A grand opening ceremony of the traveling exhibition on Vietnamese Americans from Smithsonian Institution, "Exit Saigon -- Enter Little Saigon" curated by Dr. Vu H. Pham of Los Angeles was held at San Jose City College on March 14, 2008. The audience heard remarks from the president of the college, Dr. Michael Burke, who is responsible for bringing the Vietnamese American Heritage Project to the campus after reading about it online. Chancellor Rosa Perez and a representative from Farmers Insurance, a sponsor, spoke. The District Vietnamese Heritage Community Advisory Committee chair Cary Pham and SJCC curator Eve Page-Mathias also celebrated the opening. The exhibit is at the Student Center, Room 206. It is free and open to the public, with hours on Mon - Wed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thiursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is staffed by volunteers on the staff and faculty of the college during these hours. The Smithsonian consultant at SJCC is Trang Nguyen of San Jose. Working with the community, the college, and the Washington D.C. - based national museum, she has expertly managed the fusion. Congratulations to Trang Nguyen for a fine beginning and continued plans to celebrate the history and heritage of Vietnamese Americans in the center of the 12th largest city in the United States. Residents of San Jose who are of Vietnamese heritage are the largest Asian population group. According to the American Community Survey of the Census Bureau -- after the dot-com bust of 2000 -- the Vietnamese population increased while other Asian groups remained the same or declined. San Jose has an estimated 84,000 residents of Vietnamese ancestry according to the biennial census of 2006. This is the largest single Asian population within the total San Jose estimate of 279,350 Asians. The total population of San Jose is 916,220. All these data are from the American Community Survey released in September 2007. The report is available to anyone on the City of San Jose website. This growth is reflective of all immigration and temporary residents (such as students on visa), and the number of 84,000 should not be interpreted as Vietnamese Americans. On April 5, 2008, the San Jose City College will host Citizenship Day for people of all nationalities who are working toward the goal of becoming Americans. San Jose City College is an important conduit of citizenship by Vietnamese refugees and immigrants through academic and vocational programs, ESL, and a spirit of inclusion and pride that is testified by the "Exit Saigon--Enter Little Saigon" exhibition this spring. UPDATE Sổ tay cộng đồng:Niềm vui ngày cuối tuần http://www.calitoday.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=e57e5083b1bab7039e840427eaa40ba4 Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review   more »