Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal

By Raksha Varma

Nearly 20 years ago, local Vietnamese business leaders dreamed of creating a "Vietnamese garden," an oasis sitting on the Northern end of the city's Coyote River Park chain, containing a mini-replica of the One Pillar Pagoda and areas for the community to hold night celebrations illumined by Vietnamese street lanterns.

But the business leaders could not form a group to execute the goal, locals say, or raise funds for the project. This summer, the Viet Heritage Society, a San Jose-based nonprofit formed in 2003 from the remnants the '80s business community, plans to break ground on the first Vietnamese "heritage garden" in the nation.

"For a long time, it started and stopped," explains Dee Tran, publisher of VTimes, a Vietnamese language weekly. "But VHS [Viet Heritage Society] finally did something about it."

In April 2005, the city approved VHS's request to build a cultural site in Kelley Park -- also the site of the "Japanese Friendship Garden," built in 1965 as a symbol of San Jose's sister city, Okayama, Japan. According to its agreement with the city, VHS has to maintain the garden for four years, says Helen Duong, director of finance for VHS. In the summer of 2010, the nonprofit plans to give the garden (and its responsibilities) back to the city.

"VHS is focused on the first phase of the garden today -- building replicas of landmarks in Vietnam, such as the One Pillar Pagoda, and different portions of the garden, including a lotus area for people to meditate and an area filled of fruit trees that remind people of their home country," Ms. Duong says. "In the next three to four years, our plan is to build a historical museum. Also, VHS wants to hold community gatherings there, maybe teach children the Vietnamese language. But it's going to take a lot of funding."

Although start-up costs for the 4.2 acre-garden total $5 million, Ms. Duong estimates the full project to cost $11 million.

In late April, the California Cultural and Historical Endowment Board -- a state agency and group under the California State Library -- convened in Sacramento to allocate the second round of Proposition 40 bond funds, about $43 million. The board voted to reserve specific allocations for 45 applicants, including three from Santa Clara County -- VHS, $1.3 million; the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association, $600,000; and the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, $370,300.

More recently, VHS turned in $100,000 from ticket sales to the Vietnamese American National Gala, commonly referred to as VANG, an annual gathering of more than 1,000 national political figures, industry leaders and celebrities from the Vietnamese American community. VHS and other sponsors held the third annual black-tie gala in San Francisco May 4 through May 7, although prior celebrations were held in Washington, D.C.

On a local scale, San Jose City Council also promised to match VHS's funding (the group has raised more than $1 million since last year) this upcoming June, says Ms. Duong, adding that city's contribution should be $1.08 million.

State and city funding are a "validation" of the burgeoning Vietnamese population in San Jose, locals say. At the time of the 1980 U.S. Census, just 8,000 people of Vietnamese descent resided in San Jose. The number sprang to 40,000 in 1990, then doubling itself to nearly 80,000 persons in 2000, the San Jose Planning Commission says.

"The Vietnamese community continues to play an integral role in the continued growth of San Jose both economically and politically," says Councilwoman Madison Nguyen, 7th District. Ms. Nguyen is the first Vietnamese American elected to San Jose City Council. "The Viet Heritage Garden is definitely becoming a symbol of importance both socially and culturally."

The Vietnamese population accounts for 8.8 percent of the city's total population. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there are more than 1.1 million Vietnamese Americans in the United States.

"What do the Vietnamese people want?" Mr. Tran asks. "A better quality of life and better schools for their children. But most importantly, the Vietnamese people want to maintain and retain their culture, so they can pass it along to their kids. The garden could help them do that."

RAKSHA VARMA covers small business, retail and banking. Reach her at (408) 299-1829.

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