Thuy Pham
Thuy Pham is a dedicated community leader and entrepreneur in New Orleans, renowned for founding the NOLA Nite Market in 2019. This event showcases Asian cuisine, art, and culture. Thuy's commitment to cultural preservation and community engagement is further exemplified by her role as an executive board member of the Vietnamese American Community in Louisiana. Thuy advocates for cultural preservation, intergenerational programming, and younger voices' involvement in leadership. Balancing her community efforts with family life, she has become a key figure in strengthening the Vietnamese American presence in New Orleans.
“I was so amazed at the experience [at a night market in California] so I said to myself, why don't we have this back in New Orleans? We don't have food events like this; very Asian-centric... It took me less than two months to get everything I could together... It’s about educating people through food, but sneaking in the cultural part too.”
April of 1975 Phams’s parents fled Vietnam during the Fall of Saigon, spending 2-3 months at sea before being rescued and relocated.
Pham’s family later moved to Baton Rouge and then New Orleans for its warmer climate.
Pham became the founding member of the Delta Xi Nu Multicultural Sorority
Birth of Pham’s daughter
Leading from the Heart Award Recipient
1975
1976–1977
December 7th, 2001
September 2016
Pham was the co-captain of the Krew of Mung Beans during the 2023 carnival season.
2023
Februrary 2024
August of 1975 Pham was born in the Philippines while her parents awaited sponsorship to the United States.
Late 1975/Early 1976
May 1993
2012
October 2019
2024
Thuy Phams’s family was sponsored by a church and resettled in Pennsylvania.
High school graduation from Stockton, CA High School
Pham marries her husband.
Pham organized the first Nite Market in Gretna, Louisiana, showcasing Asian food and culture.
Pham serves as an executive board member of the Vietnamese American Community in Louisiana
November 2nd, 2024
Recieved APAS Community Service award
“This meeting today was very historical because the older folks are holding onto the power and not allowing people my age who have grown up here in the States to try to move the organization forward and also to try to uplift our communities. This particular organization has been around for over 40 years, but it's almost the same people in power... We don’t ever want to be rude to our elders, but we also want to let them know that we’re not trying to kick [them] out. We are trying to work together to make these positive changes.”
“A love for food, a curiosity for these things, and then just kind of slowly educating people on that. And I think that's the best way to do it. You cannot expect people who may not have grown up with people that maybe look like you or so to understand. They don’t. I think the compassion also has to be there as well. There needs to be a lot of heart in that as well.”
