The Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA) (Vietnamese: Liên Hội Sinh Viên Việt Nam Bắc Mỹ Châu) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, community-based organization founded in 2004 as a means for Vietnamese organizations from across North America to network, share common resources, collaborate with one another to build strong sustainable communities, and engage in philanthropic work.
The elected Executive Board consists of a President, Internal Vice President, External Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Executive Board terms last two years. There are two other main staffing departments that are one-year roles: Cabinet and Conference. The Cabinet general committees include Alumni Relations, Civic Engagement, Information Technology, Marketing and Public Relations, Sponsorship and Development, VSAcademy, Community Safety, and Collective Philanthropy Project.
During the Third International Vietnamese Youth Conference in 2003 in San Diego, there were initial talks for creating a network of Vietnamese Student Associations in North America modeled after the Federal Vietnamese Students Association of Australia. Through a collaboration of the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California along with the New England Intercollegiate Vietnamese Student Association, the first North American Vietnamese Student Associations (NAVSA) conference was held in the Summer of 2004 in Boston, and with that NAVSA was born. Only with the second conference in 2005 in Chicago, was the name of NAVSA changed to The Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA) to better reflect that nature of this organization as a union.
The UNAVSA conference attracts hundreds of undergraduates, graduates, and young professionals from around the country participate in the multi-day event to hone their leadership skills, hold discussions with distinguished speakers, and explore issues in the Vietnamese community domestically and abroad. The majority of attendees are current and future officers of Vietnamese American student groups (VSAs, VSUs, UVSAs, etc.) seeking to develop personal leadership abilities, build organizational management skills and network with other leaders from around the country.
| Conference | Location | Theme | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAVSA | Boston, MA | NAVSA (Self-Titled) | July 2–4, 2004 |
| uNAVSA-2 | Chicago, IL | Acting in Unity: Making Hope a Reality | July 2005 |
| uNAVSA-3 | San Jose, CA | In Common Unity, Building Local Power | July 13–16, 2006 |
| uNAVSA-4 | New Orleans, LA | Recognize, Inspire, Strengthen, Empower (RISE) | July 26–29, 2007 |
| uNAVSA-5 | Portland, OR | Sharing Our Past, Shaping Our Future | July 31-August 3, 2008 |
| uNAVSA-6 | Atlanta, GA | Pursue Your Passion, Define Your Path | July 30-August 2, 2009 |
| uNAVSA-7 | Washington DC | Uncommon Power for the Common Voice | July 29-August 1, 2010 |
| UNAVSA-8 | Denver, CO | Blueprint of our Legacy | July 28–31, 2011 |
| UNAVSA-9 | Minneapolis, MN | Bước Qua (Step Through) | July 26–29, 2012 |
| UNAVSA-10 | Anaheim, CA | Nơi Nương Tựa (Safe Haven) | August 1–4, 2013 |
| UNAVSA-11 | Dallas, TX | Together, Let's Fly | July 24–27, 2014 |
| UNAVSA-12 | Seattle, WA | Momentum: Ripples of Progress | June 26–29, 2015 |
| UNAVSA-13 | Boston, MA | Light the Way | July 21–24, 2016 |
| UNAVSA-14 | New Orleans, LA | Unlock the Present | July 20–24, 2017 |
| UNAVSA-15 | Atlanta, GA | Stand up, Stand Out! | August 2–5, 2018 |
| UNAVSA-16 | Vancouver, BC | Beyond the Horizon: Y[ours] to Discover | July 25–28, 2019 |
| VE-1 | Virtual | Connecting with U(s) | July 23–26, 2020 |
| VE-2 | Virtual | Behind the Dreams | July 22–25, 2021 |
| UNAVSA-17 | Portland, OR | Illuminate | July 21–24, 2022 |
| UNAVSA-18 | Houston, TX | Snapshots | July 13–16, 2023 |
| UNAVSA-19 | New York City, NY | Once In A Lifetime | July 11-14, 2024 |
The CPP is an initiative created in 2004 for Vietnamese-American students and community organizations to collaborate toward a common charitable cause. The CPP's goal is to further UNAVSA's mission of developing leadership, preserving the Vietnamese heritage, and creating a unified national effort to help those in need. Each year, the top three candidates are asked to present their projects at the UNAVSA national conference. After the attendees vote, a beneficiary is announced at the conference banquet. In years past, CPP has partnered with several non-profit organizations, raising over $300,000 in the last seven years.
| List of CPP Beneficiaries | ||
| 2023 | Rock Paper Scissors | |
| 2022 | One Body Village | |
| 2021 | Asian Prisoner Support Committee | |
| 2020 | Messengers of Love | |
| 2019 | Messengers of Love | |
| 2018 | Children of Vietnam | |
| 2017 | Pacific Links Foundation | |
| 2016 | Catalyst Foundation | |
| 2015 | Kids Without Borders | |
| 2014 | Foodaid.Compassion | |
| 2013 | One Body Village | |
| 2012 | M.E.M.O. | |
| 2011 | Children of Vietnam | |
| 2010 | Blue Dragon Children's Foundation | |
| 2009 | Vietnamese American Heritage Foundation | |
| 2008 | VIETHOPE | |
| 2007 | Vietnamese Overseas Initiative (VOICE) | |
| 2006 | Catalyst Foundation | |
| 2005 | VietACT |
The UNAVSA executive board is headed by the President. The current President is Kelly Tran, who took over from Philip Nguyen in 2022 and will conclude her term at the UNAVSA Conference in 2024. The President is responsible for the strategic direction of UNAVSA and is tasked with ensuring the organization is operating within the scope defined by its partner organizations.
| 1 | Quoc Phan | Southern California | 4 July 2004 | 31 July 2005 | ||
| 2 | Tony Ngo | Southern California | 31 July 2005 | 16 July 2006 | ||
| 3 | Hai Ton | Northern California | 16 July 2006 | 3 August 2008 | First two-year President | |
| 4 | Brian Vo | Mid-Atlantic | 3 August 2008 | 1 August 2010 | ||
| 5 | Dan Huynh | Midwest | 1 August 2010 | 29 July 2012 | ||
| 6 | Lan Anh Nguyen | Mid-Atlantic | 29 July 2012 | 27 July 2014 | First female President | |
| 7 | My-Phuong Ly | Midwest | 27 July 2014 | 24 July 2016 | ||
| 8 | Thoa Kim Nguyen | Southwest | 24 July 2016 | 5 August 2018 | ||
| 9 | Phuc Hong Phan | Southeast | 5 August 2018 | 2020 | ||
| 10 | Philip Nguyen | Northern California | 2020 | 2022 | ||
| 11 | Kelly Tran | Western Canada | 2022 | Present | First Canadian President |