Philip Nguyen
Biography
Philip currently serves as the Executive Director in the Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR). After graduating from UC Berkeley with B.A. degrees in Ethnic Studies and Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, he earned his M.A. degree in Asian American Studies from the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University, where he teaches courses on Vietnamese American Literature and the History of the Vietnamese in the US. He has been involved with community-based organizations dedicated to amplifying and advocating for Asian American, Southeast Asian American, and Vietnamese American voices to the forefront through his involvement with the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network, the Progressive Vietnamese American Organization, and the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations.
The Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR) is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. VAR is composed of young professionals and representatives from various Vietnamese American community groups who works collaboratively to research, promote, and support joint programs and projects to benefit the local community. VAR envisions a strong and unified Vietnamese American community that works towards improving our quality of life for all. To this end, VAR focuses our mission to organize, advocate, and educate our community. We accomplish this through mobilization, advocacy, and education – mobilization through events and coalition building, advocacy through empowering and strategy, and education through panels, workshops, and cultural events. VAR’s programs cover three key strategic issue areas in community building, civic engagement, and cultural learning.
Books
Inspired by the resilience and courage of the Vietnamese American community that came together after Black April (April 30, 1975), the Vietnamese American Roundtable presents the Cơm Gia Đình Anthology Cookbook. Cơm Gia Đình literally translates to family meal. It reflects two great pillars in Vietnamese identity: food and family. The family meal is more than the food itself and inclusive of the stories, conversations, and moments of connection that transpire over the dinner table. The Cơm Gia Đình Anthology Cookbook is a collection of recipes and stories representing over fifty years since our diasporic community first established roots in the United States. Since that pivotal moment, the Vietnamese community has shown incredible strength and perseverance in resettling and reestablishing their lives in Santa Clara County. At the heart of this journey has always been the family meal. Ask anyone in the Vietnamese American community, and they will tell you that you can find the best Vietnamese dish in their own home. These dishes are symbols of family, unity, and the enduring values we hold dear. Through this Anthology, we hope to share glimpses of personal experiences of the Vietnamese American families that resettled in the Bay Area through their recipes and family resettlement stories. In times of uncertainty and hardship, the family meal at the end of the day was what brought everyone together. This Anthology is a celebration of those nourishing moments that have shaped our Vietnamese American community and a testament to our collective ability to rise again and pursue our dreams.