Proposal to organize Community Tet Festival at Garden Grove Park in 2014
Date: November 6, 2013
We, the Vietnamese American Community – Hội Cộng Đồng Việt Mỹ, (previously AKA Vietnamese American Community of Southern California), address: 11761 Samuel Dr., Garden Grove, CA 92840, a non-profit organization, and Hand to Hand Relief Organization, address: 9761 Calendula Ave., Westminster, CA 92683, also a non-profit organization, submit this proposal to organize the Tet Festival at Garden Grove Park in 2014.
Background of the Organizations: Vietnamese American Community – Hội Cộng Đồng Việt Mỹ, (AKA Vietnamese American Community of Southern California) was formed since 2002, and has been operated as a community-based non-profit organization to create a united and mutually understanding social environment and friendship among members of the Vietnamese American Community, to support social, cultural and educational activities for the benefit the Vietnamese American Community, to preserve and promote the Vietnamese traditional values and culture.
Hand to Hand Relief Organization was just formed in March 2013, but has been very active in helping the needy people in the community with food, clothing, other daily needs at 3 locations: auto services, outlet/thrift store, and warehouse in Orange County.
Why proposing to organize the Tet Festival: The Tet Festival at Garden Grove Park is used to be a Community Tet Festival, firstly, initiated by Mr. Ban Bui, – former president of the Vietnamese Community of Southern California in 1995. But in 2002, the city of Garden Grove granted the UVSA the permit to organize the Tet Festival due to the mistakes of the two Vietnamese Community of Southern California organizations, who organized the event. Since then, the Tet Festival is called Student Tet Festival, and it is easily successful because there was only one Tet Festival.
We would like to propose coordinating the Community Tet Festival at Garden Grove Park because the Tet Festival at Garden Grove Park is a the biggest and the most important traditional cultural event of the Vietnamese Community in Little Saigon, Orange County, Southern California. This Tet Festival event had been organized for more than 15 years, and becomes a symbolic activity showing the special and unique aspects of the Vietnamese community culture that almost everybody expects it must take place each year.
Unfortunately, this year, the UVSA did not want to organize this event at the Garden Grove Park due to the conflict or disagreement with the city on a number of issues.
We don’t want to see the Tet Festival at Garden Grove Park gone and the Vietnamese community disappointed. Therefore we submit this proposal in hoping the city will approve so that our Vietnamese community still has a Tet Festival and the community can enjoy the Lunar New Year as normal.
Details of the Tet Festival: This Community Tet Festival will take place (tentatively) from Friday, January 31st to Sunday, Feb. 2nd, 2014. The actual dates will be modified and confirmed later when we know the dates of the UVSA Tet Festival.
We will do the best to organize this Community Tet Festival with similar activities and attractions as with Student Tet Festival, for examples: carnival rides, games, stage, music show, culture exhibition and show, beauty contest, children contest, exhibition booths, food booths, vendors…
Possibly there will be two Tet Festivals, one held by the UVSA and one by us. In this case, the participants of our Tet Festival will be reduced a significant amount. For a total of three day Tet Festival event and if there is no rain, we expect the participants would range from 30,000 to 50,000 people.
Experience in organizing Tet Festival: My organization, – Vietnamese American Community- Cộng Đồng Việt Mỹ or previously Vietnamese American Community- of Southern California did not actually and directly involved in organizing any Tet Festival since 2002, because we don’t want to compete with the UVSA. Also, we could not find any site that meets the requirements to organize a Tet Festival.
But, myself, when I was vice president or president of the previous Vietnamese American Community- of Southern California, in order to help our organization to prepare the organizing the Tet Festival, I had been researched, investigated, looked for potential sites, reviewed Tet Festival papers, contacted vendors, contractors, given opinions, ideas, suggestions, supported and followed up or supervised and involved indirectly in organizing a numbers of Tet Festival. I also know a lot of people who are involved in the operations of the Tet Festival from selling tickets, checking tickets, supervising and solving conflict or dispute at the main entrance, setting up Vietnam village, setting up and managing the stage, booths, lighting system, audio and video system; organizing beauty and children contests, contacting and inviting singers, artists, MC, and even cleaning up … Besides these above information, I have been one of the organizers of a lot of local Vietnamese community events ranging from organizing conference, protesting against Vietnamese Communists to campaigning politically at the State Department and the Capitol in Washington DC for democracy, human rights, and religious freedom.
I know enough to lead a Tet Festival Organizing Committee. And the most important thing is Hand to Hand Relief Organization and I have a group of hundred people ready to work hard to make this Community Tet Festival a successful one.
The benefit of this Tet Festival: After all the expenses’ deduction the proceed of this Tet Festival will be distributed to the following funds:
1. Community Activity Center.
2. Non-profit community organizations.
3. Emergency/Homeless Shelter.
Our liability insurance for the Tet Festival will cover the CITY personnel directly involved in this event at the Park. We will reimburse the City the costs incurred directly to the operation of the festival provided by the city and by using the Park.
Due to the very short time frame, we would want the CITY help and support us in everything we need so that we can make this Community Tet Festival a reality.
Very truly yours,
Lac Tan Nguyen, Representative of the Tet Festival 2014 Organizing Committee
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Cộng Đồng Việt Mỹ 