UVSA Tet Fest

Each year, those of Vietnamese descent celebrate the coming lunar year with Tet Nguyen Dan, our most celebrated and significant holiday, which represents the beginning of spring and a way to start fresh. We are proud and honored to annually present to the community the largest Tet Festival in the entire world, attracting over 100,000 patrons from throughout the country and abroad. Visitors are immersed with a vibrant array of traditional foods, live entertainment, festive games, and customs celebrating the New Year. The Union of the Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California (UVSA) has been the host of the Tet Festival for over 30 years, with the spirit and hard work of students and volunteers to help bring the festival to life. Granted the exclusive right to host the festival in 2002, UVSA contributes thousands of volunteer hours to help youth build strong leadership skills, cultural awareness, and experiences. UVSA is also a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization that was founded in 1982. Over the past years, over $1,000,000 in festival proceeds have been awarded to non-profit organizations in the community.

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Now is this cute or what? Cue the warm and fuzzies when you see a sight like this #alittlemansbestfriend #liondance #tet #lunarnewyear #tetfestival2016 (at Tet Festival)

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"When I was a kid, the one thing I would always remember was going out during the week of Tet. Whether it be to Phước Lộc Thọ or temple, my parents, sister, and I would be out celebrating. That is something I kind of took for granted as both my sister and I are now older and have lives of our own, so we can't spend as much time with our parents in time of celebration. The Tết Festival is important to me because it gives a chance for anyone, not just Vietnamese people, to experience Tết. Outside of Vietnam, Tết Festival is one of the biggest celebrations of the Vietnamese New Year so I feel like it helps those not born in Vietnam or those who left Vietnam to really celebrate. To me, this festival symbolizes the community and individual goodwill since it is run and supported wholly by volunteers." #PeopleofTetFest #tetfestival2016 #uvsa

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"Every year as a tradition, my family goes together to Tet Festival. Actually my uncle was one of the founders of UVSA, so we get free tickets each year. I didn't really think much of it, but when my uncle passed away I wondered why he dedicated so much time into UVSA even though he was an immigrant. I decided to run for my own university's board and eventually now also run for this year's Tet Festival staff. What I discovered was a group of friendly, hardworking, cheerful people. More than that though, it is amazing that we all come together as people of numerous different backgrounds to help spread the Vietnamese culture. I'm glad I am a part of this year's Tet Festival committee and with these people who I can call family." #PeopleofTetFest #tetfestival2016 #uvsa #culture #vietnamese #legacy #family

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We're celebrating Lunar New Year's this weekend at @shopmainplacemall! Check out today's schedule and stop by to see some awesome performances from our pageant ladies, Jenny Bao Ngoc Nguyen, and @questurr! We're giving away FREE CHILDREN'S TICKETS! #tetfestival2016 #mainplacemall #lunarnewyear #tet (at MainPlace Mall)

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"Growing up in Westminster, I always went to the Tet Festival. I know that it is student-run and I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to be a leader for the younger generation and to really bring our community together. To me, the Tet Festival represents youth, renewal, and inspiration for the younger generations because we are the ones that will hold the community together through the preservation of our culture and traditions. I didn’t realize how much it takes out from everyone to make the Tet Festival happen and it really inspires me to take part because everyone is doing this for the good of our community. Each and everyone's efforts come from the heart. The Cultural Village, especially, allowed me to open my eyes to my culture and history and helped me to really appreciate who I am as a Vietnamese American." #PeopleofTetFestival #tetfestival2016 #uvsa (at Freedom Park)

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"Tet Festival is important to me because it allows me to tap into a dream shared by many other volunteers. Unlike quite a few of the volunteers for the Festival, I grew up in a community far away where the presence of Vietnamese culture was very minute, and I'm extremely grateful for being a part of all of this as a first time volunteer. Since I was a child holding my mother's hand while exploring around the cultural village area, I've always yearned to be a volunteer for the Festival and to be a part of the Vietnamese American community and its cultural experiences. Coming from one of the handful of Viet families in my community, I was taught by my parents to cherish our cultural traditions, even if I was the only one out of many who was putting in that effort, and going to the Tet Festival every year has reflected those efforts as well as defined who I am today. For someone who's had to put in that extra effort to stay connected to his roots all this time, Tet reminds me that no distance can keep me from pursuing the dream that my family shares: to contribute to the legacy of authentic Viet culture in the Vietnamese American community." #PeopleofTetFestival #tetfestival2016 #uvsa #dream #community #volunteer

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Have you ever had a char-grilled porkbelly rolls with five spice and miso glaze? No? Well now you can! @meat_on_a_stick will be selling this among many other delicacies at Tết Festival! Come enjoy food, Lunar New Year performances, cultural exhibits, pageant show, and rides from February 12-14, 2016 at OC Fair & Event Center. Buy tickets: tetfestival.org/tickets #tetfestival2016 #uvsa #lunarnewyear #meatonastick #tetfestfoodie (at Tet Festival)

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Have you ever wondered how fast you can eat a 10-inch Vietnamese sandwich? We did! Which is why Tết Festival is bringing a brand new experience to your palate this year! Enter our newly-introduced Bánh Mì Eating Contest, sponsored by Lee's Sandwiches! Application deadline is February 6th. Learn more at tetfestival.org #banhmi #sandwich #eatingcontest #food #tetfestfoodie #tetfestival2016

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Winner of UVSA Tet Festival’s Talent Show Competition in 2015, Threshold Maximus is a masked vigilante musician on a mission to save the world from villains against music. He is a one-man music act with an a cappella twist on popular songs and originals, using nothing but voice, beatbox, and pure imagination. Save FEB 13, 2016 from 3-6PM to witness Threshold Maximus rid our stage of villains again. Threshold Maximus recently performed at Common Ground's 5 Year Special Anniversary Show. You can find his performances at youtube.com/thresholdmaximus. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter (@ThresholdMax) and join the #maximusnation! (at Tet Festival)

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"Tet Festival is important to me because it brings people together from all over Southern California, and even the world, by either visiting/attending the festival or volunteering their time to help make festival happen. The fact that Tet Festival is run by students who are very passionate about the Vietnamese culture and VSA is a big motivation for why I contribute my time to help make festival great. It also showcases the Vietnamese culture in a way children can enjoy while learning about it and a way for the older generation to stay in touch with their roots and reconnect with their life back in Vietnam. The satisfaction of seeing people having fun and enjoying their time is more than enough of a reason to keep doing what I'm doing to help make this festival the greatest Tet Festival in the world." #PeopleofTetFestival #tetfestival2016 #uvsa #culture #community #youth #generations

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Our team is working hard to reconstruct Chùa Một Cột, which translates to One Pillar Pagoda. This structure is regarded as one of Vietnam's iconic temples and will be replicated and displayed in our cultural village "Làng Việt Nam" among several other cultural displays at Tết Festival. The Cultural Village is a collaboration between students, several community organizations, and leaders. Come out Feb 12-14 to learn more about the Cultural Village! More info & tickets: tetfestival.org/tickets #‎uvsa‬ ‪#‎tetfestival2016‬ ‪#‎lunarnewyear‬ ‪#‎culturalvillag

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949 reasons to go to #tetfestival2016. @cafe949 will be at this year's Tết Festival from Feb 12-14,2016 at OC Fair & Event Center. Come enjoy this grilled lobster while watching Lunar New Year performances! Info and tickets at tetfestival.org. #uvsa #lunarnewyear #cafe949 #food #tetfestfoodie

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Nightfall at Tết Festival 2015 #nightfall #festival #uvsatetfestival #beautiful #landscape

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Stop by the info booth and buy a raffle ticket! The winner gets one free round trip airline ticket to anywhere in Asia provided by Eva Airlines! Tickets are $10 each #evaairlines #tetfestival #UVSATetFestival #UVSA #hoitetsinhvien #tonghoisinhvien #vietnamese #culture #yearofthegoat #travel (at Tet Festival)

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Did you catch this morning's Opening Ceremony? We're just getting started! We have many more events to follow today. #UVSA #UVSATetFestival #tetfestival #tet #thsv #hoitetsinhvien #vietnamese #culture #socal #yearofthegoat (at Tet Festival)

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Here are the first few events for tomorrow. Don't miss out on Opening Ceremony. #uvsa #UVSATetFestival #tet #thsv #tetfestival #tonghoisinhvien #vietnamese #culture #yearofthegoat #socal (at Tet Festival)

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The bowls are here!!! The pho eating contest is about to start! #food #uvsa #UVSATetFestival #tetfestival #tet #thsv #tonghoisinhvien #vietnamese #culture #socal #yearofthegoat (at Tet Festival)