Association of Chinese from Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos
900 Maunakea Street, Honolulu, HI
96817; Tel: (808) 531-3012; Fax:
History: The association was started in (808) 550-2998
April, 1975 by the first refugees who arrived
in Hawaii from Indochina. All of these first
generation members shared the common
story of coming to Hawaii with virtually
nothing to their name and thus having to
build their liv
es anew. In the early years, the
impetus to form the association was based
upon two main practicalities. The first
concerned the fact that most of the Chinese
refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos
did not speak English upon their arrival and
that cultural assimilation was recognized as
an essential part of their survival in Hawaii. The second concerned the importance of
trying to locate 'lost' relatives of the refugees,
as families often did not end up in the
same city, state, or even country. Therefore,
the association formed in order to settle the
refugees into their new lives, as well as to try
and help them contact their relatives. Originally, the association members would
meet anywhere they could in order to share
information. This often meant gathering
under trees in the parks near Chinatown or
in the Chinese cultural plaza. This trend
continued until the early eighties, whereupon
the status of newcomers changed from
refugees to immigrants. As membership and
resources grew, the association became more
established in the community and by 1985
had moved into an office located on North
King Street. On June 1, 2003, the association
held a grand opening for its new society
building at 900 Maunakea Street. Activities The activities for the association are quite varied, ranging from community work to
organizing festive gatherings. These include an annual New Years banquet attended by up to
1,000 members; fundraising, including a donation of $10,000 to rebuild the Palolo Chinese
Home; supporting and organizing activities in Chinatown including parades and the food stands;
helping older people in the Chinese community as well as other Chinese associations; and purchasing
more than 500 spaces through Borthwick Mortuary on the grounds of the Valley of
Temples, to resell to members at half the market price. Internally, the Association organizes a
group of volunteers that cares for elderly members and, upon request, performs traditional funeral
ceremonies. Another program collects donations from members to award to 15-20 school
children each year, for their academic achievements. Membership: The association is a non-profit organization
that requries its members to be ethnically Chinese, as well as
from Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos. Members are predominantly business people,
farmers and shopowners in Chinatown. There is a $10
annual membership fee. A monthly donation is requested,
with the actual amount left to the discretion of the donor. Approximately 800 households are registered members, but
including dependents, total numbers involved in the association
are in the vicinity of 3-4,000 individuals. Association presidents
1981-82 Ly Trieu Tong
1983-84 Tran Thu
1985-92 Ted Li
1993-96 You Soukaseum
1997-98 Ly Trieu Tong
1999-02 Hae Viengkhou
2003- Thomas Sum
