With over 350 people in attendance at the Vietnamese Students Association Cultural Show, the group was quite in awe of the 40 percent increase in attendance from last year. Besides the normal family and friends coming to support those in the show, there were plenty who were simply there to learn about the Vietnamese culture.
"It was good to go to class and hear people say, 'Are you going to [the] VSA show?'" Cultural Show Co-Chairwoman and College junior Lorriann Tran said.
Comparing this year's show to last year's, Tran said, "We're biased, but there was a bigger turnout, and last year set the stone for this year. People saw how good it was last year and liked it so much they came back."
Cultural Show Co-Chairwoman and College sophomore Annette Tran noted that the VSA "sold more tickets than were printed."
The night opened with the melding of both Vietnamese and American cultures through the singing of the Vietnamese national anthem -- translated as "Call to the Youth" -- along with the English translation. This set the tone for the night as one of exposing the cultural barriers first- and second-generation Vietnamese-American students face in the United States.
Even the show's name, "An Ocean Apart," meant to signify the geographic distance between Vietnam and the United States, but also how a huge part of life is still in Vietnam.
To fully present the difficulties both young Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans face in love, the group performed My Origins, My Love, a play somewhat reminiscent of the Cinderella story.
Within the play was a fashion show coordinated by College junior Quyen Le that mirrored the prince's search in Cinderella for the girl who fit the silver slipper.
The Pan-Asian Dance Troupe also contributed to the production, which served as a transition to the more traditional Vietnamese performances.
After the play, Engineering freshman An Nguyen and George Mason University guest Thanh Van Le performed the traditional piece Khong Minh Toa Lau in the spirit of the women who played this instrument for royalty. The melodies from the 16-stringed dan tranh -- a Vietnamese instrument -- filled the auditorium as many audience members were being introduced to it for the first time.
To represent more modern Vietnamese culture, the young men of VSA performed their own version of American Idol and several accompanying parodies. Among these was an Eminem parody about pho, a Vietnamese soup, a Michael Jackson parody called Saigon Girls Are Not My Lover and an 'NSYNC parody entitled It's Gonna Be Viet.
Among the many acts, the VSA chose to end the show with a VSA member slideshow.
Those who came praised the performance.
"It was really entertaining to learn more about Vietnamese traditions and culture, but at the same time, it was like a high school talent show," Engineering freshman Hunter Schloss said.
Concerning next year's performance, Annette Tran says, "We only aim to go higher."
