Building Bridges: Meeting Manchester’s Vietnamese Community

At the tail end of last year, in a pilot project – Building Bridges - CAN's Creative Director, Anna Vu Thompson, brought together a group of Vietnamese creatives and members of the local Vietnamese community to explore their heritages

The group brought objects to the workshop that had a personal and cultural resonance rooted in Vietnamese culture. Objects included family photographs, a percussion instrument that primary age children in Vietnam use to learn music, a bottle of the legendary Squid Brand fish sauce, and a lacquered pagoda ornament found in many Vietnamese homes.

“The workshop was truly nostalgic, bringing back memories and timeless stories that evoked a deep sense of belonging and shared experiences. It was such a wholesome and thoughtful event — I genuinely enjoyed it.”

Lexa Dang

Following a busy afternoon of rich and reflective conversations and sharing, Anna hosted a community dinner at Quê Hương, a nearby family-owned Vietnamese restaurant. Over a delicious dinner of Vietnamese food, including Phở, Bún Thịt Nướng and Bánh Xèo, the group dug deeper into their shared identities and personal connections.

The session marks the first time CAN has directly engaged with the Vietnamese community in the city. Anna shared CAN’s aspirations to continue this journey with the group: to learn more about the Vietnamese community in Manchester and explore ways to co-create meaningful, resonant projects that celebrate their stories, culture, and identity.

“It was an evening of emotional connection through cultural pride and heritage. Personally, it allowed me to step outside of my own world and immerse myself in others, while finding a sense of union and commonality. I would love to see more events like this to witness how the community continues to grow and support each other over time.”

Erica Pham

“The event helped me a lot in terms of finding and connecting with other people with Vietnamese heritage. Surprisingly, there were many other creatives in the group as well. It was also very eye-opening and inspiring to hear and learn about the different struggles people have faced. It says a lot about their resilience and perseverance.

I would love to be able to attend to more of these events because I think it definitely helps to redefine what it means to be Vietnamese, no matter what your background is; we all have a shared heritage and pride in our roots, and I think that is a very beautiful thing.”

Minh Nguyen