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Two visiting monks of the Sera Jey Foundation spent the last week teaching Buddhist philosophy and creating a sand mandala at a San Jose Vietnamese temple. The sand mandala is an ancient Buddhist tradition that can only be created by a few selected monks. The ceremony, steeped in symbolism and ritual, is believed to represent a cosmic...
San Jose mandala ceremony offers universal lesson in change
As chanting filled the main hall of a local Buddhist temple Sunday afternoon, San Jose resident Trang Huynh joined with about 50 people in praying and celebrating a sand mandala dissolution ceremony. “I prayed for my family, our community and the world,” Huynh, a devoted Buddhist for the last four years, told San José Spotlight....
San Jose Viet Museum recounts a journey to freedom
Behind one of the world’s largest museum collections dedicated to Vietnamese refugees is a dream of one San Jose man who wishes to keep their stories alive. Tucked in a corner of San Jose History Park, a yellow historic Victorian house is home to the Museum of the Boat People & Republic of Vietnam, where founder...
After two years, San Jose celebrates Lunar New Year in person
Hundreds of people flocked to San Jose’s History Park Saturday morning to ring in the Year of the Tiger at one of largest Lunar New Year festivals in the South Bay after two years of virtual celebration. “It’s a blessing to be able to gather and celebrate the new year again with the community,” Ai Duong...
San Jose’s Vietnamese community pushes to reopen The Dragon Mountain
Vietnamese leaders and residents are rallying for Santa Clara County to reopen a privately-owned park in Milpitas that was shut down in 2019 over land use and permit violations. A group of more than 20 people gathered in front of Grand Century Mall in San Jose on Friday to voice support for the shuttered park called The Dragon Mountain....
The Biz Beat: CamBinh Nguyen keeps Vovinam martial arts alive in San Jose
On a chilly January evening, a group of students stood in formation and practiced their routine in Master CamBinh Nguyen’s backyard. She looked out from a gazebo surrounded by medals and trophies and recalled the many years she’s spent teaching generations of San Jose students the principles of Vietnamese martial arts, Vovinam. “It’s not easy—this job requires your heart, your...
San Jose monument to honor Vietnam War soldiers makes slow headway
A proposed monument to honor soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War will finally move forward after years of planning and delays—but what it will look like and when it might be finished is unknown. The Vietnamese community in San Jose, one of the largest Vietnamese enclaves in the nation, has long advocated for the project....
San Jose Vietnamese residents celebrate new community garden
Although plans to resume construction at the Viet Heritage Garden remain on hold, residents can now enjoy farming vegetables and herbs at a community garden at the corner of the vacant land. Roughly 50 residents joined Councilmember Maya Esparza in celebrating the opening of the community garden Saturday morning. “Happy New Year, and thank you...
San Jose Vietnamese community at center of Philip Nguyen’s advocacy work
The Vietnamese American Roundtable is becoming a household name in the South Bay, and at the core of the transformative effort is its first ever executive director, Philip Nguyen. Nguyen, who served as a part-time program manager starting in 2020, took on the leadership role last summer, marking a pivotal point for the growing organization....
San Jose expands community use at Viet Heritage Garden, after years of dispute
After sitting empty for six years due to a lack of funding, a garden honoring San Jose’s vast Vietnamese community sprouts signs of life. San Jose announced in late December it is expanding a community garden program at the Viet Heritage Garden located at 1499 Roberts Ave. The Viet Heritage Garden, which spans four acres and...