The Vietnamese American Youth Alliance (VAYA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 2004 as a means for Vietnamese-American youths to organize socially and culturally within the local communities. VAYA is committed to educating youths in cultural awareness, social activism, and community development. As such, we organize projects that empower youths to explore their potentials, to take on leadership roles, and to direct their individual talents toward making a positive difference in the community.
Our Values
Our Organizational Goals
Our Activities
What is Tết?
Tết Nguyên Đán, commonly known as Tết, is the most important holiday in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year which is based on the lunisolar calendar.
Tết is celebrated from the first day of the first month of the lunisolar calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tết by cooking special holiday foods and cleaning the house. On Tết, Vietnamese visit their families and temples, forget about the troubles of the past year and hope for a better upcoming year. Tết traditionally marks the coming of Spring, so Spring is sometimes used interchangeably with Tết in Vietnamese.
Customs
Vietnamese people usually return to their families during Tết. Some return to worship at the family altar or visit the graves of their ancestors. Others return to where they grew up. Although Tết is a universal holiday among all Vietnamese, each region and religion has its own customs.
Generally, Tết in the three Vietnamese regions can be divided into three periods, known as Tất Niên, Giao Thừa, and Tân Niên, representing the preparation before Tết, the eve of Tết, and the days of and following Tết, respectively.
ANNUAL VIETNAMESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION MOVES TO MIRA MESA
Mira Mesa - The eighth annual San Diego Tet Festival, the Vietnamese New Year celebration, will be moving to from its usual home in Balboa Park to Mira Mesa.
Because of the preparation for the 2015 Centennial Celebration, the festival's usual spot at the corner of President's Way and Park Boulevard is under construction and will not be available. This year's festival will be held at Mira Mesa Community Park, 8575 New Salem St.
The festival, which attracts 20,000 people each year, promises fun for whole the family with such activities as carnival rides and games, authentic Vietnamese food, lion dancing and firecrackers. And entertainment programs, such as the Miss Vietnam of San Diego and a Cultural Village to immerse yourself in Vietnamese culture.
Festival Dates and Hours are: Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
Vietnamese-American Youth Alliance (V.A.Y.A), a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization, was founded in 2004 as a mean for Vietnamese-American youth to organize socially and culturally within the local communities.
At VAYA, we work to promote youth leadership, cultural awareness, social awareness, and community development. This is our mission. Everything we do reflects this mission and the values that make it possible.
We would like to thank Built Green California for their generous sponsorship of our Tet Festival. Built Green is Southern California's PREMIER provider of Green choices for residential and commercial clients. They use the latest energy efficient, eco-friendly, and emission-reducing products and materials. Built Green is proud to be a preferred vendor of the state and federal government.
en - www.builtgreencali.com
viet - www.vietsolarpower.com
We would like to thank NRG Residential Solar Solutions for their generous sponsorship of our Tet Festival. With a thorough understanding of the market and deep industry experience, NRG Residential Solar Solutions is focused on making solar a simple and affordable solution for homeowners in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.
www.nrgressolar.com
We would like to thank Tramy Beauty School for their generous sponsorship of our Tet Festival. Their goal is to provide each enrolled student with a high quality program to become employable in the many specialty areas such as Hair Stylist, Barber, Manicurist, Esthetician and Massage Therapist.
www.tramybeautyschool.net
We would like to thank Harrah's Rincon for their generous sponsorship of our Tet Festival. Harrah's is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.
www.harrahsrincon.com
We would like to thank Chase Bank for their generous sponsorship of our Tet Festival. JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) is one of the oldest financial institutions in the United States. With a history dating back over 200 years, they are a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.3 trillion.
www.chase.com
Your MANDATORY orientation will be on Saturday February 2nd at....
Mira Mesa Gil Johnson Recreation Center
8575 New Salem Street
San Diego, CA 92126
TIME 10:30AM - 1:30PM. Team leaders, please arrive at 10:30AM. Regular volunteers are just expected to stay between 11:00 to 12:30PM.
If you miss this date you will forfeit your shift. There will be no exceptions. You can also turn in your waiver forms here as well.
We would like to thank Valley View Casino for their generous sponsorship of our Tet Festival! Valley View Casino & Hotel, Southern California's premiere gaming destination, combines the
thrill of 2000 of San Diego's only Certified Loose slots and your favorite table games with beautiful luxury hotel rooms, seven delicious restaurants and impeccable guest service.
www.valleyviewcasino.com
Because of the preparation for the 2015 Centennial Celebration, the festival's usual spot at the corner of President's Way and Park Boulevard is under construction and will not be available. This year's festival will be held at Mira Mesa Community Park, 8575 New Salem St.
The site has gone through some updates -
We would like to thank Crab Hut for their generous sponsorship of our Tet Festival. Definitely check them out at their Downtown or Kearny Mesa locations for some delicious Louisiana seafood!
www.crabhutsd.com
Please navigate to their respective sections and download them!
2013 Volunteer Signups are open!Would you like to volunteer for this year's Tet Festival? Hurry! Spaces are limited. Sign up now to claim the shifts that you want!
New Website Is UpThis website is still a work in progress. Not all documents are downloadable and there can be plenty of bugs. Please refer to this site as reference for now. Once contents are uploaded, they will be announced here on the home page. If there are issues, please contact me at alan.tran@sdtet.com
| Committee | Ban | Name/Truong |
|---|---|---|
| President | Sydney Tran | |
| Festival Director | Alexander Nguyen | |
| Treasurer | Mychelle Nguyen | |
| Secretary | Hoang Chau | |
| Entertainment | Jenni Nguyen Quyen Nguyen Cuong Pham |
|
| Miss Vietnam San Diego | Katie Nguyen | |
| Operations | Ashley Vu | |
| Vendor | Caroline Le Mychelle Nguyen |
|
| Volunteers | June Nguyen Dennis Duong Thai Tran Tammy Nguyen Jake Pham Truc Tran |
|
| Webmaster | Thai Tran | |
| Other Staff/Sub Chair | Tri Nguyen Tracey Pham Andy Nguyen Tim Ho Michael Nguyen Nikki Lam |
Because of the preparation for the 2015 Centennial Celebration, the festival's usual spot at the corner of President's Way and Park Boulevard is under construction and will not be available. This year's festival will be held at...
Mira Mesa Community ParkVAYA recommends that visitors park at...
8575 New Salem Street
San Diego, CA 92126
During the festival days, New Salem Street will be CLOSED to public access except for residents and vendors.
The Mira Mesa Senior Center parking area will also be CLOSED during the days of the festival
Please make sure to look at the traffic layout to know where to park: traffic_layout.pdf
For your convenience, the map of the festival: map_of_grounds.pdf