Summer singer. Viet Summer Fest was held Saturday evening in the Civic Centre. Here, Vietnamese singer Justin Nguyen of California opens the entertainment portion of the event that also featured plenty of food, fun and games. Photo by Peter McCusker

For members of Mississauga's Vietnamese community, yesterday's celebration was long-awaited.
They came to the Civic Square to celebrate Vietnamese cultural heritage at the first annual Viet Summer Fest outdoor festival, an event that featured live performances, authentic Vietnamese food, and a chance to see some of the community's up-and-coming performers.
The festival, which attracted upwards of 2,000 visitors, included a variety of traditional musical and dance performances that represented the best in Vietnamese culture.
The event also included cooking classes, art and fashion displays and a performance by internationally-known monochord musician Pham Duc Thanh.
This was the first time the festival has been held.
"Vietnamese residents know that Mississauga is a big place with a lot of culture," said Andy Le, publisher of the Thoi Moi community newspaper.
The festival highlights the ethnic and cultural diversity in Mississauga, said festival organizer Julie Luong.
"We wanted to draw people from all different communities and cultures here for this," she said. "A lot of people were excited about the event."
The Vietnamese culture had been under-represented in Mississauga, and the festival gave them a chance to join their friends and neighbours in celebrating their heritage, Luong said.
Viet Summer Fest provided residents with an opportunity to see the best of Vietnamese culture, said Richard Nguyen, the president of Nice One Nails, which sponsored the event.
Nguyen hopes future events will attract people from all across the GTA.
"Mississauga has a very rich Vietnamese culture, and we want everyone to share that culture with us," he said.   read more.