Vietnamese Theme of Orchid Mania at Cleveland Botanical Garden

Cleveland Botanical Garden celebrates one of the world’s most exotic and beautiful flowers at their annual flower show, Orchid Mania.

The theme of the 2020 Orchid Mania is Vibrant Vietnam.

This year Orchid Mania celebrates the natural beauty of Vietnam, and the Vietnamese culture that cherishes nature and plants. From the warm tropical forests and expansive coastline to rolling hills and mountains, plant diversity thrives throughout Vietnam. Orchids grown in the region are diverse and celebrated throughout the year. Orchid Mania explores four highlights of plant culture in Vietnam – natural areas, agriculture, food, and flowers.

Ms. Gia Hoa Ryan, a leader of the local Vietnamese community and Vietnam Cultural Garden, assisted with the design and items in the presentation such as food items, bicycles, musical instruments and more.

Photos and videos of Vibrant Vietnam at Orchid Mania 2020

Vibrant Vietnam at Orchid Mania

Vibrant Vietnam at Orchid Mania

Vietnamese instrument at Vibrant Vietnam at Orchid Mania

POW Toan Huynh warns about Communism in Vietnam

Toan Huynh has been a Cleveland school teacher for the last 36 years.

During the Vietnam War, Huynh was kept prisoner and beaten daily in a communist concentration camp.  He warned of the evils of communism in this short presentation at the American Nationalities Movement of Ohio’s 56th annual Captive Nations Dinner on July 20, 2017.

Video and photos of Toan Huynh speech

Toan Huynh

Escape from Vietnam - A Refugee's Journey to Reach the American Dream

Loi Dang-Nguyen, Ph.D. was the keynote speaker at the 2nd annual ASIA, Inc. Friendraiser at Ariel International in Cleveland.

She told how her family, which included 12 siblings, had to suddenly flee the communists in 1975.

She told of being part of the boat people and how they arrived in a refugee camp in Florida and eventually settled in Akron, Ohio.

It's an amazing story.

Photos and videos of the keynote by Loi Dang-Nguyen

Anthem of Free Vietnam (Tiếng Gọi Công Dân) in Cleveland

Members of the Vietnamese Cultural Garden Committee of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens gathered around a flag at the future site of the Vietnamese Garden on MLK Blvd and sang Tiếng Gọi Công Dân, which was the national anthem of South Vietnam from 1948 to 1975.  It is now called the "Anthem of Free Vietnam". http://www.clevelandpeople.com/groups/vietnam/vietnam.htm

A child during the Vietnam War

Beyond the Rice Paddies - Book Review
by Linda West
(born Tran Thi Bach Yen Oanh )

The 111 pages of Beyond the Rice Paddies are organized into a series of 3 or 4 page stories. You will keep saying to yourself 'Just one more' until you realize you have read the entire book.

It is a fascinating look into the world of a young girl in Vietnam in the mid-1960's. Tran Thi Bach Yen Oanh (the author, now known as Linda West) lived with her paternal grandmother, the beloved Ba Noi, in the village of Bien Hoa near Saigon.

The vignettes describe the joys (some American chewing gum, a doll with yellow hair, etc.) and hardships (a toilet comprised of two rickety slats over a maggot and fly infested area) of life in that historic place and time.

The war affects the villagers but not always directly. For example, Young Oanh wakes up one day with 'bubbles' over her one side that they determine were caused by a powder that came from a plane. Bodies are left in the market square to be claimed. Her hut has a dugout area so she and her Ba Noi can hide from the bullets when firefights erupt.

The author tells of the joy of the parade as the "giant-sized" American GIs marched into town to go "Beyond the Rice Paddies' and fight the Viet Cong. She then describes the fear and confusion when only a handful of them limp back a few days later, sans the fanfare.

Her mother worked as a 'bargirl' in Saigon and eventually marries an American who takes Oanh and her brother to the US in 1970. The author is now a real estate broker, a mother of three children and lives in Tucson, Arizona.

It's a fascinating yet humbling book that will make you count your blessings and perhaps look at war and the world in a different way.

Immigrant Entrepreneur Success Story

Luong Thi Gia Hoa Ryan was born in Viet Nam, the oldest of twelve children. She worked for U.S. Government as Interpreter and Secretary during the Vietnam War and supervised local workers for the U.S. Government.

Over 250 friends gathered at the Sai Gon Plaza on Saturday November 5, 2011 to celebrate the 40th anniversary since Gia Hoa Ryan first came to America in November 1971 from Viet Nam. This was also the 18th anniversary of the establishment of the Friendship Foundation in December 1993. This was also the 6th year since the opening of the Sai Gon Plaza in November 2005.

She's a terrific lady, a dynamic entrepreneur and a credit to her new country and city.



Gia Hoa Ryan and Mayor Frank Jackson

Gia Hoa Ryan's 40th Anniversary Party
4 pages of photos and video