April 30, 2025, marked 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. Across the United States, Vietnamese American artists are honoring their history through art that showcases the diverse Vietnamese American diaspora and their rich cultural heritage.
Washington, DC
In the nation’s capital, DMV-based art collective Vagabond hosted “50 years of Hope and HA-HAs,” the first art exhibit in the Washington metropolitan area entirely featuring art from 1.5 and 2nd generation Vietnamese artists. 1.5 generation refers to those born in Vietnam who immigrated to the United States at a young age, while 2nd generation are those born in the United States to Vietnamese parents. Through multimedia art, poetry, and music, over 20 artists and four zine collectives shined a light on Vietnamese American identity and their diversity, resilience, and solidarity. The exhibition is named after a poem titled “The Last Dinosaur,” written by award-winning Vietnamese American writer Ocean Vuong. Its last lines read:
“Oh wind-broke wanderer, widow of hope
& ha-has, oh sister, dropped seed—help me.
I was made to die but I’m here to stay.”
A 1.5 generation immigrant himself, Vuong captures the resolve of refugees escaping a violent conflict, a recurring theme in many artworks featured in this exhibition.
In an interview with NPR, Vagabond co-curator Philippa Pham Hughes shared that the featured works represent the “breadth and complexity of what it is to be Vietnamese American,” which differs from “the experience of [their] parents and grandparents, who came to America as adults.” Her fellow curator Anthony Le, whose parents came to the United States in 1975, described the exhibit as “a way to provide counternarratives to war and show how life continues.”
Although the exhibition concluded on March 1, the artworks are preserved online. A virtual version of the gallery allows visitors to “walk around” a detailed digital recreation of the exhibit.
New York and Pennsylvania
The nonprofit organization Vietnamese Boat People (VBP) is dedicated to preserving and educating Americans on the history of the Vietnamese diaspora through storytelling. In addition to hosting a podcast of the same name, the organization also manages blogs, public workshops, and virtual events. This September, VBP is launching a touring exhibition titled “Our Journeys: 50 Years After the Fall” in New York City. It will feature photographs, artifacts from Vietnamese American homes, sets of refugee-made homes, and videos of Vietnamese American storytelling.
The Ware Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is scheduled to be the second destination for the exhibit in February 2026. This year, a special prelude event on April 30—the anniversary of the fall of Saigon—gives visitors a sneak peek at the traveling exhibit. One of the featured artists is Lancaster-based photographer Brian “Bri” Nguyen, whose photography collection, “Đường Về Quê Hương: Hello Vietnam” documents a month-long solo trip exploring their queer identity in Vietnam. Nguyen’s work also reflects their personal journey in reconnecting with their Vietnamese roots.
California
California is the home to nearly 38% of all Vietnamese Americans in the United States. In March 2025, the Vietnam Cultural & Media Center opened in Little Saigon in Orange County, the largest Vietnamese American enclave in the country. The center houses six Vietnamese American non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving and promoting Vietnamese culture and history. The center featured the works of up-and-coming Vietnamese American artists, including Linh Vo, whose collection includes vibrant paintings and framed dried flower compositions. In addition to visual art, the center also showcases literature and poetry by Vietnamese writers. Pauline Tang, a program chair at the center, emphasized Vietnam’s “beautiful rich culture with [their] literature, art, music, fashion and so much more beyond the war. We want to show the world the beauty of (the) Vietnam that we knew and loved.”
Oregon
In April and May, the Oregon Historical Society hosted two exhibitions highlighting Vietnamese heritage: “This is Vietnamese Portland” and “50 Years of Vietnamese Contributions to Oregon.” At Lewis & Clark College, “This is Vietnamese Portland” featured bilingual panels displaying documents, pictures, and interviews that outline the history behind the Vietnamese community in Portland. Dr. Thuy Tran, a State Representative who has helped pass state legislation to recognize Vietnamese American Remembrance Day, made a keynote address at the “50 Years of Vietnamese Contributions to Oregon” exhibition. Joined by eyewear designer Paul Vu and Van Le, co-founder of the Vietnamese Cultural Arts Alliance, they honored the stories of Vietnamese Americans. The alliance aims to preserve Vietnamese cultural arts in Oregon, including the works of her late father Le Quang Vinh.
The artist Le Quang Vinh left Vietnam in 1975 before settling in Oregon. Although trained as a painter, Le had to work as a janitor to provide for his family. In an English-speaking foreign country, art became a vital form of communication. His paintings span multiple subjects, including Vietnamese folklore and wartime Vietnam, illustrating the tension between the country’s traumatic past and its enduring cultural richness. Van Le hopes her father’s art will motivate others to learn more about the Vietnamese American experience and recognize the powerful role of art in fostering understanding and bringing people together.
From coast to coast, Vietnamese artists have woven threads of talent, heritage, and quiet resilience, marking 50 years of presence with beauty, strength, and lasting contributions.
Nanami Nishimoto is a Spring 2025 Young Professional at the East-West Center in Washington. She is a graduate student at Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) with a B.A. in International Studies, majoring in IR and minoring in German.
Alex Vu is a Spring 2025 Young Professional at the East-West Center in Washington. Alex is currently a junior at the University of South Florida, studying Econometrics & Political Science.