HISTORY:

Founded in 1991 by a group of Vietnamese American journalists, artists and friends, Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) is a community-based, 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. VAALA has organized numerous cultural events such as art exhibitions, book fairs, book signings, recitals, plays, lectures, the biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF), the biennial Cinema Symposium, the annual Children's Moon Festival Art Contest and year-long art and music classes. VAALA recently developed smART Program, which offers free art workshops for non-profit youth organizations in the Orange County and Los Angeles areas.

VISION:

VAALA is the center of Vietnamese arts, research, and archives.

MISSION:

VAALA’s mission is to promote and enrich arts and culture by, for, and about the Vietnamese communities.

OBJECTIVES:

To produce artistic programs that promote the vitality of Vietnamese arts and culture
To implement the arts as an educational tool for exploring the Vietnamese experience, with a focus on the diaspora
To provide a space for artists and audiences of all backgrounds to interact in an ongoing dialogue
To facilitate communication, tolerance and understanding among people of diverse identities
To advocate inclusiveness by utilizing the arts to transcend boundaries both within the community and globally