Cal Vietnamese Student Association, Berkeley

What Cal Vietnamese Student Association, Berkeley does

Cal Vietnamese Student Association (Cal VSA) is a student-run cultural organization at the University of California, Berkeley, founded in 1979 by immigrant Vietnamese students. It operates as an independent, ASUC-sponsored (Associated Students of the University of California, a 501(c)(3) non-profit) registered student organization serving UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff, with membership open to all regardless of Vietnamese heritage. Its mission is organized around three pillars — Academics, Community, and Culture — and centers on cultural preservation, leadership development, and exploration of Vietnamese and Vietnamese American identity.

Cal VSA's core offerings are cultural programs rather than technology products. The flagship is the annual Culture Show, a multi-day student-run theatrical production featuring singing, dancing, acting, and other art forms, held at Zellerbach Hall and staged continuously since 1979 (the 40th edition was produced in 2019). Complementary programs include the VISION mentorship program (an all-expense-paid, 4-day/3-night high school mentorship program launched in 2012 that recruits participants from across California), the Cal VSA Lion Dance team (founded 2008, preserving the Vietnamese and Chinese lion dance tradition), and the CORE team, which serves as the central planning committee for the Culture Show. The organization also runs named "Fam" subgroups (Mario Fam, Luigi Fam) as community-building units within the broader cabinet structure of roughly 15-20 elected student officers.

The organization's funding model is nonprofit and multi-stream: ASUC allocation, voluntary membership fees set at the cabinet's discretion each semester, Culture Show ticket sales, GoFundMe campaigns, and tiered corporate sponsorship packages for the Culture Show (Bronze $75-$149 through Diamond $1,000+, plus a Variable Amount Corporate Material Package). Donations flow through ASUC and are tax-deductible. Cal VSA maintains active intercollegiate relationships with NorCal UVSA and UNAVSA through dedicated Intercollegiate Council representatives, and its constitution designates the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce as the dissolution beneficiary of any unspent funds. The organization is governed by an annually elected student cabinet with co-leadership structures across most chair positions.

Name

Cal Vietnamese Student Association, Berkeley

Legal name

Vietnamese Student Association at UC Berkeley

Website

https://vsa.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cal VSA is a student-run UC Berkeley cultural organization founded in 1979 that serves Vietnamese and Vietnamese American students through its annual Culture Show, VISION high school mentorship program, and Lion Dance team, operating under ASUC nonprofit sponsorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDALAHAF

Cultural, Identity & Inclusion Programs

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Student Activities, Clubs & Campus Life

Keywords

• Student cultural organization
• Cultural heritage programs
• Youth mentorship services
• Community cultural events
• Cultural performance arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Official members may be required to pay voluntary membership fees as determined by cabinet each semester.
2. Sponsorship and Donations: Cal VSA accepts sponsorships from local companies, businesses, and organizations. Sponsorship packages range from Bronze ($75-$149) to Diamond ($1000+). The organization is under the sponsorship of ASUC, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, making donations tax-deductible. Additional funding through GoFundMe campaigns for Culture Show.
3. ASUC Funding: Cal VSA receives funding from Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) as an ASUC-sponsored student organization.
4. Culture Show Revenue: Ticket sales for annual Culture Show held at Zellerbach Hall. Also includes sales of programs, merchandise, and other event-related materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cal VSA is a student-run cultural organization that provides cultural programming, community building, and educational programs for Vietnamese and Vietnamese American students at UC Berkeley. Its core offerings include the annual Culture Show (a multi-day theatrical production), the VISION high school mentorship program, and the Lion Dance performance team, supported by a CORE planning committee and an elected student cabinet.

Product overview

Cal VSA (Cal Vietnamese Student Association at UC Berkeley) is a student cultural organization founded in 1979, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of cultural programs and events centered around Vietnamese heritage. The primary offerings are the annual Culture Show (a theatrical production with singing, dancing, and drama), the VISION mentorship program (a 4-day/3-night high school mentorship program), the Lion Dance team (a traditional lion dance performance team), and the CORE team (the Culture Show planning committee).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cal VSA Lion Dance: UC Berkeley's lion dance team dedicated to celebrating lion dance tradition in Vietnamese and Chinese culture
• VISION
• CORE

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASUC is the undergraduate student government that sponsors Cal VSA as a registered student organization. ASUC provides funding, resources, and facilities access. Cal VSA is subject to ASUC regulations and policies. The organization must file amendments with the LEAD Center and maintain compliance with ASUC bylaws.
• Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of CommerceminorOthersDesignated nonprofit beneficiary of Cal VSA's unspent funds in the event the organization is defunct for five or more years, per the constitution.
• NorCal UVSA (Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Northern California)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCal VSA maintains active relations with NorCal UVSA through their Intercollegiate Council (ICC) Representative. The ICC representative acts as liaison between VSA and NorCal UVSA, pursuing active relations for the organization.
• UNAVSA (Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCal VSA maintains relations with UNAVSA through their ICC Representative. UNAVSA is a regional collegiate-level VSA organization connecting Vietnamese student associations across North America.
• Collegiate-level VSAsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCal VSA maintains active relations with other collegiate-level Vietnamese Student Associations across universities through the ICC representative position and intercollegiate council activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stanford Vietnamese Student Association: VSA at Stanford University, a Bay Area peer institution. Comparable cultural programming and a similar role in serving Vietnamese American students at a selective university, making it a natural benchmark for Cal VSA's program design and engagement model.
• USC Vietnamese Student Association: VSA at USC, a peer private university with a long-standing Vietnamese American student community. Comparable in structure to Cal VSA with cultural shows, mentorship pipelines, and intercollegiate council participation.
• UC Davis Vietnamese Student Association: VSA at another major UC campus, explicitly referenced in Cal VSA's own testimonials ('Cal VSA, the epitome of happiness' — Matthew Nguyen, UC Davis VSA). Operates the same trifecta of Culture Show, mentorship, and cultural programming for a parallel student audience.
• Vietnamese Student Association at NYU: VSA at NYU, a large urban private university. Comparable in serving a diverse undergraduate population with cultural showcases, mentorship, and community programming, and is part of the same national UNAVSA ecosystem.
• UC Irvine Vietnamese Student Association: VSA at UC Irvine, another large UC campus with an active Vietnamese American student population. Runs similar annual cultural productions and mentorship pipelines, making it a comparable peer for program benchmarking.
• Vietnamese Student Association at Cornell: Long-standing VSA at a major private university, part of the national intercollegiate Vietnamese student network that Cal VSA engages with through UNAVSA. Comparable structure and programming scope at a different type of institution.
• UC San Diego Vietnamese Student Association: VSA at UC San Diego, part of the same UC system and intercollegiate network. Operates cultural showcases, mentorship, and community programming at comparable scale to Cal VSA's offerings.
• UCLA Vietnamese Student Association: VSA at UCLA, another large UC campus with a substantial Vietnamese American student population. Runs a parallel set of cultural, mentorship, and showcase programming and is part of the same NorCal/SoCal intercollegiate Vietnamese student network.

Others

• UNAVSA (Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations): National umbrella organization for collegiate Vietnamese Student Associations across North America. Not a direct competitor but the network that Cal VSA participates in through its ICC representatives, providing intercollegiate coordination and brand amplification.

Regional players

• NorCal UVSA (Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Northern California): Regional umbrella for Northern California collegiate VSAs, including Cal VSA. Operates in the same geographic ecosystem, coordinating intercollegiate events and shared programming among member chapters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/calvsacs
• Instagraminstagram.com/calvsacultureshow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cal-vsa-berkeley

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cal Vietnamese Student Association, Berkeley