Vietnam NOW Calgary 2023

(Please note that VIETNAM NOW CALGARY takes place at TWO VENUES: NVRLND (Aug. 18) and The Prairie Emporium on Aug. 19)

Ticket Fees: Day 1: $15 | Day 2: $10 (or free between 4PM-6PM) | Two Day Pass: $20

We’re incredibly excited to be back in Calgary and this time we’ve made it bigger and better - taking place over two days over two venues. 

Check out some amazing indie films from Vietnamese filmmakers from Canada and Vietnam; engage in conversations during our panel discussion; sample unique tasty street food delights from our food stalls; dance the night away to pumping DJ party beats; down delightful Vietnamese inspired Empress 1908 Gin cocktails; and take home artwork and products from Vietnamese artists. 

Make new friends, reconnect with old ones, and let’s uplift the community.  

See below for more information of the activities taking place over the next two days. 

++++++++++

DAY 1: FRIDAY, AUGUST 18TH, 2023

NVRLND | 1048 21 Avenue Southeast 

Time: 5PM - 11:30PM

Join our festival kick off event for a night full of exploration, culture, networking and fun : panel discussion with Vietnamese-Canadian creatives; film screening of the Vietnamese feature film; Empress 1908 Gin Vietnamese inspired drinks; and DJ catfishthewizard to keep you grooving all night. 

- - - - - - - - 

Vietnam Now Festival Panel Discussion: Our Identity, Our Experiences, Our Community

We are joined by Calgarian creatives to discuss themes and issues affecting the Vietnamese diaspora community. We will explore the importance of how understanding our Vietnamese identity plays in our everyday life and work; in how we perceive ourselves, and how it influences what we do. 

Panelists

• Justine Bui, Visual Artist
• Danny Luong, Photographer / Writer
• Tam Nguyen, Owner, VietCan Books
• Moderated by Linh Phan, Founder of Vietnam Now Festival

Film Screening

Hearth of the Lion | Canada| Duration: 6 minutes 40 secs

Director: Vicki Van Chau

The Children of the Mist (Vietnam) | 1 hour 32 minutes

Director: Hà Lệ Diễm

Make sure to come early and stay behind to network, drink and dance to tunes provided by DJ catfishthewizard

Program Schedule

17:00 - 17:45 - Doors open and networking

17:45 - 18:00 - Welcome speech

18:00 - 19:15 - Panel discussion 

19:15 - 19:45 - Break

19:45 - 21:30 - Film screening 

21:30 - 23:30 - Drinks & networking 

++++++++++

DAY 2: SATURDAY, AUGUST 19TH, 2023

The Prairie Emporium | 334 53 Avenue Southeast

4PM - Late (FREE to attend between 4PM-6PM to order food, drinks and check out marketplace)

We’re back at The Prairie Emporium and this time we have a whole slew of activities. Food Stalls, Vietnamese Inspired Cocktails with our sponsor EMPRESS 1908 GIN, Indie Short Film Screening, Marketplace and DJs to keep you dancing all day and night. 

FOOD STALLS

Expect the unexpected from Một Tô  and Pure Kitchen.  Try tasty Vietnamese food you may never have tried or even heard of. Last year’s Pure Kitchen’s bánh khọt and bánh tráng nướng “nacho” were a hit. Let’s see what our chefs will pull out of their hats.

VIETNAMESE INSPIRED COCKTAILS

Try some tasty cocktails using our sponsor, Empress 1908 Gin and Vietnamese inspired flavours. La Viet Coffee and Phu Quoc Peppercorn will also find its way into our mouth watering creations. 

INDIE SHORT FILM SCREENING

We’ll be looping a whole series of short films from Vietnamese Canadian and Vietnamese filmmakers. 

Bach Ma |  Flowing Home | Hearth of the Lion |  In the Mind, On the Wall | Meet Vietnam’s First Female Stunt Coordinator | Supermarket Affairs |

MARKETPLACE

Make sure to buy some special goodies from our marketplace. We’ve brought a bunch of stuff over from Vietnam including vintage vietnamese songsheets; signed, limited edition prints from street artists and a whole slew of prints, pins, notebooks from Vietnam. If you’re looking for some Vietnamese books to help you or your kids learn Vietnamease, then look no further, as VietCan Books can provide you with that. 

DJs

Get ready to dance the night away with the electic sounds from DJs and Selectors superkid | yungkamji and creeasian. From hip hop to disco to funk to 80s new wave, they’ll get the party started. 

GIVEAWAYS

• Join our mailing list for your chance to win Vietnam Now Festival goodie bag
• Try some Vietnamese treats 

INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES

• Live Photo Stream! Just hashtag #vietnamnowfestival or #vnnowfestival and see your photos live on the screen during the event!
• Traditional Vietnamese board games

Program Schedule

16:00  - Doors open and networking

18:00 - Welcome speech

18:30 - 20:00 DJ superkid

20:00 - 23:00 DJ Yungkamaji 

23:00 - 02:00 DJ Creeasian

Food stalls, bar, film screening, marketplace stalls will be open throughout the day.

COMING SOON:

-Vietnam Now Festival program booklet. Learn more about our filmmakers, food stalls, DJs, panelists, marketplace vendors and sponsors.

Follow us on instagram at @vietnamnowfestival!

Special thanks to our sponsors: Hidden Saigon | The Prairie Emporium | Empress 1908 Gin | La Viet Coffee | Eat North