Vietnamese American Service Center opening

County of Santa Clara, CA - Saturday, October 23, 2021 is the exciting and long anticipated ribbon cutting and soft opening of the County of Santa Clara Vietnamese American Services Center, VASC. Supervisor Otto Lee expresses the honor to join our community to celebrate this beautiful and one-of-a-kind facility. 

The new 37,000 square foot center brings the full list of services, programs, and activities to one of America’s largest Vietnamese communities. This first in the nation approach to providing health, wellness, and more services all at one location will be a major boost to our Vietnamese neighbors, and our entire community at-large. County of Santa Clara is a community that cares, and this center is a bright beacon of hope for our neighbors here and across the world.

We want to thank all of the community advocates and organizations that helped make VASC possible, along with the leadership of State Senator Dave Cortese, County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, and so many more. Construction of VASC cost approximately $55 million, which came in $15 million under allocation, and in June, the Board of Supervisors voted for the final funding necessary to fully staff VASC on an annual basis, with $1.15 million for FY 2021-2022. Opening date was delayed only two months due COVID-19 related delays and precautions. Everyone is excited to see the doors open this weekend! 

One key feature that Supervisor Otto Lee is personally excited about is bringing more health and mental wellness services to our Vietnamese and AAPI community. We need to make sure we are focusing on our emotional and mental health, as well as our physical health. Having all of these services located in one place, in Vietnamese and other languages, will help us reduce the stigma of seeking care and get more of our neighbors the help and support they need and deserve. 

The integrated, language accessible and culturally competent services that will be provided on site will include: health care for adults, youth, and seniors; dental services; cancer and hepatitis care, screening and prevention; behavioral health services focused on normalizing care with specialty services and support groups; programs focused on smoking cessation, gambling addiction, parental support, senior nutrition, and tuberculosis screening.

Additionally, VASC will be a gateway for Vietnamese and County families to connect with other County services and community organizations and partners. VASC will provide support and education with: housing resources, including the emergency rental assistance program; intimate partner or family violence; jobs and employment, with a workers’ rights clinic from CALWORKs and the Labor Standards Outreach and Education Initiative; unemployment and disability insurance; LGBTQ+ inclusivity and The Q Corner; immigration and legal affairs with the County Office of Immigrant Relations; family wellness with FIRST 5 SCC, ICAN, Latina Contra Cancer, and Parents Helping Parents; and food access with CalFRESH.

This is an amazing accomplishment for County of Santa Clara and our Vietnamese families. We look forward to joining the community at the ribbon cutting event tomorrow. Thank you.

VASC Facts Sheet PDF

RSVP event link

Supervisor Otto Lee represents District 3 on the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors which represents the northern neighborhoods of Sunnyvale, Milpitas, Alviso, Berryessa, East Foothills, Evergreen and Rosemary Gardens neighborhoods of San José. He is a former Sunnyvale Mayor and Councilmember, Retired U.S. Navy Officer, intellectual property attorney and father. He lives in Sunnyvale with his wife and three daughters, and their rabbits Velvet and Clover. He was elected to represent District 3 in November 2020. More information is available at About Otto or contact us anytime at [email protected]. 

 [Updated October 25, 2021]

Vietnamese American Service Center 

Media coverage of the ribbon cutting event