about us
In late 2017, seven community members came together to form the group (Viet Vote) to increase civic engagement & voting in the Vietnamese community. At the time, there were 39,000 registered Vietnamese voters in the County of San Diego, but there was a very low turnout. It was about 9%, but within two years, we increased it to 12%. And we have never stopped working ever since.
When COVID-19 spread throughout the world, we began seeing our San Diego Vietnamese community affected by the lack of resources and programs, and the pandemic magnified this gap. When there are needs for our community, our volunteer group grew into the non-profit Viet Voices to expand our work to fill in those gaps. Our organization is dedicated to providing our community with information and connection to empower themselves, as well as linking them to programs and resources to bring about the equity that is much needed for our community. Our people need resources to thrive, so we're working with our community to ensure those resources are available and accessible.
Who We Are
Viet Voices is a non-profit dedicated to serving the Vietnamese community in San Diego County. Our mission is to bring more resources, programs, and services into our community. We provide public education to the community on various issues such as affordable housing access, tenant protections, economic stability and support for small businesses, education on environmental alternatives, food justice, LGBTQ+ issues, and health equity. We also center our work on arts and culture as a way to bring attention to multiple issues in our community. We commit to doing our work in both Vietnamese and English, which is effective for our refugee and immigrant community. We aim to build community power for our Vietnamese community through civic engagement and grassroots community organizing.
Mission
Vision
We have a long-term mission of building a community center for the Vietnamese community that is envisioned with 100% affordable housing that includes a mix-use community space, where elders can join together to exercise, youth can learn the Vietnamese language and cultural traditions, and intergenerational relationships can be built.
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Mimi Phùng
Interim Executive Director
Mimi Phùng’s work includes education, immigration, and the Vietnamese community. Her career first began as a public high school teacher in Title I schools, where she saw first-hand how policy and privilege affect students and their families. Currently, she works in higher education. Outside of work, she volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club in the Career Pathways Program, which helps high school students prepare to enter college or the workforce.
Mimi holds her Vietnamese heritage close to her, and spends her time organizing and volunteering for the Vietnamese community. She has planned events for the Vietnamese community, from organizing civic education events to hosting a Vietnamese book club. She also volunteers for the San Diego ACLU and serves as a co-chair for the Advancing Immigrant Rights team.
At the heart of Mimi’s work is the belief in dignity for all people. Mimi continually works towards understanding how her family’s and Vietnamese community’s experiences intersect with present-day issues and broader struggles for equity. She is a steadfast advocate that “ordinary people can do extraordinary things” and that true change will come from everyday people.
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Minh Tuyen Le Mai (she/her)
Chair
Dr. Minh Tuyen Le Mai is the academic research coordinator at UC San Diego. She creates and directs computer science and technology learning opportunities for teachers and students across the San Diego county, especially for those from low-income and underserved backgrounds.
She was born in Saigon and raised in Milwaukee, WI. She’s proud to establish her new roots in San Diego.
She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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Alexander Nguyen (he/him)
Board Member
Alexander Nguyen is an Emmy award-winning journalist. He is currently the North County reporter for KPBS News.
In addition, he’s been on the boards of several community organizations, such as the Mira Mesa Town Council, Mira Mesa Theatre Guild, Vietnamese American Youth Alliance, and Asian American Journalists Association - San Diego Chapter.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in journalism innovation from Syracuse University.
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May Thach (she/her)
Board Member
May Thach is a community organizer, international development learner and practitioner. She is a proud 1.5 generation Khmer-Krom American immigrant.
She has been involved with volunteering service since she was in the 7th grade, which eventually led her to serve in the Peace Corps in Zambia in 2015. Her time working in Zambia showed her the power of grassroots and community-led organizing.
May is currently the Organizing Manager of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) in Florida.
She holds a dual bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and a master’s degree in International Development/Non-profit Management from UC San Diego.
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Alexis Villanueva (she/her)
Advisory Board Member
Alexis Villanueva, MS is the Interim Executive Director of City Heights CDC. Alexis has 11+ years of workforce and business development experience. Alexis obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Chicano/a Studies from San Diego State University and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from National University. Alexis was raised in the City Heights community into the dynamic leader she is today. She currently serves on Board of Directors for Viet Voices, Mohuman, and Business for Good. She also serves the community by participating on the Advance Advisory Committee with Mission Driven Finance. The advisory committee makes a determination of future impact funding and how to contribute funding to communities that are historically underserved.
When she is not serving the community, she loves to travel, spend time with her family and dog, Mr. Darcy.
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Liza Chu (She/Her)
Board Member
Liza is a Vietnamese-American personal development junkie, world citizen, and daughter. Born and grazed in Stockton, CA, the migratory hub of many Southeast Asian families, she has developed a passion for addressing the major social justice issues of our time: access to educational and economic opportunities and building healthy pipelines for underserved communities, all while preserving the beautiful earth that we’ve inherited.
Liza runs LNC Consulting, a civil rights policy and strategy firm. She also provides 1:1 coaching for individuals to live in alignment and joy with their values and goals. Prior to her entrepreneurial pursuits, Liza has worked in several industries, including startup management, the California legislature, and as a lobbyist for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – California, a non-profit partnership. Her lived experiences as a first-generation college graduate and small business owner have emphasized her love for living creatively and in service to others.
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Fran Bautista (they/she)
Board Member
fran (they/she) is a Queer (nonbinary and demipansexual) Filipinx-/Asian-American, and a child of immigrants who is now rooted in the unceded territory of the Kumeyaay people (commonly known as San Diego) after graduating from UC San Diego with a dual degree in Global Health and Critical Gender Studies with a double minor in Human Rights & Migration studies and Asian American & Pacific Islander studies. Their lived experiences fuel their dedication to ensure that all communities, especially those who have been historically excluded and overlooked, have access to the resources and opportunities they deserve.
Her community work has been committed to creating spaces of belonging centered in community-/coalition-building and leadership development for Queer + Trans Asian/Americans as rooted and framed within the pillars of (dis)ability justice, accessibility, equity, and social justice.
In their free time, fran enjoys gaming, reading webtoons and manga, and trying "Hot and New" restaurants all over San Diego.
More than Phở Team
Tom Bui
(he/him)
Born in Vietnam and raised in New Orleans, Tom Bui brings a unique perspective to his role as a Program Manager at a community-based organization in City Heights. His diverse background has ignited a deep passion for the neighborhood’s vibrant culture, particularly its dynamic food scene.
Tom champions community growth by leading a program that provides technical assistance, funding, and marketing support to city heights local businesses. He understands that a thriving business community is essential for the well-being of residents and makes it a priority to actively listen to their needs.
Drawing on his past career as an actor, Tom has honed powerful communication skills that are now a vital asset in his community work. These skills were on full display in "More than Pho," a web series he spearheaded to explore City Heights’ rich Vietnamese food culture. Tom's dedication to connecting with and empowering his community makes him a key driver of its continued prosperity.
Mimi Tran
(she/her/hers)
Mimi Tran is a retirement and life insurance specialist with Appreciation Financial. Born and raised in Garden Grove, CA, surrounded by many Vietnamese people in the large diaspora of Little Saigon, Orange County, Mimi was thrilled to find a delicious bowl of Bun Bo Hue to remind her of home and Vietnamese community to connect with when she moved to San Diego to attend UC San Diego.
Mimi is passionate about City Heights because it reminds her of the diverse neighborhood she grew up in that was rich in diversity, language, culture, and food. “I am incredibly excited to be working with Viet Voices on More Than Pho, to promote the amazing Vietnamese restaurants in City Heights that have provided me a sense of home and comfort. There is so much depth to Vietnamese culture and any single dish can tell a story about struggle, survival, growth, determination, and love. These stories deserve to be shared and celebrated.”
Tessie Ho
(she/her/hers)
Tessie is a Social Media Marketer and the Executive Director of Heritage Westminster, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. She is deeply passionate about celebrating Vietnamese culture—its voices, beauty, cuisine, and civic engagement—and channels this commitment into uplifting and empowering the Vietnamese community across Southern California. Outside of her professional work, Tessie enjoys reading, discovering local restaurants, and traveling.
check us out at:
more than Phở
“At More Than Phở, we celebrate the rich culinary heritage of Vietnam. Our passion for authentic Vietnamese cuisine drives us to highlight dishes that honor tradition while embracing innovation.” More than Phở
AAPI Emerging Artist Fellowship Team
Hamsa Fae
(she/They)
Curator & Fellowship Director
hamsa fae (b. Los Angeles) is a Vietnamese-French contemporary artist who works across expanded performance, technology, and social engagement.
With a decade of practice in land-based animism, she positions the body as a site of re-matriation. Her work as an artist is directly influenced by the spiritual mundane of trans womanhood. Through embodied actions in her recent performances, she cams with strangers online, walks a nude runway, plucks leg hair for three hours, and loops spectator voices to re-myth ancestral expression. She invites audiences to participate in her site-specific interventions, archiving collective ritual to confront the cultural erasure of third gender peoples.
In 2025, she was awarded the CE Artist & Creative Grant (CA), AHL Women Artist Fellowship (NY), and founded the AAPI Emerging Artist Fellowship (CA). Her performances have been shown at Hannah Hoffman Gallery, AHL Foundation, Bread + Salt, Athenaeum Art Center, and The Front. She carries publications in diaCritics, Vănguard, Transgender Law Center, the Yale School of Environment, alongside her poetry collection, Blood Frequency (2022).
Carmella Prucencio
(She/They)
Executive Producer
Carmela Prudencio (she/they) is a nonprofit communications professional, curator, visual artist, and community organizer in San Diego. As Marketing and Communications Director, she is passionate about storytelling and amplifying community voices through activism, film, visual arts, and youth mentorship.
In her organizing work, she works on city and county levels to promote racial equity emphasizing intersectionality and community care. As a high energy creative and fierce advocate, she is ambitious in creating spaces with her community that activate joy, foster a sense of belonging, and emphasize collective strength. Through crafting meaningful messages and community activations, she is dedicated to empowering communities and creating enduring social change.
She has collaborated with various art institutions and grassroots organizations throughout the San Diego/Tijuana region and has exhibited work in Tijuana, MX and Quezon City, PH. Carmela has worked with the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego Underground Film Festival, San Diego Latino Film Festival, Convoy Cultural District and numerous arts institutions and grassroots organizations. She is currently a co-conspirator and curator at Teros Gallery, and a member of Asian Solidarity Collective.
check us out at:
aapi emerging artist fellowship
“We invite practices that treat art-making as transformative, reclaiming feeling, pleasure, grief, and intuition as ways of knowing; and that resists extraction through presence, devotion, community, and refusal.” - AAPI Emerging Artist Fellowship
Share with us!
If you have an idea, question, or comment, please send it our way. We are only as good as our community, so please share anything you think might be helpful, or ask any questions you may have (we love answering all your questions, even simple ones). We enjoy connecting with our community and meeting new neighbors just like you!