The Vietnam Heritage Center (“VHC”) is a New York 501 (c)(3) non-profit dedicated to promoting the rich traditions and language of Vietnam.

Our mission is to provide support for the Vietnamese immigrant community while educating the general public and local community on Vietnamese language and culture.

We strive to be a resource for all to learn about and celebrate Vietnamese lifestyles and customs.

VY VY HUỲNH

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Vy Vy Huỳnh is a Vietnamese Australian from Sydney who works as a treasury officer at a global investment bank. As Executive Director, Ms. Huynh has been the main organizer for VHC's cultural events since September 2016 and oversees both day-to-day operations and strategic planning at VHC. In February 2019, she was the MC for VHC's Lunar New Year event at the New York Historical Society. She also MC’d the Migrations in Music program in partnership with Carnegie Hall in April 2019. Ms. Huynh enjoys devoting her volunteering efforts towards VHC events because they foster both family and community values.

THÙY PHẠM

FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER

Thùy was born in Sài Gòn and grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York. After graduating from Vassar College, she moved to New York City and eventually became an attorney. She became active with the Vietnamese community in 2004 to improve her own Vietnamese language skills and eventually became one of the founders of the Vietnam Heritage Center. As a founding board member, Thùy helps oversee both the day-to-day operations and strategic planning at VHC. In her spare time, Thùy likes to watch football and mail handwritten letters to her friends and family.

TARA THU NGUYỄN

FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER

Tara Thu was born in Sài Gòn and has been living and working in NYC as a public servant and community leader for the past 20 years. She has been a long-time proponent of the preservation of Vietnamese culture and language in the USA and is a founding board member of the Vietnam Heritage Center. In her spare time, Tara Thu loves singing karaoke.

Our Story

The Vietnam Heritage Center was born from a love for the Vietnamese language.

It all began when Thùy Phạm, founder of VHC, moved to New York City after graduating from college. Born in Sài Gòn but raised in Poughkeepsie, New York, Thùy’s desire to preserve her mother tongue led her to a fledgling website called Meetup.com, where she found a local group of Vietnamese students and young working professionals who would occasionally meet to socialize in their native language. It was here that she met Tara Nguyễn, who would one day become a key proponent of VHC.

At the time, options to study Vietnamese in NYC were few and far between.

Thùy came to rely on the local Vietnamese meetup group to improve her speaking and listening skills. She began planning events bi-weekly, eventually becoming a recognizable face and a lead organizer within the group. Slowly but surely, a formerly disconnected Vietnamese community began to develop a more cohesive presence.

It quickly became evident that there was a persistent demand for a formal Vietnamese school.

In 2008, determined to create these opportunities for herself and others, Thùy began organizing language classes taught by native speakers at a local community center with Tara’s support. By day, Thùy studied law; at night, she was both manager and student of the Vietnamese school. Over the next 5 years, the school steadily gained popularity and rapport with local NYC residents from all walks of life who were both Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese. What originally began as one woman’s desire to preserve the Vietnamese language had grown into a greater movement to share Vietnamese culture and language with the local community.

In 2013, the language school became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the Vietnam Heritage Center (“VHC”) was born.

Since then, VHC has expanded its activities to celebrate major Vietnamese holidays such as the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (Tết Trung Thu) and the Lunar New Year (Tết Nguyên Đán) with the NYC community at large. VHC has previously collaborated with Mekong NYC at the Bronx Museum of Art and was formally recognized by New York State Senator Marty Golden in Brooklyn for its contribution to the community in 2014. In 2016, VHC was given a Commendation by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer.