Dates: September 29 – October 4, 2023
Venues: Evermay Estate, Kennedy Center, Eastern Market, Busboys & Poets, U.S. Institute of Peace, Martin Luther King Jr. Library
The second annual Vietnam Week brought together artists, authors, and audiences across Washington, DC. The 2023 theme, Authentic Voices: Bridging Generations, celebrated the stories that connect Vietnamese and Vietnamese American experiences through art, film, and conversation.
The festival opened with the Vietnam Society Icon Awards Gala at Evermay, honoring cultural leaders preserving Vietnamese heritage. At the Kennedy Center, Breaking Through the Bamboo Ceiling featured Le Ly Hayslip and screenings of Heaven and Earth and Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell.
Families gathered at Eastern Market’s Mid-Autumn Moon Festival for food, crafts, and lantern-making, while literary programs included Line Papin’s author talk, the USIP dialogue “Bridging Past and Future,” and Trung Lê Nguyễn’s talk on The Magic Fish during Banned Books Week.
Vietnam Week 2023 deepened Vietnam Society’s partnerships with major institutions and reaffirmed its mission to foster cultural understanding through creativity and storytelling.
Highlights
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Icon Awards Gala: Recognizing cultural leaders at Evermay.
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Film Program: Breaking Through the Bamboo Ceiling at the Kennedy Center.
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Mid-Autumn Moon Festival: Food, crafts, and performances at Eastern Market.
- Literary Series: Line Papin, Trung Lê Nguyễn, and the USIP reconciliation dialogue.
