Building Bridges: Connecting with Greater Manchester’s Second-Generation Vietnamese Community

Building Bridges is a new programme rooted in our commitment to participation, inclusion and community agency. It focuses on building meaningful relationships with new communities who are least represented in the cultural landscape, with focus on the next three years on the ESEA Community. The programme includes community building taster sessions, pilot projects and fully developed co-created projects.

In August, Anna Vu Thompson and Hong Kong-born artist Wingyu Yen, who co-designed the evening together, ran a community consultation with members of Greater Manchester’s Vietnamese community.

In a warm and welcoming space, they explored three questions:

What matters to you? What stories are waiting to be told? And how would you like your heritage to be shared?

The group reflected the richness and diversity of Greater Manchester’s Vietnamese community – students, newly settled residents, and people born and raised in Greater Manchester whose parents migrated to the UK. Among them were business owners and entrepreneurs alongside artists and creatives, each bringing their own experiences, perspectives and stories to the conversation.

An evening of hidden stories

The evening was a chance to explore the rich, often unheard stories of Greater Manchester’s Vietnamese community, and to imagine the creative possibilities that could grow from them. Ideas sparked included a community cookbook filled with family recipes and memories, an audio journey inspired by the sounds and stories of Vietnamese homes, and creative textile work inspired by the Áo Dài, Vietnamese traditional dress.

The group shared stories of home, funny family memories, and fascinating reflections on Vietnamese culture and tradition, alongside moments of real pain. People spoke openly about the racism and prejudice they experience as members of the Vietnamese diaspora – including around working in nail salons and in business – and how creativity could help challenge stereotypes, shift perceptions, and celebrate the contribution of Vietnamese communities to UK society, along with the diversity and richness of their culture.

Participants shared their hopes for the project:

“To cherish and value our roots, stories and heritage. To honour it and pass it on to the next generation.”

“To be more celebrated.”

And what they hoped to gain from coming together:

“To build on community.”

“To stay connected.”

“To create a legacy, for it not to end, but to open another chapter and continue the conversation.”

Around the table

The evening ended with a feast from Doux Chaton, a family-run Vietnamese restaurant whose family came to the UK in the 1970s to build a new life. We transformed the CAN office into something that felt a little like a Vietnamese home – gathering around the table for food, conversation, laughter and connection. It was a beautiful way to close an evening centred on belonging, heritage and community.

Our approach

At CAN, we believe a truly meaningful community creative collaboration begins with listening first, creating together, and trusting people as the experts in their own lives, communities and heritage. We’re continuing to learn how to meaningfully co-design and co-create with communities – giving people the space to own and shape a project that matters to them, and to decide how they want to represent themselves, their experiences and their heritage to the wider community, on their own terms.

By taking the time to listen, build trust and understand what matters to different communities, we hope to reach people who continue to be marginalised, underserved or underrepresented. These relationships will help us identify opportunities for new creative projects and programmes that respond to communities’ interests, experiences and aspirations.

Thank you to Minh Nguyen, Jason Tran, Linh Hoang, Julia Hien Dang, Sarah Murray, Michelle Murray, Minh Nguyen (who is a student at MMU), Erica Pham and Wingyu Yen.