Manh Nguyen For San Jose City Council D4

With only 4 weeks away before the special election for San Jose D4, Manh Nguyen is picking up steam nicely with the endorsement from the Mercury News and a host of elected officials, including 4 local mayors and 4 city council members.   But of course the biggest endorsement of all is from Mayor Sam Liccardo.   Note that the ex-Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen was neither asked nor considered for endorsement by Manh.

http://www.manhnguyenforcouncil.com/endorsements

The Vietnamese-American voters in D4  make up about 18% of the registered voters but their turn- out accounted for 30% of the ballots in the primary.  Can they deliver another Viet-American to the council?

Tam Nguyen was a pride of the community as the voters went all out for him.  His swearing-in was a celebration of the community with State Senator Janet Nguyen drove all the way  from Sacramento to help administer the oath.

Manh Nguyen will have a very good chance to win this race especially if the overall turnout is low.

Miss Nebraska USA 2015 - Hoang Kim Cung

Hoang Kim Cung, a reporter and fill-in anchor for NBC Nebraska, made history when  she was crowned Miss Nebraska USA 2015.  She became the first Vietnamese-American to win a beauty pageant  at state level.   She will be competing in the Miss USA Pageant this July in Baton Rouge, LA.   The winner will represent the US in the Miss Universe Pageant.

Hoang Kim Cung was born and raised in Texas.  She received her degree in journalism from UT at Austin.  At 23 years old, she is poised and mature beyond her age.  With a beautiful smile and a bubbly personality, she has a great career ahead of her whether she wins or loses.

Friends of Hue Foundation

The Cao Dai Religion - A Lecture at UCLA

Gazing at the Left Eye of God from Both Sides of the Pacific: Caodaism’s Transpacific Transformations 1926-2015

Book talk with Janet Hoskins
Professor of Anthropology and Religion, University of Southern California

Wednesday, May 13, 2015
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
10383 Bunche Hall
UCLA Campus

Caodaism is a new religion revealed to a group of colonized intellectuals in southern Vietnam in 1926 who fused Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism with French Spiritism, Theosophy and Catholic hierarchies. Its syncretistic mixture has always been dynamic, renewed and revised through spirit séances, and often mixed with nationalist aspirations. After 1975, many Caodai leaders went into exile, establishing congregations in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. The initial vision of “bringing the gods of the East and West together” has been adjusted to new historical contexts and political challenges. Contrasts between the founding generation in French Indochina and descendants and disciples in California are explored by assessing the relationship between syncretism and diaspora, and the construction and dissolution of religious borders.

Janet Hoskins is Professor of Anthropology and Religion at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Her books include The Play of Time: Kodi Perspectives on History, Calendars and Exchange (1996 Benda Prize in Southeast Asian Studies), and Biographical Objects: How Things Tell the Stories of People’s Lives (1998).

City of San Jose Proclaimed Black April Remembrance Month

Last Tuesday, at the City Council weekly public meeting, Mayor Sam Liccardo, together with Councilmembers Ash Kalra and Tam Nguyen and other members of the City Council, proclaimed Black April Remembrance Month in the City of San Jose to remember the Fall of South Vietnam in April 30,1975.

The Vietnamese American Roundtable, a nonprofit organization, composed mainly of many Viet-Americans born after the Vietnam War, accepted the Proclamation on behalf of the Viet-American community in San Jose.

The significance of Black April commemoration in the community is eloquently articulated by VAR on their Website -

Black April is a deeply meaningful and important occasion for the Vietnamese diasporas and is observed each 30th day of April. In 1975, this date marked the fall of Saigon and was the symbolic ending of the Vietnam War and the Government of the Republic of Vietnam. In the years following the end of the war, waves of tens to hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fled the country as refugees--leaving as “boat people” to seek asylum and a new life in many foreign countries. Countless lives were lost in the open sea due to famine, disease, exposure, piracy, and more. Eventually, over 800,000 refugees were resettled in the United States and these communities have been thriving and growing ever since. The City of San Jose has the highest population of Vietnamese in any city outside of Vietnam.

Now, four decades later, the 40th Black April Commemoration aims to provide a respectful and meaningful opportunity to reflect upon the significance of a dark day in Vietnamese history and what it means to the millions of families of Vietnamese heritage that were forced to uproot themselves and start new lives in strange lands. Black April provides a unique opportunity for Vietnamese-American families to properly respect those who have sacrificed much for freedom and to help educate future generations of how their legacy was forever changed by the Vietnam War.

40th Black April Commemoration

April 16, 2015 - SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Vietnamese American Roundtable (“VAR”) would like to invite communities all across the Bay Area to join us for the 40th Black April Commemoration on Thursday, April 30, 2015 from 6pm-8pm, at San Jose City Hall – Rotunda, 200 E. Santa Clara St. San Jose, CA 95112. This is a Black Attire event. The event is free and open to the public.

Black April is a deeply meaningful and important occasion for the Vietnamese diasporas and is observed each 30th day of April. In 1975, this date marked the fall of Saigon and was the symbolic ending of the Vietnam War and the Government of the Republic of Vietnam. In the years following the end of the war, waves of tens to hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fled the country as refugees--leaving as “boat people” to seek asylum and a new life in many foreign countries. Countless lives were lost in the open sea due to famine, disease, exposure, piracy, and more. Eventually, over 800,000 refugees were resettled in the United States and these communities have been thriving and growing ever since. The City of San Jose has the highest population of Vietnamese in any city outside of Vietnam.

Now, four decades later, the 40th Black April Commemoration aims to provide a respectful and meaningful opportunity to reflect upon the significance of a dark day in Vietnamese history and what it means to the millions of families of Vietnamese heritage that were forced to uproot themselves and start new lives in strange lands. Black April provides a unique opportunity for Vietnamese-American families to properly respect those who have sacrificed much for freedom and to help educate future generations of how their legacy was forever changed by the Vietnam War.

40th Black April Commemoration is hosted by a collaboration of multiple community organizations, including newly-elected Councilmember Tam Nguyen (San Jose District 7) and Councilmember Ash Kalra (San Jose District 2). The program will revolve around the sharing of personal experiences through multi-medium exhibits, highlighting stories from families in the community, and performances that evoke thoughtful reflection of this important day.

About us: The Vietnamese American Roundtable’s mission is to connect organizations and professional individuals to share resources as well as networking and collaborative opportunities for the betterment of the Vietnamese American community.

Manh Nguyen, Another Chuck Reed's Candidate

It is now official,  former Mayor Chuck Reed and his hand-picked successor, current Mayor Sam Liccardo, have chosen Manh Nguyen to be the next councilmember for D4.

In a press conference held yesterday in front of the Petite Trianon, Nguyen was elated to accept the endorsement and complete support of Reed and Liccardo.  Notice the former Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen was not even invited to the press conference and that Manh Nguyen did not even consider her.

The special election will be in June to determine who will fill the seat that was held by State Assemblyman Kansen Chu.

It will be another proxy fight between South Baly Labor Council and Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce.  Tim Orozco is a long time resident of D4 and is well known for his activities within the community and its neighborhood associations.   Manh Nguyen, similar to another previous candidate for D4, Tam Truong, is a candidate that was recruited to ensure that Sam Liccardo has the majority in City Council.  He can count on about 3,000 Vietnamese-American votes in the primary to be his. There were 10,191 ballots cast in the primary.

In a city where 10% of the population is Viet-American, another Viet-American city councilmember would elevate the the political power of the community to a next level.  There are three districts in San Jose which will always be under the influence of the Viet-American voting bloc - D4, D7 and D8.  LSI predicts that it will be a close race and the difference might be within a percentage point or less.