase our culture and everything that we do.”
To end the night, special guest performer Thuy, a rising R&B Vietnamese singer and songwriter, stole the spotlight and performed a selection of original music. Throughout her set, Thuy interacted with audience members, grabbing people’s hands and encouraging them to sing along with her.
“It’s incredible to see the representation of Vietnamese artists,” Alice Nguyen, the VSA secretary and senior hospitality tourism major, said. “It’s also really cool that people were so excited to come to the event to come see her.”
No cultural night event would be complete without the food. A range of Vietnamese dishes catered by UMass was served to attendees. The selection included gà nướng xả (lemongrass chicken), bún thịt nướng chay (vegan grilled ‘beef’ with rice noodles), chả giò (egg rolls) and green tea ice cream as dessert.
The event came to a close and the emcees wrapped everything up, putting an end to the VSA’s 35th annual spring show. Clinton Nguyen shared how proud he was of the work VSA put into the event and is grateful they have the platform to hold a spring show at UMass.
“Although UMass could be better with encouraging diversity on campus, the fact that we’re able to do this event is significant because some schools don’t even have a VSA,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen also had some parting advice for the next president of VSA. “I would advise them to put trust into their executive members,” Nguyen explained. “I know sometimes you put all the burden on yourself, but just trust that they’re going to get all these things done because that’s when you get the most work done, when you work as a team.”
Wafi Habib can be reached at [email protected].
