The Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) was founded in 1991 by a group of Vietnamese American journalists, artists, and friends to fill a void and provide a space for artists to express themselves as a newly resettled immigrant community. The original mission of VAALA was to support Southeast artists, with an emphasis on Vietnamese literature and visual arts. VAALA is a community-based non-profit organization historically run entirely by volunteers.

Over the years, VAALA has collaborated with diverse community partners to organize numerous cultural events to connect and enrich communities.

These events have included art exhibitions, book signings, music recitals, plays, and annual events such as the Viet Film Fest and the Children’s Moon Festival Art Contest.