WESTMINSTER : A Showcase of Culture and Identity

When Dieu D. Le came to Little Saigon from Vietnam, he quickly realized something was missing from among the Vietnamese restaurants, shops and markets.

Vietnamese artists, musicians and writers had virtually no outlet. So in 1991 Le founded the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Assn. and last year he opened a gallery off Bolsa Avenue specifically for Vietnamese artists. It has also become a venue for concerts, poetry readings, recitals and book signings.

“We, the Vietnamese people, have cultural traditions, cultural values, and our artists and writers and performers need a place to show their talents,” said Le, who came to this country in 1985 with his family. “This is their only outlet.”

Exhibits have included paintings and photography from amateur and professional Vietnamese artists, many of whom were well-known in their country, but now have very few venues for their work.

“Many were professionals in Vietnam, and now have to work in other jobs to earn a living,” Le said.

Le, 54, was a journalist and the director of the Ministry of Information in South Vietnam before the country fell to the Communists.

In 1975, he was placed in a concentration camp for six years, and in 1983 moved to France with his wife and three children, now 18, 23 and 24. After Le arrived in the United States, he became the executive editor of Nguoi Viet Daily News, the only daily Vietnamese newspaper in Orange County.

It was the Vietnamese newspaper that helped Le launch the arts association by discounting rent on office space next door.

Le, who is also planning exhibits that will bring together other Asian ethnic groups, now works full time for the nonprofit organization. He is responsible for planning events and fund-raisers. The 122-member association is funded through dues, events and contributions from the community. The organization also offers painting classes in Vietnamese for children and adults.

The Vietnamese artists, musicians and authors who are involved in the association say it has a very important role in the community.

“Because many of the second generation doesn’t speak Vietnamese anymore, we have lost a lot of Vietnamese culture,” said Pham Duy, a composer and musician who performs at the gallery. “The association is very, very helpful. We need associations like this one in Orange County--it helps the second generation, which doesn’t understand anything about Vietnam.”

Duy, 73, said that when refugees first came to this country they had little time to spend on art, music and literature.

“The parents when they came here were too busy to take care of the children,” Duy said. “So the children learn in school, speak English, in the evening look at the TV--they have no time to listen to Vietnamese music, or time to learn Vietnamese culture.”

Kieu Chinh, an actress who introduces many of the performers and exhibits at the gallery, agrees, noting that when the Vietnamese first came here their first priority was to become part of the mainstream. But that, she said, is finally changing.

“After 17 years, lives have been settled down and people start to realize where we came from and who we are,” said Chinh, 53. “We need a place to get together with the older generation and bring the younger generation back to the world where their parents came from. It’s very important for us--without your roots you go nowhere.”

The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends. For more information, call (714) 894-5630.