Friends of Little Saigon - Seattle

05/27/2026

SAVE THE DATES: HOA MAI BLOOMING 🌼

Hoa Mai Blooming is a vibrant summer speciality food market series in Little Saigon’s Hoa Mai Park that celebrates the small businesses that help define the Little Saigon community and showcases unique Southeast Asian flavors🍊☕🌿

Friends of Little Sài Gòn hosts this event to support neighborhood grocers and emerging speciality food and drink small business vendors while fostering a gathering space for residents and visitors in Little Saigon’s only public green space.

Visitors can also enjoy live composting demonstrations from Restaurant 2 Garden () every hour, live DJs, and free live portraits.

Hoa Mai is the Vietnamese name of a yellow flower that blooms in early spring, and its blooming signifies rebirth, a sense of renewal. Whether visitors are longtime neighborhood residents or discovering Little Saigon for the first time, we envision Hoa Mai Park as a thriving cultural hub where Little Saigon’s community traditions flourish and where residents, community members, and visitors can gather outdoors.

📅 Saturday, June 13 & Saturday, July 11
⏰ 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
📍 Hoa Mai Park - 1224 S King St, Seattle, WA 98144

Bring your friends, support local businesses, and spend the morning at Hoa Mai Park with us 💛

This event is supported by 4Culture, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Amazon.

🔗 RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hoa-mai-blooming-market-tickets-1990452967407?aff=oddtdtcreator & learn more!

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Hoa Mai Blooming is part of a series of summer events activating Hoa Mai Park, including Celebrate Little Saigon in August 2026. Stay tuned for more updates!

05/27/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to support these talented creators and small businesses at our Spring Meet the Maker Market at ! It was wonderful to see the space filled with community, creativity, and connection 💛

We were also excited to host Asian American Zine Fest Seattle , who led a zine-making workshop exploring the theme of “home” through mapping, memory, and storytelling. Thank you to the amazing workshop leaders and everyone who participated!

Featured Vendors: 
Oliver Vy
Lily of the Sea
JGK Studios
Nusa
Sun Yum .co
Mirukie .gba
Yumhoneycrisp
Asian American Zine Fest Seattle

🔔 We have lots of exciting summer events coming up - including our first outdoor specialty market, Hoa Mai Blooming, on June 13 & July 11, and our annual block party, Celebrate Little Saigon, on August 15. Follow along to stay updated! 

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Meet the Maker is a pop-up market curated by Friends of Little Sài Gòn that celebrates local Asian American creators and businesses.  It offers emerging creatives and entrepreneurs a physical space in Little Saigon to showcase their work and grow their presence, while inviting visitors to shop, connect, and experience a vibrant, community-driven atmosphere.

 

This event is funded in part by and the

05/20/2026

🎬 Friends of Little Sài Gòn is excited to be a community co-presenter for the 14th Annual Seattle
Asian American Film Festival (SAAFF)! 

We invite you to join us as we co-present the showing of the Year of the Cat, with Harvest Party at Camp Two program on Sunday, May 31 at 11:00 AM with at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute!

YEAR OF THE CAT follows filmmaker Tony Nguyen on an extraordinary quest to solve the mystery of his father, lost in the chaos of the Fall of Saigon 50 years ago. Crafted as an investigative home movie, this intensely raw documentary weaves together moments of humor and heartache, offering an intimate look at how the children of refugees are shaped by war and loss. As Tony delves into his family’s history, the film reveals the emotional lengths we go to in confronting the past—and the possibility of healing as we reclaim and transform our futures.

🎟️ Sunday, May 31 | Screening begins at 11:00 AM
📍 Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute
🔗Get tickets in bio or at www.seattleaaff.org/saaff2026

05/11/2026

✨🪩 HAPPENING THIS WEEK - FLS MASSIVE TAKEOVER

We’re taking over Massive on Capitol Hill for a night of music, performances, dancing, and community as we celebrate the final stretch of the Little Saigon Landmark Project campaign!

Hosted by the one and only Kylie Mooncakes with music by Balik2Bayan spinning through the night, plus go-go dancer Ricky Lee and face painting by -balloons.

Come dance, connect, and celebrate this milestone with us.

✨ After more than a decade of organizing, we’re in the final stretch of the campaign for the Landmark Project. The project features affordable housing and a ground-floor space for small business innovation, celebrating Vietnamese-American history and culture, and making lasting connections.

💛 Suggested donation of $15-$50
Every contribution supports Little Saigon and our community.

🗓 Wednesday, May 13 | 6:30 - 9:00 PM 
📍 Massive Nightclub, 619 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122 
🔗 Link in bio to RSVP & learn more!

05/05/2026

The Little Saigon Landmark Project will be an all-ages space that will light the way for small business innovation, Vietnamese-American history and culture, and lasting connections.

Many have contributed to the vision, including FLS founding board member Bác Ghi (uncle Ghi), who has been an advocate for our community for over three decades. He sees FLS’s mission and the Landmark Project as the continuation of his life’s work, and he looks forward to seeing the project come to fruition and passing the torch to the next generation of community leaders who’ll work to ensure that we can celebrate our heritage and remain rooted in our culture and identity.

“My main hope is that FLS preserves Vietnamese culture and brings people together through the Little Saigon Landmark project. If this project succeeds, we will make history.”

💛 Be a part of this exciting moment for our community through GiveBIG: help us build a place where we can gather, create, and thrive.

🔗 Donate here: https://www.wagives.org/organization/Friends-Of-Little-Saigon

Read more about Bác Ghi’s story here: https://flsseattle.org/blog-bacghi/

Tiếng Việt: https://flsseattle.org/bac-ghi-xem-fls-nhu-mot-tru-cot-vung-chac-cua-cong-dong-nguoi-viet-tai-tieu-bang-washington/

📷 Archival photos courtesy of Bác Ghi

05/01/2026

Last week, we celebrated the opening of our newest exhibit, “Little Saigon Landmark - From Vision to Reality,” at Little Saigon Creative with longtime supporters, partners, and community members who helped shape this project.

After more than a decade of organizing, the Landmark Project is slated to break ground this fall. The project is a mixed-use building with a cultural and economic center on the ground floor and 70 affordable family-sized homes above. This project is a partnership between the  Friends of Little Sài Gòn () and SCIDpda ().

This exhibit brings the Little Saigon Landmark Project to life - featuring community voices, updated building designs, and material samples you can see and touch. It’s a look into what’s ahead as we move closer to breaking ground this year.

Several speakers at the event shared how meaningful it will be to finally have a space where families and communities can gather, connect, and experience Vietnamese culture together in Little Saigon.

👀 Stop by to explore the exhibit and recommend the building’s official name.

🗓 On view at Little Saigon Creative through May 30. 

🔗 Link in bio to learn more about the Landmark Project and support through GiveBIG.

💛 As we head into GiveBIG, consider making a gift this May - every contribution helps bring this vision to life.

04/30/2026

Today, April 30, marks the 51st anniversary of the Fall of Sài Gòn and the end of the Vietnam War. This moment in history holds many meanings across communities and is shaped by both loss and resilience. In the days and years that followed, countless Vietnamese and Southeast Asian refugees were displaced around the world. Washington State became home to many Vietnamese refugees, helping lay the foundation for the vibrant community we see today.

Earlier this month we wrapped up a full year of activations, events, and exhibits commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. We invite you to revisit our short film, “Sàigòn to Seattle: 50 Years After the War,” now online.

We also welcome you to pick up a limited edition print of the bilingual Sàigòn to Seattle booklets that we produced to recognize the journeys and stories of the Vietnamese diaspora in Seattle & King County. These are available on a first come, first served basis at our front desk or in our library for check out.

🔗 Visit the link in bio to explore the full project, including the short film and digital booklet.

This project was funded in part by , the Hope Corps grant, and a Neighborhood Matching Fund award from

04/27/2026

Hoa Mai Park is getting new colorful lanterns! ✨🏮

Friends of Little Sài Gòn is partnering with Animal Name Design to bring colorful lanterns to Hoa Mai Park - enhancing safety with more lighting while adding vibrant Southeast Asian-inspired art to the space.

Now we want your input! Help us choose your favorite designs and be part of improving the safety and vibrancy of the park

🗳 Vote at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSch_Woa-i8Cx7aaimogZG5hsROsJS1iyowB0rLkTfRPhSij5A/viewform
🎁 You may enter to win a $50 VISA gift card

Inspired by traditional lanterns from Hội An and Southeast Asian textiles, each lantern will feature unique patterns that cast light and shadow throughout the park. Swipe to see all the options!

🗓 Survey closes Monday, May 4 at 10:00 AM

Note: Images are design mockups - final installations may vary.

04/27/2026

After more than a decade of organizing, gathering community input, and raising money, we are in the final stretch of the campaign for the Little Saigon Landmark Project!

Learn more about the Landmark Project -- and our progress on the building -- by visiting the Little Saigon Creative to view a NEW interactive exhibit featuring the latest plans and touch sample building materials through May 8.

We invite you to be a part of this exciting moment for our community as part of GiveBIG this year. Every contribution of any dollar amount is an investment in the vitality of a storied and resilient neighborhood that continues to face physical and cultural displacement pressures and public safety challenges. Your gift helps us protect our community’s history, our culture, and each other.

https://www.wagives.org/organization/Friends-Of-Little-Saigon

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About the Landmark Project:
The new building will offer 70 units of affordable family-sized homes and a ground-floor cultural and economic center, which includes accessible commercial space for small businesses, and a place for our community to gather, create, and thrive when it opens in 2028.

MissionThe mission of Friends of Little Sài Gòn is to preserve and enhance Little Saigon's cultural, economic, and historic vitality. Race and social equity are at the root of our advocacy work to prevent commercial and cultural displacement of the Asian Pacific Islander...

04/24/2026

❗REMINDER: Call for Art applications close May 1, 2026!

We are seeking submissions for our 2026 group exhibition, “Belonging: Q***r Identities in Viet Communities.” This exhibition centers q***r Vietnamese artists and the intersection of the spaces, relationships, and experiences that shape a sense of belonging across the diaspora.

We invite emerging and professional artists of Vietnamese descent to submit work in a range of mediums, including drawing, painting, photography, film, digital art, sculpture, and more.

Hosted at Little Saigon Creative , this exhibition aims to uplift local artists and create space for dialogue, visibility, and connection within our community.

🗓 Submit by May 1, 2026
🔗 Read the full call + apply at the link in bio
📷 Photo credit: .shieh

This art exhibition is supported by & .