Frequently Asked Questions
We are dedicated to developing and building the next generations of future leaders for the Vietnamese communities across the United States, Canada and around the world.
We promote excellence in education, leadership and skills development through culture and science. We encourage multi-generational and cross-cultural collaborations and foster civic participation in mainstream America and Canada.
VCSA was founded in 1990 in Houston, Texas, initially with 14 members. For over 25 years, we’ve grown into a national organization with more than 650 members. VCSA is based in Houston with chapters all across America and Canada.
VCSA takes pride in our volunteers and strong team spirit. In 2002, we placed second in the nation for the prestigious “National Leadership Independent Sector” award. This recognition was for the extraordinary spirit of volunteerism of VCSA members in the first 12 years of establishment.
From Phuong Mai Duong, a CPA for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Houston, Texas:
“7 years ago when I first came to the United States, I was fascinated by the volunteerism I saw in this organization.
Alongside my busy coursework at school, I worked as a volunteer tax filer for low-income citizens. I remembered the day I received a letter of acknowledgement from VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) from the City of Seattle. There is one sentence from that letter that has been stuck in my mind for years – “Volunteerism is in the heart of America”.
In the process of searching for something meaningful to do in my life, I discovered VCSA by chance. Within one hour, I filled out my membership application and did not imagine how much my life would change after that. I learned many valuable skills that benefited my personal development. But the most important thing is to think about other people.
I have found an organization that has genuine and caring people who devote their time wholeheartedly to a good cause. Words cannot describe how proud I am to be a part of it. I can now say, with much conviction, that “Volunteerism in in the heart of the Vietnamese American people!” – and you too, can be a part of this. Join us to find a meaningful way to spend your time for a good cause and deliver your first-class performance to any project you set your heart to carry out, For our beloved country across the ocean, for our community here, for our people – the Vietnamese!”
Annually, we deliver two major projects:
The Annual National Youth Leadership Development Camp – “Camp Lên Đường”
The Annual Youth Excellence Recognition Luncheon Program – “Vẻ Vang Dân Việt” – recognizing local valedictorians and salutatorians of Vietnamese descent from local high schools
We offer several other community service programs to the general public, many focusing on low-income families from the Vietnamese community:
Health awareness and wellness workshops
Tobacco prevention workshops for kids and young adults
After school tutoring programs for students
Mentoring programs
Vietnamese language, literature and history classes
We place a major emphasis on developing the youth because they are the fundamental factors in building stronger Vietnamese American and Canadian communities. We provide an environment where Vietnamese American and Canadian youth can develop their innovative ideas and skills and exchange them with others. We also focus on the encouragement for the youth to take on leadership roles in community activities to build their leadership skills and fill them with management knowledge.
Throughout all of the programs and activities delivered by VCSA, we focus on developing our young members’ leadership capabilities by coaching and mentoring them with programs such as the Youth Leadership Development Camp. We also prepare them for leadership roles and encourage them to take on them when they are ready.
VCSA also creates many opportunities for members to network and personally grow professionally.
The spirit of volunteerism is the main characteristic that all members of VCSA possess and have successfully demonstrated in the past 25 years. We would not have survived or expand rapidly without the contributions of thousands of volunteer hours from our members. They contribute their time and resources to various projects delivered by VCSA annually. Remote members can recruit volunteers and participants for the annual Lên Đường camp in their community as well as enlist new members or establish new chapters.
We serve the Vietnamese American and Canadian community in two main areas: culture and science (hence our name). In other words, we serve the community with numerous regular community service programs in many different aspects: education, culture, scientific, social and health promotion. We are actively involved with many humanitarian efforts and are in constant collaborations with other community organizations such as organizing a walk-a-thon for flood victims in Vietnam.
We receive most of our financial and volunteer support from the Vietnamese American and Canadian community. For each community project, we collaborate with other community organizations (both mainstream and Asian/Vietnamese) and recruit volunteers to work and deliver the project as planned.
Because our name is the Vietnamese Culture and Science Association, our organization’s main focus is to serve the Vietnamese American and Canadian community of each chapters’ respective cities. However, we do accept membership applications from other ethnicity as well. Our membership includes all professions, backgrounds and religions, and is not limited to just Vietnamese Americans and Canadians. Kevin Southwick was our first non-Vietnamese member. After graduating from a VCSA Vietnamese language class, he became an active member and a main contributor to the fundraising team back in 2001.
VCSA membership covers a wide variety of different Vietnamese American and Canadian backgrounds, ages, religions and professions. Out of the 650 current members, more than 10 have Doctorate of Philosophy degrees (PhD), over 200 have Bachelor degrees and over 60 have Master degrees. We have more than 15 technicians, over 10 teachers, hundreds of students, more than 30 medical doctors and pharmacists, over 70 engineers, more than 5 attorneys-at-law, more than 20 accounting professionals and many nail salon owners, business owners, entrepreneurs, police officers, private pilots, etc.
VCSA encourages its members to develop their professional competencies and leadership skills by participating in various workshops and professional development programs delivered year round.
Our revenue comes from the following sources:
Public support through sponsorship and donations from local community fundraisers such as concerts, Tết festivals, fundraising banquets, etc.
Financial support from big corporations such as ExxonMobil, Shell Oil Foundation, Texas Instruments, etc. (These sponsorships are given according to different projects delivered by VCSA throughout the year.)
Fees obtained from the public through events such as Spring concerts, the Thousand Miles from Home concert, etc. delivered in the chapters’ cities
VCSA will begin seeking fundings from state, local and federal governments to expand services to the national level and to deliver more effectively at the local level.
We received a small grant from the Tobacco Free Project of Harris County and ran a campaign called “VCSA says NO to tobacco” for three years (2002-2005).
VCSA is currently reviewing and modifying its organizational structure to accommodate the rapid growth.
VCSA aims to become recognized nationally by both the mainstream and Vietnamese community in the US, Canada and overseas. We plan to build at least a new chapter a year in the next five years (possibly Orlando, Orange County, Seattle, Oklahoma City, etc.).
