Welcome to the Vietnamese Civic Center (also known as Nha Viet), a nonprofit community-based organization. Our goal for this center is clear, and we see our journey toward realization a long, but wonderful adventure. We hope it will inspire us to build Nha Viet into a successful and enjoyable center for all.
Our vision is “to merge and accommodate the nonprofit, charitable needs of our community through cultural, social, and educational enrichment, and advance the Vietnamese-American community in Houston and its vicinity.”
A literal translation of Nha Viet is Viet House; but it is more than just a house. It is a home for the Vietnamese diasporas in Houston to come together to help each other and provide for the needs to our low income families, children and seniors. Nha Viet is a 5,000 square foot multi-purpose facility designed to encourage and strengthen the Vietnamese-American family and heritage, to promote and develop community networking and bonds, and to bridge the gap of diverse Eastern and Western values.A little more than two (2) years ago, on December of 2006, State Representative Hubert Vo, a small group of friends, and I came together to find ways to build a sustainable civic center for the Vietnamese in Houston, a place where all nonprofit activities can join in providing free social, educational and health services to our small Vietnamese community, a place where Vietnamese diasporas may gather and share their cultural and educational experiences, and a place where we provide assistance to the low income families with preventive health care. Thus, the Vietnamese Civic Center Project was born.
During this time, we have discussed and worked on the financial sustainability and organizational building of Nha-Viet. As we addressed the issue of financial sustainability, we realized that there was also the issue of accountability and the need to demonstrate results to the public in general, and to those who support us in particular. Now, the completion of Nha-Viet is the culmination of the two years Vietnamese Civic Center Project, and it will focus on the twin issues of sustainability and accountability.
To date, we have opened the Nha Viet library. There is a 2,000 square foot town hall for community activities, such as senior and/or children’s programs, and a conference room for community meetings. The Lotus Clinic (a Viet clinic) will be opened in the near future, where preventive medical, dental and eye care will be provided to the low income Vietnamese.
Finally, let me say thank you to my friends and volunteers for giving me the opportunity to be the lead organizer and chairperson of Nha Viet. Together with Nha Viet’s Board of Directors, we thank Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation for supporting the Viet Library project, Boat People SOS and 900AM-Radio SaiGon, Houston for their collaboration and generous support. |
Nha-Viet Library 
