We are updating and expanding...
Vietnamese
Coffee & Friends
...weekly program
Vietnamese Coffee & Friends is a membership-based peer support and community care network that combines weekly check-ins, social connection, volunteer engagement, and mutual aid. Through a simple but structured system of regular contact and neighbor-to-neighbor support, the program helps ensure that members remain connected, cared for, and supported throughout life's everyday moments as well as times of illness, hardship, and loss.
Grow the vision
Vietnamese Coffee & Friends is a peer-to-peer support membership program designed to reduce social isolation, strengthen social connections, and build a reliable network of community care. Through regular check-ins, shared activities, and mutual support, members cultivate meaningful relationships while helping ensure that no one faces life's challenges alone.
Members join through an annual membership and commit to a simple weekly check-in every Saturday. Check-ins may be completed by attending the weekly Coffee & Friends gathering or by sending a text message. Members are organized into small groups led by volunteer team leaders, with each leader supporting approximately 10 to 15 members.
The weekly check-in serves as both a social connection point and a way for members to stay connected with their community. When a member does not check in as expected, team leaders follow up to ensure the member's well-being and determine whether assistance may be needed. If contact cannot be established, additional efforts may be made to reach the member, including wellness visits and, when appropriate, notification of emergency contacts or local authorities. This simple system helps ensure that members remain connected and that concerns can be identified and addressed early.
Members are encouraged to communicate through group messaging platforms that promote friendship, sharing, and mutual support. Participation in conversations and activities is optional; the only requirement is the weekly check-in.
Program Activities
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Weekly Vietnamese Coffee & Friends gatherings
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Monthly neighborhood trash pickup events
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Potluck lunches following community service activities
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Annual member appreciation and year-end gathering
Beyond social activities, Coffee & Friends functions as a community care network where members support one another during times of need. Depending on volunteer availability and member requests, support may include:
Community Care & Support
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Friendly wellness visits and companionship
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Delivery of hot meals during illness or recovery
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Hospital and care facility visits
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Assistance with grocery and medication pickup
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Transportation or coordination of essential errands
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Support during times of crisis, illness, or personal hardship
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Support during end-of-life transitions, funeral arrangements, and bereavement
The program is supported by a $30 annual membership fee, which serves as a shared community care fund. Membership contributions are reserved exclusively for member support and may be used to provide meals, flowers, memorial tributes, or other acts of care during times of illness, recovery, hardship, or loss. Membership fees are not used for general program operations, staffing, or administrative expenses.
Vietnamese Coffee & Friends is built on the belief that strong communities are created through relationships. By combining regular social engagement, community service, and neighbor-to-neighbor support, the program fosters belonging, promotes healthy aging, and creates a trusted network where members care for one another through both everyday life and difficult circumstances.
Program Goal
To cultivate a caring and connected community where members build meaningful friendships, remain socially engaged, and support one another through life's joys, challenges, and transitions.
We are updating and expanding...
Introducing Our Newest Program...
Vietnamese
Garden to Market
Vietnamese Garden to Market is a community food collective that helps individuals access opportunities that may be difficult to pursue alone. Through collaboration, shared resources, event participation, and mutual support, the program empowers participants to focus on what they do best while building economic opportunity, expanding Vietnamese cuisine, and strengthening community capacity.
Don't work alone. Let's grow together.
Planting the Seed
Vietnamese Garden to Market is a community food collective that brings together cooks, food vendors, entrepreneurs, and community members to create economic opportunities through food, culture, and collaboration.
After years of organizing festivals, community markets, and cultural events, Little Saigon San Diego has developed a deep understanding of the challenges faced by small food vendors and aspiring entrepreneurs. Participating in public events often requires much more than preparing great food. Vendors must navigate permits, insurance requirements, food safety regulations, equipment costs, event fees, transportation, marketing, staffing, and other administrative responsibilities before serving a single customer.
For many individuals, these barriers can make participation difficult, expensive, and risky.
Vietnamese Garden to Market was created to help reduce those barriers by bringing people together as a collective rather than asking each person to navigate the process alone.
Little Saigon contributes organizational experience, event coordination, administrative support, permits, and relationships with event organizers and government agencies. Participants contribute their culinary talents, products, creativity, services, and entrepreneurial spirit.
By working together, participants can focus on their strengths while benefiting from the knowledge, resources, and support of the larger community.
A cook can focus on cooking.
An organizer can focus on organizing.
An experienced vendor can mentor someone just getting started.
A community member can contribute skills, services, equipment, or labor.
Together, participants share opportunities, exchange knowledge, support one another, and create pathways that would be difficult to pursue independently.
Program Activities
Participants may have opportunities to:
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Participate in festivals, farmers markets, night markets, and community events
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Introduce Vietnamese cuisine to broader audiences
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Test products and explore food-based business opportunities
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Share knowledge, resources, and experience with other participants
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Build relationships with customers and community partners
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Collaborate on community food events and cultural celebrations
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Organize food festivals, night markets, and community gatherings centered around Vietnamese cuisine and culture
Building Capacity, Not Dependency
Vietnamese Garden to Market is designed to build individual and community capacity rather than long-term dependency.
The program's success is not measured by how many people remain in the program, but by how many individuals develop the confidence, skills, relationships, and experience necessary to pursue opportunities independently.
Participants are encouraged to learn, grow, share knowledge, and support one another. As individuals gain experience, they may choose to participate independently, launch their own ventures, organize opportunities for others, or mentor new participants entering the network.
The goal is not simply to grow membership. The goal is to grow people, relationships, and community capacity.
Who Can Participate
The program welcomes:
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Food vendors
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Cottage food operators
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Home-based food businesses operating legally under applicable regulations
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Caterers
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Bakers
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Beverage vendors
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Specialty food producers
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Aspiring food entrepreneurs
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Community members interested in sharing Vietnamese cuisine and culture
Program Goal
To strengthen the Vietnamese food community by creating opportunities for collaboration, entrepreneurship, cultural exchange, and community engagement through food.
Let's Go Camping
Join us for a fun-filled weekend of camping, outdoor adventure, and community connection in the beautiful mountains of Julian!
Whether you're an experienced camper or trying camping for the very first time, everyone is welcome. Spend the weekend exploring nature, sharing meals, making new friends, and creating lasting memories under the stars.
📅 Friday–Sunday, August 7–9, 2026
📍 Paso Picacho Group Camp
13652 Highway 79, Julian, CA 92036
Whether you're coming alone, with friends, or with family, this is a chance to unplug, enjoy the outdoors, and connect with others in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
Come make memories, share stories, and enjoy a weekend adventure with us!
As we commemorate 50 years of the Vietnamese community, we invite you to be part of a special reflection—an opportunity to honor the journey, resilience, and humanity of those who lived it.
In the spirit of bridging histories and fostering understanding, empathy, and shared belonging, we are proud to present the I Was There project—a growing collection of personal stories from ordinary Vietnamese individuals whose lives were forever shaped by displacement, survival, and the quiet strength it took to rebuild.
Through their reflections, you’ll witness not just hardship, but also the acts of kindness that carried them forward, and the deep gratitude that continues to shape their contributions to the communities they now call home.
We warmly invite you to explore these stories and join us in honoring the lived experiences that make up this rich and enduring tapestry.
Thank you for standing with us in remembrance, in learning, and in connection.
619-362-6066
Thank You for Another Wonderful Camp
Thank you everyone for another incredible camping trip.
Although we had to cut our time short due to the stormy and windy weather, what stood out even more was everything that happened because of it.
From the well-coordinated cleanup effort—just in time before the rain poured down—to the many quiet, selfless acts throughout the trip. Someone came back to help bring trash to the dumpster. A child quickly ran to get help when the wind blew flames outside of the fire pit.
Everyone stepped in, supported one another, and made sure we stayed safe.
At the same time, there was so much goodness woven into the experience. Meals were thoughtfully prepared and shared. People made extra effort to reduce waste and stay mindful in celebration of Earth Day. And most importantly, our kids had the chance to build healthy habits—learning to appreciate nature, the outdoors, and the people around them.
Moments like this remind us that it’s not just about the trip itself, but about how we show up for one another.
Thank you all for being part of it.
Next camping trip will be August 1-9, 2026
If you’re interested, please call or text Master Hải at 858-610-0095.
Umbrella Trees
Next project on the Little Saigon Revitalization Initiatives is the Umbrella Tree with a mission to tagibilizing the intangible cultural assets that make up the identity, character, and customs of Little Saigon District. To do this, we aim to bring to life the inspirations stories and journeys of Vietnamese Americans immigrants that contributed to the identity, characters, and customs of the Little Saigon District. Approximately 20 unique stories will be engraved on 20 plaques, to be installed on 20 urban street planters, and will be placed within the 6-block stretch of the Little Saigon District of San Diego. The planter will feature an umbrella tree growing out of it. These planters with umbrella trees are currently being design by Tecture Design and Fabrication.
Good News!
Good News! LED Lights Coming to the Umbrella Trees - Funded by San Diego Community Power.
We’re excited to share that LED lights will soon be installed on the Umbrella Trees—thanks to your voices and input!
Several months ago, Little Saigon San Diego, in collaboration with APAC of Hoover High School, conducted a community assessment survey to better understand what matters most to you. One of the top requests we received was clear: more lighting on sidewalks for a safer and more inviting environment.
As part of our ongoing Little Saigon Revitalization Initiatives, we’re committed to transforming public sidewalks and city streets into vibrant, welcoming spaces that reflect the spirit and needs of our community. These LED lights will be powered by our very own solar energy system, promoting sustainability and environmentally friendly solutions.
This project is a direct result of your feedback—and a testament to what’s possible when community voices lead the way.
Thank you for helping us shape a brighter, safer, and more beautiful Little Saigon!
619-362-6066
Boat People Garden
Boat People Garden is a small mini park / public open space by convert an under-utilized private property and integrate with existing pedestrian pathways for an innovative public space complete with sitting areas, resting benches, and landscaping gardens. The garden will include an interactive sculpture of Vietnamese Boat People dedicated to the courage, determination and willpower of the many Vietnamese refugees who never yielded to suppression and to honor those refugees who perished while still holding onto the dream of freedom. This mini park will be the first in an ongoing series of Little Saigon Revitalization Initiatives to redefine and transform public sidewalks and city streets into public gathering areas and reshaping the sidewalk experience.
This project is supported in part by:
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The California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at This activity is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.
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The San Diego Foundation
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Price Philanthropies
Anticipated completion date
June 30, 2027
Be Kind
Take a plea for Kindness today!
A small act of kindness can brighten someone’s whole day—and it costs us nothing. Whether it’s a smile, a gentle word, or a moment of patience, kindness in our everyday routine creates ripples of warmth and connection. Choose kindness—it’s a quiet strength that makes the world softer, one moment at a time.
Be Kind Today
