March 18, 2026 – Santa Ana, California – The Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) proudly presents Viet Book Fest 2026, an all-day literary event celebrating Vietnamese diasporic voices in literature, culture, and storytelling, back for its 5th edition. This year’s festival will return on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Admission is free and open to the public. RSVP: https://bit.ly/VietBookFest2026
Viet Book Fest 2026 offers a full day of programming focused on Vietnamese literature, storytelling, and culture. Attendees can participate in five panel discussions, enjoy interactive activities for children, and experience youth performances that showcase Vietnamese traditions and creativity. The festival also provides a space for community collaborations, where participants can create their own art and engage in hands-on projects.
In addition, Viet Book Fest will feature author meet-and-greets and book signings, as well as a dedicated marketplace for book sales, with the return of our official bookseller, LibroMobile, alongside Tự Lực Bookstore and damau.org, Vietnamese-language booksellers offering a curated selection of literature for all ages.
Viet Book Fest 2026: Panels and Featured Activities
Mở Tương Lai: Đối thoại về Dịch thuật Văn chương (Anh ngữ và Việt ngữ)
Opening the Future: A Conversation on Literary Translation
10:20 AM – 11:30 AM in Norma Kershaw Auditorium
Translation has always played a vital role in introducing readers to unique and diverse stories across time and space. This panel explores how Vietnamese works have been or will be translated into English to foster greater linguistic, cultural, and historical understanding of our diasporic Vietnamese literary tradition at the half-century mark since the Fall of Saigon. Through translation, these works aim to preserve and celebrate the complexity of our Vietnamese sensibility while allowing layered narratives to cross borders, take root, and flower in evolving landscapes. Featured panelists include Đặng Thơ Thơ, novelist and essayist (Ai, The Winter Exhibition, Possibilities); Tri C. Tran, PhD, linguist and translator (Trong Vườn Mắt Em, Lối Về Của Nước, Essential Vietnamese Grammar); and Thuy Dinh / Đinh Từ Bích Thuý, bilingual critic, translator, and editor (Beyond Borders, The Colors of April). The panel is moderated by ThuyVy, veteran media host, cultural moderator, and longtime advocate for arts and literature in Vietnamese public programming.
Fresh Off the Press: New Books & Their Authors
12:00 PM – 1:10 PM in Norma Kershaw Auditorium
This panel highlights newly published books by authors exploring history, identity, and community. Panelists include Cindy Anh Nguyen, UCLA Assistant Professor and author of Bibliotactics: Libraries and the Colonial Public in Vietnam (2026); Hugh Nguyen, Orange County Clerk-Recorder and author of My Unforgettable Journey: A Long Way From Home; Jade Hilde, Vietnamese-Irish-Norwegian writer of Hair: A Lai Mỹ Memoir (2025); and Phillip Nguyen, Executive Director of the Vietnamese American Roundtable, presenting the Cơm Gia Đình Anthology Cookbook, a collection of recipes and family stories celebrating over fifty years of Vietnamese American resilience and community. Moderated by Kenneth Nguyen, host of The Vietnamese podcast.
Preserving Roots, Spices, and Recipes: A Cookbook Panel
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM in Norma Kershaw Auditorium
This panel explores how personal stories and culinary traditions preserve cultural roots while evolving within diasporic communities. From home kitchens to published cookbooks, this conversation celebrates food as a living archive of roots, resilience, and community.
Panelists include Tien Nguyen (The Red Boat Fish Sauce Cookbook), Andrea Nguyen (Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, Ever-Green Vietnamese), and Julie Mai Tran (Ăn Chưa? A Vietnamese Cookbook), who will discuss recipes, techniques, and the meaning of shared meals. The panel is moderated by VAALA Board Member Huong Pham, and will be followed by a book signing.
The Art of Audible Storytelling: Vietnamese Voices in Audiobooks
3:30 PM – 4:40 PM in Norma Kershaw Auditorium
Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the voices behind your favorite Vietnamese audiobooks. From children’s literature to romance, this panel brings together narrators Quyen Ngo (My Vietnam, Your Vietnam, The Mountains Sing), Elyse Dinh (The Crossbow of Destiny, The Monstrous Misses Mai), and VyVy Nguyen (The Fortunes of Jaded Women, The Last Bloodcarver), who will share their journeys into audiobook storytelling and discuss how they bring beloved novels and stories to life. The panel is moderated by Jes Vu from CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) and former VAALA Board member.
Vietnamese Cultural Rhythms: Youth Dance Showcase
10:20 AM – 11:00 AM in John M. Lee Court
Culture is not only learned from books. It is carried through movement, music, and shared traditions. Vietnamese traditional dance has long been a powerful form of storytelling, where history, emotion, and community are expressed through rhythm and gesture. From graceful fan dances to the vibrant energy of lion dance, Vietnamese diasporic youth continue to honor their heritage while expressing cultural pride through music, motion, and performance. Through these dances, stories are remembered, reimagined, and passed on to the next generation. Joining us are the students from 3âm Kids trained under Chị Em 3âm — Đan-Vy, Hạ Nhi, Nhã Vy and the High School VSAs from the Vietnamese American High School Alliance. Hosting this vibrant cultural dance showcase will be the brother duo, Christopher and Michael Nguyen from VAHSA.
Children’s Storytime : Stories of Traditions and Journeys
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM in John M. Lee Court
Put on your áo dài and step into a world of storytelling as we celebrate Vietnamese traditions and journeys. This interactive session brings beloved Vietnamese stories to life through engaging readings and fun activities for families and children of all ages. Storytime will be hosted by Jenni Trang Le and her daughter Beanie, joined by the 2026 Miss Vietnam of Southern California Royal Court for a reading of I Am Both by Kerisa Greene. Guest author Peggy Nguyễn will also be in attendance for a special reading of Zodiac Animals for Movers, combining a lively, movement-filled activity for our young attendees. Free Children’s activities co-presented by the Vietnamese American High School Alliance (VAHSA) will happen in the John M Lee Court.
The Rise of Vietnamese Protagonists: Young Adult / Readers Panel
12:20 PM – 1:30 PM in John M. Lee Court
This panel explores Vietnamese protagonists across genres, from realistic fiction to fantasy, highlighting stories set in diverse worlds, time periods, and cultural contexts. Featured authors include Brandon Hoàng (The Crossbow of Destiny, Minecraft: One Last Quest), Van Hoang (The Monstrous Misses Mai, Silver and Smoke), and Vanessa Le (The Last Bloodcarver, His Mortal Demise), who will discuss how Vietnamese identity shapes their characters and narratives. The panel is moderated by VAALA Board Member Thuy Vo-Dang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Information Studies & Asian American Studies at UCLA.
Community Collaborations – Poetry, Zine, and more!
2:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Community is more than a buzzword – it’s the foundation upon which movements are built. Community Collaborations connects artists and activists across genres to share stories spanning a range of lived experience. Through poetry, zines, oral storytelling, and mixed media, we are reminded that to be an artist is to be an archivist.
VAALA is proud to showcase Libromobile, OC Mutual Aid, Neighborhood Delhi, VROC, and OCAPICA as our community partners throughout the day at Viet Book Fest 2026. In the late afternoon, John M Lee Court will become a hub for your own creativity, featuring a writer’s workshop facilitated by OC Poet Laureate Gustavo Hernandez and a zine workshop hosted by Viet Rainbow of Orange County.
Join Us at Viet Book Fest 2025!
For more information, visit https://vaala.org/ or contact info@vaala.org.
Follow us on social media for updates:
Instagram & Facebook: @vaalacommunity
About Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association: VAALA was founded in 1991 by a group of Vietnamese American journalists, artists, and friends to fill a void in the community and provide a space for newly resettled immigrant artists to express themselves. VAALA’s mission is to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese art and culture. Historically run entirely by volunteers, VAALA is a community-based non-profit organization. Over the years, VAALA has collaborated with diverse community partners to organize numerous cultural and artistic events. VAALA’s four core programs include the annual Viet Film Fest and Viet Book Fest, the Gallery Beyond Walls program featuring art exhibitions, and free art and film workshops for youth, such as Youth in Motion: A Filmmaking Workshop for Emerging Filmmakers.