Huliq.com

October 8, 2007

'Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon' Launches National Tour

Visitors to the Viet Art Center in Garden Grove, Calif., will have the opportunity to learn about the story of the Vietnamese American experience in America from 1975 to the present through the exhibit "Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon."

Created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, the exhibition explores the themes of challenges, contributions and change, emphasizing the vibrant diversity of this ethnic community. California State University, Fullerton is hosting the exhibit at the center through Dec. 2.

Garden Grove is a fitting first venue because "Little Saigon" has often been associated with the cities of Garden Grove and Westminster, Calif., a major commercial center of more than 3,500 Vietnamese-American businesses, which serve the nation's largest population of Vietnamese Americans. There will be several educational programs and other special events during the exhibition's presentation at the Viet Art Center.

Franklin S. Odo, director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program and Vu Pham, curator of the exhibit, will be present at the exhibition's opening reception Tuesday, Oct. 9. The reception is free and open to the public. -- www.si.edu