Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations

The Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA) () is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, community-based organization founded in 2004 as a means for Vietnamese organizations from across North America to network, share common resources, collaborate with one another to build strong sustainable communities, and engage in philanthropic work.

The elected executive board consists of a President, Internal Vice President, External Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Executive Board terms last two years. There are two other main staffing departments that are one-year roles: Cabinet and Conference. The Cabinet general committees include Alumni Relations, Civic Engagement, Information Technology, Marketing and Public Relations, Sponsorship and Development, VSAcademy, Community Safety, and Collective Philanthropy Project.

History

During the Third International Vietnamese Youth Conference in 2003 in San Diego, there were initial talks for creating a network of Vietnamese Student Associations in North America modeled after the Federal Vietnamese Students Association of Australia. Through a collaboration of the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California along with the New England Intercollegiate Vietnamese Student Association, the first North American Vietnamese Student Associations (NAVSA) conference was held in the Summer of 2004 in Boston, and with that NAVSA was born. Only with the second conference in 2005 in Chicago, was the name of NAVSA changed to The Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA) to better reflect that nature of this organization as a union.

Regional Partners Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Northern California Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California Northwest Vietnamese Student Association Southwest Union of Vietnamese Student Associations Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the South Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Gulf Coast Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Southeast Mid-Atlantic Union of Vietnamese Student Associations Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest New England Intercollegiate Vietnamese Student Associations Northeast Union of Vietnamese Student Associations United Vietnamese Student Associations of Eastern Canada Western Canada Union of Vietnamese Student Associations

Conferences

The UNAVSA conference attracts hundreds of undergraduates, graduates, and young professionals from around the country participate in the multi-day event to hone their leadership skills, hold discussions with distinguished speakers, and explore issues in the Vietnamese community domestically and abroad. The majority of attendees are current and future officers of Vietnamese American student groups (VSAs, VSUs, UVSAs, etc.) seeking to develop personal leadership abilities, build organizational management skills and network with other leaders from around the country.

Conference Location Theme Date NAVSA Boston, MA NAVSA (Self-Titled) July 2–4, 2004 uNAVSA-2 Chicago, IL Acting in Unity: Making Hope a Reality July 2005 uNAVSA-3 San Jose, CA In Common Unity, Building Local Power July 13–16, 2006 uNAVSA-4 New Orleans, LA Recognize, Inspire, Strengthen, Empower (RISE) July 26–29, 2007 uNAVSA-5 Portland, OR Sharing Our Past, Shaping Our Future July 31-August 3, 2008 uNAVSA-6 Atlanta, GA Pursue Your Passion, Define Your Path July 30-August 2, 2009 uNAVSA-7 Washington DC Uncommon Power for the Common Voice July 29-August 1, 2010 UNAVSA-8 Denver, CO Blueprint of our Legacy July 28–31, 2011 UNAVSA-9 Minneapolis, MN Bước Qua (Step Through) July 26–29, 2012 UNAVSA-10 Anaheim, CA Nơi Nương Tựa (Safe Haven) August 1–4, 2013 UNAVSA-11 Dallas, TX Together, Let's Fly July 24–27, 2014 UNAVSA-12 Seattle, WA Momentum: Ripples of Progress June 26–29, 2015 UNAVSA-13 Boston, MA Light the Way July 21–24, 2016 UNAVSA-14 New Orleans, LAUnlock the Present July 20–24, 2017UNAVSA-15Atlanta, GAStand up, Stand Out!August 2–5, 2018 UNAVSA-16 Vancouver, BCBeyond the Horizon: Y[ours] to Discover July 25–28, 2019 VE-1 VirtualConnecting with U(s) July 23–26, 2020 VE-2 VirtualBehind the Dreams July 22–25, 2021UNAVSA-17Portland, ORIlluminateJuly 21–24, 2022UNAVSA-18Houston, TXSnapshotsJuly 13–16, 2023UNAVSA-19New York City, NYOnce In A LifetimeJuly 11-14, 2024UNAVSA-20Chicago, ILVisionsJuly 10-13, 2025UNAVSA-21San Jose, CAUnwrittenJuly 9-12, 2026

Collective Philanthropy Project The CPP is an initiative created in 2004 for Vietnamese-American students and community organizations to collaborate toward a common charitable cause. The CPP's goal is to further UNAVSA's mission of developing leadership, preserving the Vietnamese heritage, and creating a unified national effort to help those in need. Each year, the top three candidates are asked to present their projects at the UNAVSA national conference. After the attendees vote, a beneficiary is announced at the conference banquet. In years past, CPP has partnered with several non-profit organizations, raising over $300,000 in the last seven years.

Year List of CPP Beneficiaries2025Vietnam Health Clinic2024Rock Paper Scissors2023Rock Paper Scissors2022One Body Village2021Asian Prisoner Support Committee 2020 Messengers of Love 2019 Messengers of Love 2018 Children of Vietnam 2017 Pacific Links Foundation 2016 Catalyst Foundation 2015 Kids Without Borders 2014 Foodaid.Compassion 2013 One Body Village 2012 M.E.M.O. 2011 Children of Vietnam 2010 Blue Dragon Children's Foundation 2009 Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation 2008 VIETHOPE 2007 Vietnamese Overseas Initiative (VOICE) 2006 Catalyst Foundation 2005 VietACT

Presidents

The UNAVSA executive board is headed by the President. The current President is David Tran, who took over from Matthew Nguyen in 2026 and will conclude his term at the UNAVSA Conference in 2028. The President is responsible for the strategic direction of UNAVSA and is tasked with ensuring the organization is operating within the scope defined by its partner organizations.

List of UNAVSA Presidents No. Name Region of origin Took office Left office Note 1 Quoc Phan Southern California 4 July 2004 31 July 2005 2 Tony Ngo Southern California 31 July 2005 16 July 2006 3 Hai Ton Northern California 16 July 2006 3 August 2008 First two-year President 4 Brian Vo Mid-Atlantic 3 August 2008 1 August 2010 5 Dan Huynh Midwest 1 August 2010 29 July 2012 6 Lan Anh Nguyen Mid-Atlantic 29 July 2012 27 July 2014 First female President 7 My-Phuong Ly Midwest 27 July 2014 24 July 2016 8 Thoa Kim Nguyen Southwest 24 July 2016 5 August 2018 9 Phuc Hong Phan Southeast 5 August 2018 2020 10 Philip Nguyen Northern California 2020 2022 11 Kelly Tran Western Canada 2022 2024 First Canadian President 12 Matthew Nguyen South 2024 2026 13 David Tran Midwest 2026 Present

Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations

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