Kelly Truong Banh, 24 years old native of San Jose, California and alumni of the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), was recently crowded Miss Congeniality and 2nd Runner-Up at the Miss National US Scholarship Pageant. She also received the President’s Award from the president and staff of Miss National US Incorporated (MNUS) for being the contestant whom MNUS … [Read more...] about Kelly Truong Banh: Miss California, Miss Congeniality, and Miss Philanthropy
People
G.I. Joe Presents: A Night of Fashion, Acoustic/Rock, and Comedy Fun
At the beginning of last month, I wrote a piece on the G.I. Joe Search & Rescue foundation and how the group came about. G.I. Joe is growing strong in membership for a group that formed just four months ago, but, as with any other emerging non-profit, they are in need of funding. This Saturday, Aug. 20, the foundation will be hosting a benefit concert at the Access Group … [Read more...] about G.I. Joe Presents: A Night of Fashion, Acoustic/Rock, and Comedy Fun
An Artists’s Perspective: The Stories We Share, The Lessons We Learn
As noted in last Thursday's post, VAALA will soon be hosting a new exhibition titled "Marvelous Metaphors: Art as Visual Poetry" to encourage audiences to experience art as they would poetry. One of the artists to be featured at the exhibition, Trinh Mai, has kindly shared with VTP her artist's statement. The final art product is itself a matter of contemplation, but knowing an … [Read more...] about An Artists’s Perspective: The Stories We Share, The Lessons We Learn
VTP Quickie: Vietnamese Story Featured on This Weekend’s This American Life
Why? Because banh mi and bubble tea are a million idea, that's why. This weekend's episode of This American Life (which originally aired July 16, 2010) features the story of dueling banh mi shops in Brooklyn. Hanco runs a successful banh mi shop on Bergen Street when suddenly a banh mi shop with an identical menu to his own opens up four blocks down. Who opened it? A trio of … [Read more...] about VTP Quickie: Vietnamese Story Featured on This Weekend’s This American Life
The Oppressor from Within
[The characters and incidences in this story are fictional, drawing from stories based on real occurrences in the Vietnamese community. However, the phenomena illustrated by the story are very real. More on that later.] It happened again. Lan’s breath shortened as that old familiar feeling of imagined prison walls closing in crept up on her. Here we go again, she thought. … [Read more...] about The Oppressor from Within