December 2, 2005

Viet Heritage Society’s recent fundraisers raise $110,000

Vision of Vietnamese Cultural Garden moves closer to reality

By Bea Baechle
Editor

At times Ryan Hubris, interim executive director for the Viet Heritage Society, feels like he’s doing more charity work than the real estate and property management he’s accustomed to.

Colorful costumes, props and décor added to the festivities during An Evening in Saigon.

“It gives me great satisfaction,” assures Hubris, “so everyone wins.”

Right on the heels of co-organizing a major Hurricane Katrina Relief Benefit that raised $150,000 in September, his focus switched to the fund raisers needed to bring the dream of a Vietnamese Cultural Garden at Kelly Park closer to reality.

To support the creation of this special garden, the Viet Heritage Society hosted “An Evening in Saigon,” a black-tie dinner and fund-raiser in October that raised about $40,000. Shortly thereafter another dinner at A.P. Stumps in downtown San Jose brought in an additional $69,000.

The City of San Jose offered to contribute $1 million to the $4 million project, and the Viet Heritage Society has already come through with flying colors by raising $1.6 million.

“We’ve already exceeded the expectations of the city,” said Hubris, yet the combined $2.6 million raised still leaves a $1.4 million gap that needs to be filled.

“We know the pressure is on,” he continued, “but this board is very motivated.” So motivated, in fact, that each board member had to commit to raising $120,000 in a two-year term.

Ryan Hubris, interim executive director of the Viet Heritage Society, joining Victor Duong and Rosemary Huong Nguyen.

“It’s a very, very committed—and expensive—board,” added Hubris with a laugh.

With this level of commitment, he expects to witness a groundbreaking for the Vietnamese Cultural Garden in the summer of 2006.

History of project
Eighteen years in the making, the Vietnamese Cultural Garden and community center project was first initiated by the Immigrant Resettlement and Cultural Center in 1987 and later turned over to the Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Foundation in 1993.

With San Jose City Council’s approval of the Kelly Park site at Story Road and Roberts Street in 2000, VCHF aggressively moved forward in its fund raising efforts to construct a proposed 7,000 square-foot museum and a 4,500 square-foot community hall.

This Vietnamese garden would add to the already diverse flavor of Kelley Park, which currently holds a Portuguese museum, Chinese temple, Japanese Friendship Garden, a village and a children’s zoo.

At the City of San Jose’s request, the Viet Heritage Society picked up the ball in August 2003.

(From left) Viet Heritage Society board member Thao Dang and Sonny Pham

The vision
Through the garden, VHS hopes to promote awareness and understanding of Vietnamese art, history and culture, and to showcase Vietnam’s architectural and horticultural uniqueness. The garden will include an array of exotic plants, trees, and flowers often found in Vietnam, as well as ornamental features reflective of Vietnam’s rich history.

From the One Pillar Pagoda in the North, to the Shrine of King Hung in the Central, and the Cham Towers in the South, replicated structures will be exhibited throughout the garden to reflect some of Vietnam’s 5,000 years of history.

Visitors will have the opportunity to discover and explore the temperate regions of the North that allow for the growth of peach blossoms, cherry blossoms and lilies, rare orchids in the Central and hibiscuses that are favorable to the tropical climate of the South.

As visitors venture into the museum, they will come across unique collections of antiques and artifacts from Vietnam. Through the museum, VHS hopes to retain and preserve Vietnamese art and history and to showcase Vietnamese artwork from Vietnam as well as artwork by up-and-coming Vietnamese artists around the world.

From the beautiful arts and ornaments of Vietnam to the lush foliage, exotic plants, flowers, trees, and interactive agricultural activities, the Vietnamese Garden and museum promises to be a stimulating and educational experience.

For more information, go to www.vietheritagesociety.org.