If the way to a Horned Frog’s heart is through the stomach, many students and staffers
have been won over by the Vietnamese Student Association. It’s hard to resist their
campus food events offering tastes of Vietnam like bahn mi, spring rolls and sweet
iced coffee.
Generous with new knowledge through a constant cycle of programming, the VSA describes itself as “a cultural student organization that strives to strengthen student unity, represent Vietnamese students’ voices, and enhance diversity at TCU.” For seven years the club has worked tirelessly building bridges on campus and across the globe.
How it started
In 2013, Ken Nhan ’15 was a supply chain management major with plenty on his plate as part of the BNSF Next Generation Leadership Program and the Chancellor’s Leadership Program. But he and a group of friends wanted to start an inclusive organization to support students and bring people together.
As the TCU charter for an independent chapter of Vietnamese Student Association was drawn up, Nhan penned a letter to Randal Lewis, instructor of management and leadership in the Neeley School of Business, asking him to serve as faculty advisor. Lewis accepted immediately.
“Ken started up VSA because he wanted to be a doer at TCU, not just an observer. He brought a sense of idealism and camaraderie building that was irresistible. There’s a natural culture of achievement and contribution in Vietnam that involves socializing around lots of effort. Everything they do is based on sharing. The way they eat. The way they participate, connect and bond. They’re a beautiful fit for TCU.”
The VSA has seven elected officers and a minimum GPA requirement, and their activities are truly worldwide. Each summer VSA upperclassmen host parties in both North and South Vietnam to welcome new students to TCU.
How it’s going
At the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year, the VSA created their own social media campaign to encourage good COVID-19 health habits, sponsoring a 12-day #FrogsProtect challenge. Students produced a tutorial video demonstrating how to fashion face masks out of simple household items.
Each fall, VSA students set up tables in the commons inviting passers-by to take part
in the annual Mid-Autumn Festival with paper lantern crafts, mooncakes and a spirited lion dance. Another seasonal
event is Traditional Game Day with outdoor dances and games. In February, at least
90 students celebrated Lunar New Year’s Eve together on Zoom. 
The group enjoys hosting Vietnamese food events at Homecoming and throughout the year
as a way to connect to others and get a taste of home. A shared challenge for many
students is finding good Vietnamese groceries. “I really don’t care for pizza,” politely
laughed a VSA member at a recent coffee tasting.
The VSA’s largest annual endeavor is Amazing Vietnam, a theatrical production accompanied by a three-course dinner and attended by hundreds of guests. Sodexo caters the ticketed event, but the students do everything else. Randal Lewis fondly recalls hauling painted scenery in his pickup truck in the show’s earliest days.
Hao Duong, ’21, a business information systems major who played the lead role in the 2019 show, found the experience personally affirming. “Amazing Vietnam is not only a way to showcase the beauty of our culture, but also serves as a reminder to myself that I should appreciate and be proud of my own culture.”
In March 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic brought a number of hardships to VSA members, starting with the cancellation of the 7th production of Amazing Vietnam, which had been four months in the making. Students traveling back to Vietnam when campus closed had to be quarantined for weeks before finally getting home. Only about half returned to campus for the 2020-21 academic year, modifying their sleep schedules in order to take online classes at night to accommodate the 12-hour time zone difference from Texas.
After fall final exams, the VSA organized outings so that students on campus could relax. The stress-busting activities included everyone: students learning from South Vietnam played an escape game, and students in North Vietnam took a day trip to Ninh Binh province.
Making it work
In April, the VSA hosted a career workshop with guest speakers, a Zoom conference
attended by nearly 100 people. Supporting each other in finding work after graduation
is especially important to international students, for whom the stakes can be high.
Federal immigration policy requires them to find jobs in their fields within three
months of graduating. John Singleton, director of International Services, says the
students are well-prepared and “academically without comparison.”
“Most of our Vietnamese students are in the top academic percentile at TCU and highly
sought after by employers. These graduates may work from 1-3 years in the U.S., depending
on their degree’s connection to STEM. Some transition to the H1B visa, and a significant
number go on to grad school. Many Vietnamese students eventually return home, where
our TCU alumni family in Vietnam continues to grow.”
Vietnamese students comprise the largest group of TCU’s international student population,
many of whom learn of the university by word of mouth. According to Lewis, many Vietnamese
students who venture abroad for college get invited to go back to high schools in
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to talk about their experiences. Horned Frogs have made
a favorable impression on teens and parents, who find themselves drawn to the TCU’s
academic reputation and supportive culture.
Windows on the world
Eric Ngo ’19, former vice-president of finance for the VSA, now a supply chain professional, was one of a group of students who went on a life-changing study abroad to South Africa in 2015 with Mike Slattery, professor of environmental sciences. Students were introduced to endangered white rhinos who had been victims of poaching.
Ngo vowed to help debunk the medicinal use of rhino horn, a practice that persists in Vietnam and China. He has spoken to hundreds of young people throughout his native country.
VSA students sponsored a campus lecture, translated videos, launched a fundraising event and mounted an information campaign to educate the public about the plight of the rhino. The work continues.
“Eric saw those rhinos firsthand, and it changed his heart,” said Jeff Waite, director for Marketing and Communications for the Neeley School of Business, who got involved as a VSA co-advisor after being part of a mentoring program called Beyond Borders, an initiative also started by Vietnamese students. “VSA student leaders saw the opportunity of cultural association, and they took action.”
Waite describes his role with the VSA as “very hands on” and tries to attend every event. He even took on a performing role in a production of Amazing Vietnam. Waite was awarded the 2018 Wassenich Award for Mentoring in the TCU Community.
“These global relationships have continued to grow, even beyond graduation. It’s been a blessing for me to learn and grow from meeting these students… and I enjoy how much they and their parents appreciate the educational process. We’re all in this world together.”
Learn more about the VSA through their social media accounts: