Community Partner Spotlight: Friends of Little Sài Gòn
April 22, 2025
SAL is proud to spotlight our Community Partner Friends of Little Sài Gòn!
Read on to learn more about their work in the Seattle arts and culture scene, and stop by their table to say hi at our SAL Presents event with Ocean Vuong.
About FLS: Friends of Little Sài Gòn (FLS) was established in 2011 at the start of massive redevelopment in Seattle’s Little Saigon. Our mission is to preserve and enhance the cultural, economic, and historic vitality of Little Saigon. We envision Little Saigon as the hub of the Vietnamese American community in the Puget Sound region.
As the only place-based organization focused on Little Saigon, FLS addresses longstanding threats of displacement and the loss of cultural anchors vital to King County’s Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities. We focus our efforts through three major programs: Advocacy, Arts & Culture, and Economic Development.
Advocacy: In 2012, FLS led the “Little Saigon 2020 Action Plan,” identifying community ownership as key to combating displacement. This inspired the Little Saigon Landmark project, a vision for a community-owned cultural anchor with affordable housing and commercial spaces. Since 2020, FLS established Little Saigon Creative, a 2,000 sq ft cultural space with a marketplace, library, exhibits, and Hello Em Café.
In 2023, FLS secured a 16,500 sq ft site at 10th Ave S and S Jackson St to build the Little Saigon Landmark project, which includes a cultural center and affordable housing.
Arts & Culture: The Little Saigon Creative (LSC) has been a vital space for community gathering, incubating small businesses, and celebrating culture in Little Saigon. This 2,000 sq ft community gathering place, which welcomes 4,000 visitors per month, is home to a marketplace, community library, art exhibits, and the beloved Hello Em Café. Since its opening in 2020, the LSC has become a gathering place where community members connect, celebrate their heritage, and support local businesses.
Beyond its immediate impact, LSC has been invaluable in testing the viability of our programs for the future Little Saigon Landmark project. Through the LSC, we have gained critical insights into managing a multi-functional cultural space that hosts events and incubates small businesses, engaging the community, and operating a dynamic facility. The success of programs and partnerships at LSC demonstrates the demand for a permanent, larger cultural anchor in Little Saigon.
Economic Development: FLS believes that supporting small businesses and influencing development leads to a more accessible and equitable neighborhood. Additionally, this work aims to strengthen the commercial core of Little Saigon by providing technical assistance to Little Saigon small businesses as well as focused courses for small business owners like our Succession Planning Course. This initiative provides businesses with resources and practical support for retirement and unexpected events – importantly, the class brings business owners together to connect and share their experiences operating in Little Saigon.
What’s next?
April 30, 2025, will mark 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. To commemorate this date, Friends of Little Sài Gòn invites the community to join us in sharing the stories of Vietnamese refugees in King County over the past 50 years at our “Sàigòn to Seattle” events.
We invite community members to attend the opening of the art exhibition “Sàigòn to Seattle: Our Past, Our Present, and Our Future” on Saturday, April 26th, 2 – 4 pm at the Yuan Ru Art Center, 12737 Bel-Red Rd #100, Bellevue, WA 98005. The exhibition showcases the resiliency of the Vietnamese spirit. The exhibition will have limited opportunities to view through May 17th, 2025.
We also invite the community to attend the world premiere of the FLS-produced short film “Sàigòn to Seattle: 50 Years After the War” on Saturday, May 3rd at Hoa Mai Park, 1224 S King St, Seattle, WA 98144. From 10 am – 4 pm, the park will host multiple film screenings with music and cultural performances throughout the day. Families will also have an opportunity to pose for family portraits to be featured in an upcoming exhibit at the Little Saigon Creative. Visit flsseattle.org/saigontoseattle for more information.
