Courtesy of the Vietnamese Association
The University of Mississippi’s Vietnamese Student Association will host its Fourth Annual Taste of Vietnam Pho Night at the Jackson Avenue Center tonight from 6 to 9.
All proceeds will go to support the association’s philanthropy project, One Body Village, which helps to prevent sex trafficking in Vietnam and other southeast Asian countries.
“The UMVSA heavily emphasizes community service and, each year we partake in the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Association’s Collective Philanthropy Project (CPP) which is an initiative for Vietnamese-student organizations around the country to collaborate in working toward a charitable cause,” said Lynn Tran, junior pharmacy major and UMVSA member. “This year’s CPP is helping One Body Village.”
Tran explained that One Body Village helps children rise out of adversity and away from sex trafficking by providing shelter, medical health care and educational assistance.
The student association was created in order to promote an understanding of Vietnamese culture within the university and the Oxford community. Meetings are open for others to join in and promote the Vietnamese culture among students.
“I’m a Vietnamese American born in the States and never visited my family’s roots in Vietnam, so I hope to touch base with not only community service here in the States, but I also want to reach out to help those in need in Vietnam,” said Barbara Van, senior biology major and UMVSA member.
Pho, an authentic Vietnamese beef noodle soup, will be served along with other authentic Vietnamese cuisines. In addition to pho, guest’s tickets also include a serving of a Thai dessert and a Vietnamese coffee drink. The event will also include live entertainment such as the Vietnamese lion dance, singing, dancing and karaoke.
“My favorite part about being a part of UMVSA is the friendships you create, and I love that VSA is so culturally diverse,” Tran said. “You don’t have to be Vietnamese to be a part of our club — we’ve got members that are of Chinese, Korean and even European descent. UMVSA is a very accepting group of people, and it’s always a fun time with them.”
Tickets are $7 and egg rolls will be available in front of the Student Union today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m for $1.
