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Visions of Vietnamese beauty became a source of charity for the Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association (MVMA). In partnership with the Lac Viet Gallery, the groups held a Benefit Auction for the Golden Age Project for Seniors (GAPS) on August 26.

The event netted more than $1,600 by selling Vietnamese paintings by artists such as Vu Thang, Hoang Ha Tung and China’s Jia Lu, to add to their goal of providing resources for area Vietnamese elders. These programs include healthcare services and disease prevention and other ways to connect seniors with the local community. The MVMA receives 25 percent of the sales proceeds.

Lac Viet Gallery is the first Vietnamese Art Gallery opened in Washington. It is owned by Duc Lam Nguyen and managed by Ly Nguyen. Nguyen, the owner exhibits the work of Asian American artists, as well as his own.

MVMA staff and volunteers wore traditional ao dai outfits to bring a sense of Vietnam to the event. Members of MVMA’s board, along with Lam Do, president of VSAM, came out to support the cause. Do made an effort to speak out about difficulties seniors face.

“The lack of healthcare and transportation are two major problems,” Do said.

Out of the 2,300 Vietnamese seniors living in Maryland, more than 90 percent of the population do not speak English, according to U.S. Census Report in 2000.

MVMA member Yen Le said these problems provide major challenges.

“The language barrier not only leads seniors to feel isolated from the community, but also prevents them from having access to valuable information like healthcare policies and illness prevention information,” she said.

Toward the end of the auction, Catherine Ho, belted out the soulful ballad At Last, by Etta James and All the Man I Need song by Whitney Houston. Ho is a student at the University of Maryland, at College Park and a 2005 Miss Vietnam USA contestant.

“The warmth of the staff in their ao dais and the graciousness of the owner, plus the great spring rolls and amazing singing by Ms Ho made the auction a real delight,” said Michael Fonte, an auction participant. “The gallery collection creates a mood of both peaceful calm with its many Buddha statues and, at the same time, dynamism with its lively paintings and intriguing furnishings.  All this and for a great cause – one couldn’t ask for more.”

MVMA recently enrolled 50 seniors in the new prescription drug plan since the GAPS launch last November. They also hold seniors visits at the Vietnamese Senior Association of Maryland’s (VSAM) weekly meeting, so that isolated seniors could have a way to meet outsiders. The group also worked with Diabetic Solutions to provide free specialized diabetic shoes.

For more information about MVMA and Lac Viet Gallery, please visit www.mdvietmutual.org and www.lacvietgallery.com.