Vyea Forty Years: Bon Muoi Nam Day Tre Viet Tai Thu Do Hoa KY

Commemorative Pictures and Essays about the Vietnamese Youth Educational Association of Washington D.C. -- VYEA on occasion of its 40th year in operation.The Vietnamese Youth Educational Association of Washington VYEA was founded in 1977 in Arlington Virginia.VYEAs mission is to teach the Vietnamese language promulgate the Vietnamese culture within American society and strengthen traditional values.VYEA has been operating a Vietnamese Summer School (Lớp HE Tiếng Việt) for 40 years. This past Summer the school met at Falls Church High school and received 345 students aged from 6 to 22 years organized into 14 classes of 6 grade levels taught by 45 volunteer teachers and supported by a large number of volunteer parents and members of the VYEA. The school held classes in the six weeks immediately following the public school year. Since 2008 the Teaching Assistant program and the Popular Culture classes have added other colorful means of sharing the Viet heritage and culture to the children.In addition to the Viet language students and teachers and parents all participated in school-wide cultural activities that culminated in a 2-hour show at the graduation day attended by more than 700 parents. Additional effort at promulgating Viet culture has taken form in a Viet Youth Orchestra 2005-2008 a 30-member symphonic orchestra played the HOn Vọng Phu 1-3 songs and DAn Ca Ba Miền (Folk Songs) Trống Cơm LY Con SAo Huế and LY Ngựa O.Many students especially those graduated from grade 6 did return to participate as Teaching Assistant.Enthusiastic participation in organization composIng material teaching grading music and performances by students TAs teachers parents for the past 40 years make a strong statement about VYEA.