About Us
At Little Saigon San Diego, we believe social equity and racial equality can be achieved through the sense of belonging. To do this, we revitalize community infrastructure such as buildings, streets, and sidewalk, so that everyone could see their story, take ownership, and become a part of the community. We also host art and cultural events and festivals to share and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. When each of us realize that we are an equal part of a whole, we, naturally, will advocate for ourselves to achieve greater self-sufficiency and economic independence. When justice and fairness is achieved it will eliminate the motivations behind hatred, discrimination, and racism. Our community will be filled with lovingkindness, compassion, and empathy. Our works are also mission oriented toward the goal of spreading cultural awareness, building strong empathetic leadership in children, and encouraging lovingkindness in all.
Infrastructure Revitalization
June 4, 2013 - The City Council of San Diego unanimously passed of a resolution officially designated the stretch of El Cajon Boulevard between Highland and Euclid Ave as LITTLE SAIGON CULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL DISTRICT.
We envision transforming the six blocks into an open-air museum. We strive to bring alive the culture, history, and identity of the Little Saigon District through public arts and activities; so that when stepping into the district, visitors will be able to touch, see, hear, taste, and engage in the Vietnamese experience.
Currently, we are working on the Little Saigon Revitalization Initiatives is a string of revitalization projects aimed to redefine and transform public sidewalks and city streets into public gathering areas and reshaping the sidewalk experience.
2024, we will be finishing up the first project “Boat People Garden” funded by the proceeds of 2020 & 2023 LNY festivals. The proceeds from the 2024 festival will be used toward the selection and design of the second public space & the designing of 20 arts and culture sidewalk planters. The proceeds will also be used for capacity building to expand the current social services provided to disadvantaged individuals and families in need.
Community Service
We provide a connection gap for vulnerable and underserved seniors and families (especially those with barriers to communication) to access services and programs by providing translation and interpretation services. Many LEP seniors and families are denied access to effective programs and services that would benefit them because of barriers to communication such as digital literacy barrier, cultural barrier, or language barrier. Little Saigon SD provides translation and interpretation services to seniors and families to access those programs and services they need and empower them to advocate for themselves in order to achieve greater self-sufficiency, economic independence, and integrated community participation.
Cultural Events and Festivals
It is our belief that the world will be less misunderstood if we are being given the opportunity to understand each other more, learn different cultural values and heritage, and appreciate individual differences. Little Saigon SD cultural events and festivals invites people of all ages, regardless of our cultural upbringings or ethnic backgrounds, to taste, see, hear, touch, smell, and feel the Vietnamese/Chinese/Indochinese native culture, heritage, and experience. This is hands-on, experiential learning offered in the fun context of celebration, which helps visitors connect to the area, acknowledge the differences, and improve our understanding; and therefore, increase our lovingkindness, compassion, and empathy for each other. The festival is inclusive and welcoming to all.
Besides being fun and educational, the festival provides a much needed platform for linguistically isolated Vietnamese/Chinese/Indochinese to freely express their thoughts, their talents, arts, and performances. Coupled with limited English proficiency, Vietnamese/Chinese/Indochinese local artists seem to be incredibly frustrated with hard work and very little life rewards. While many English speaking artists have access to support and assistance, local Vietnamese artists are specially underserved and at a more disadvantage compared to their counterparts because they lack the ability and opportunity for fair bargaining, due to cultural difference and language barrier. The festival supports these artists as we offer an environment that is free of prejudice, supportive, and inclusion.
Through these cultural events and festivals, we also want to promote and preserve cultural heritage and traditions such as folk music, music instruments, customs, and practices that have passed down from generation to generation -- the heritage and spiritual values that can only be felt by the heart through the intangible cultural experiences.
Our History
The Little Saigon San Diego Foundation incorporated on November 20, 2008 with the purpose of preserving and celebrating the rich Vietnamese cultural heritage that makes San Diego unique, vibrant, and resilient. Our projects, including special events and festivals, district branding, and economic revitalization of neighborhoods, are eclectic approaches to empowering and promoting cultural equity, belonging, and well-being for the Little Saigon community.
June 4, 2013 - The City Council of San Diego unanimously passed a resolution officially designated the stretch of El Cajon Boulevard between Highland and Euclid Ave as LITTLE SAIGON CULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL DISTRICT.
Looking back at our first decade (2009 to 2018), we have experienced some significant changes, milestones, and successes. The district is cleaner with the installation of custom-built trash cans, more beautiful with cultural branding and displays, and much safer and friendlier.
Looking forward to our next decade (2019-2028), we are and will continue with the Little Saigon Revitalization Initiatives of activating more empty and underutilize spaces into public open spaces, bring more public arts onto the district, and turning the district's intangible cultural assets into something that we can touch, see, heard, smell, and experience.
