To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) at Binghamton University, the VSA E-Board brought more than 400 students and parents together for their largest Vietnam Night ever.
Vietnam Night featured performances by a variety groups including the Binghamton Ballroom Dance team and VSA Moda, as well as a special performance by a Vietnamese singer from Los Angeles, Richard Tranley and skits between each act by the VSA E-Board.
Vietnamese hat and fan dancers wore costumes and traditional dress to show their Vietnamese pride, as they performed their acts, eventually spelling out “Vietnam Night” with their T-shirts and with the insides of their umbrellas.
The Ao Dai fashion show featured different themes for each outfit, including school uniform-type dresses and dresses commemorating Lunar New Year.
Special guest Richard Tranley performed a variety of songs, ranging from Justin Timberlake covers to his own original music.
“I feel like I’m still at home,” Tranley said to comment on the warm welcome he received from the audience and the VSA.
Roxy Dinh, the president of the VSA and a junior majoring in marketing, said she wanted to do something big for the group, which she believes has been underrepresented in the past.
Dinh explained that the VSA wanted to shy away from what they did in prior Vietnamese Nights.
“I watched many talented performers at other cultural events such as Asian Night and saw that they fit in with the theme of the event,” Dinh said. “So I asked them to perform for me, in addition to the tryouts I held for the event.”
Many audience members were visibly excited for the event. Most of the audience came in support of Vietnamese pride and for a friend or family member performing in the show.
“It’s a big event and I really want to be part of the celebration,” said Amy Zhang, a freshman majoring in psychology. “I really want to be here to support my friends.”
Greg Zorn, a freshman in the Decker School of Nursing, was excited for the performances.
“It sounds like there are a lot of very cool acts,” he said.
Dinh said that the audience seemed to enjoy the show.
“Everybody tried their best to put the show together,” Dinh said. “The audience had a good time and really showed a lot of support for the VSA, which really warmed our hearts.”
Xiang Xu, a graduate student studying economics, was pleased with the performances.
“The dancing was quite exciting and the singers were extremely talented,” Xu said. “I loved the show.”