SAN JOSE, Calif. - “I want to bring the Vietnamese community together,” Ringo Le proclaimed before a crowd of students. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ringo is the director and writer for the musical film, Saigon Love Story. He is a graduate of California State University, Los Angeles with a degree in Film and Television Broadcasting. Later he mentions to me that students gave him strange looks as if they found that hard to believe he could unite the community. I can only speculate what their hesitation would be. Is it hard to believe that a film can do that? Or perhaps given the history of the Vietnamese community in San Jose so far, bringing the Vietnamese together is farfetched and idealistic? Or perhaps he is merely trying to promote his film, and students are simply dimissing his statements as commercial hype. But whatever doubts filled those students mind, “for a brief moment, I saw the community united,” says Huy Duong, President of the United Vietnamese Student Associations of Northern California (UVSA).

Since the mid 1990s, VSA web gurus have been trying to capture a piece of their group's legacy using the internet.

In the first generation, these VSA websites were often found on free web hosting services such as Geocities or university servers. The second generation of websites saw the use of identity and brand management through custom domain names (e.g. uNAVSA.org), more sophisticated designs and logos, and the use of complex web applications such as content management systems. The third generation is just beginning to arise along with the Web 2.0 movement. Web 2.0 is marked by content that has meaning, whether it is photos that is usefully tagged with the names of your friends, or sending out massive electronic invitations to members.

I've identified critical web applications that every VSA should look into, as well as highlight the features that help reinforce the VSA identity.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - In common unity, they came. In community, they left. Building Local Power, the main focus and theme of the third annual Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (uNAVSA) leadership conference brought together over 200 student leaders across North America to share in their ideas, experiences, struggles and successes. Over the weekend of July 13-16, Vietnamese-American students convened in the city of San Jose, Califonia for the uNAVSA-3 conference, co-hosted by the United Vietnamese Student Associations (UVSA) of Northern California.

CUPERTINO, Calif. - Kathy Tran, who worked at Print Services, died of a flu at Stanford Hospital on April 7. Last year, she had been diagnosed with cancer. Friends say she was extremely caring, selfless and a fast learner. "Everyone loved her. She was a wonderful person," said Lily Liang, a coworker. After becoming a full-time De Anza College employee in 1996, she quickly rose through the ranks and soon ran the print office. While working at De Anza, she married and had two children.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - On Friday, April 21, 2006, UCSF Vietnamese Student Association observed Black Friday and shared with the UCSF community the significance of this historical date. VSA members dressed in black to signify mourning and passed out black ribbons to the audience who packed the auditorium to the isles. The audience also received a short handout explaining the significance of Black April. For the first thirty minutes, VSA showed the documentary “Rescue Mission on South China Sea,” by the Boat People S.O.S Committee, that details the plight of the boat people and the rescue efforts by numerous nonprofit organizations as well as private ship-owners.