News

Three writers from across the Vietnamese diaspora write about the war and its lasting impacts on refugees and future generations in a new issue of the literary magazine McSweeney’s, titled “The Make Believers.” DVAN Executive Director Isabelle Pelaud, along with author Thi Bui and writer and journalist Doan Bui, joined KQED Forum to share what the anniversary means for them.

DVAN Executive Director Isabelle Pelaud discussed McSweeney's 78: The Make Believers with Lakshmi Sarah on KQED's Newscast on April 26, 2025. McSweeney's invited all the writers from DVAN's 2023 Residency in France to create a special issue of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War on April 30.

DVAN Executive Director Isabelle Pelaud and COO Kathy Nguyen joined Rose Aguilar on KALW’s Your Call to reflect on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. They discussed STILL WE RISE – DVAN’s landmark event on April 26, 2025 – and why it’s more important than ever to create space for stories by and for the Vietnamese diaspora.

DVAN’s Menlo Park launch for The Cleaving was featured on the front page of the Metro Silicon Valley on April 23, 2025. The release party at Kepler’s Books included readings and a discussion with Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Lan P. Duong, Doan Bui, and Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. Read the full article.

The Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN) is proud to present Still We Rise: 50 Years After the Vietnam War on April 26, 2025 – a landmark event that will unite internationally acclaimed authors and groundbreaking artists of the Vietnamese diaspora for a powerful evening of reflections, poetry, and music. 

[Libération] La romancière française rend compte d’une résidence ce mois-ci dans les Cévennes d’auteurs de la diaspora vietnamienne à l’initiative du DVAN, fondation créée par l’écrivain Viet Thanh Nguyen.

[VTV4] The DVAN x ICI Vietnam event at Jean-Pierre Médiathèque in Paris was covered in Vietnamese news outlet VTV4. VTV4 features the Vietnamese diaspora in four parts of the world, spotlighting the different ways in which the Vietnamese diaspora expresses their creativity.

The Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN) is happy to share that after an intensive nationwide search, we’ve appointed Kathy Nguyen as DVAN’s new Chief Operating Officer.

[TIME] As a second-generation Vietnamese American I spent much of my youth railing against my heritage. The reasons were as simple as being a normal rebellious teenager, and as complex as not understanding how PTSD could be a catalyst for generational trauma. As an adult I’ve worked hard to appreciate where I come from, but earlier in 2023 at an online Áccented event hosted by the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN), I found myself, once again, at odds with my community.

DVAN is thrilled to share some big news that we've received a generous donation of $500,000 from an anonymous donor to initiate an endowment to ensure that DVAN can sustain its efforts in the long run. The goal of the endowment is to raise $4 million over the next four years.