ORLANOD, Fla. — History and tradition are what keep communities rich and vibrant. And the best way to hold on to tradition is by sharing it with others. 

It’s what Cecilia Nguyen firmly believes, and why she’s spent the last 20 years volunteering with the Miss Vietnam Florida pageant. Each weekend leading up to the pageant — held at the Central Florida fairgrounds in Orlando — Nguyen runs through numbers with the contestants, helping the young women in traditional garb to connect with one another and feel confident. 

“I see tradition almost like a tree. The branches are these beautiful women here that are from the newer generation. The roots is our tradition,” she said. “It means bridging the gap between the older generation and the newer generation.”

When she was a teenager herself, Nguyen said that she competed in the pageant, which culminates the Lunar New Year celebrations and brings together Central Florida’s Vietnamese community. It was something she grew up watching, but only entered with her father’s encouragement. 

In 2004, they were short contestants, but at 17 years old, Nguyen tried out — and won. 

“I loved learning more about my culture and gaining so much back from it,” she said. 

A few years later, following her father’s stroke and subsequent passing, Nguyen embraced tradition in another poignant way. She took over running Tien Hung Jewelry, her father’s store in an Asian foods market in the Mills 50 area of the City Beautiful. 

“I just came to help. I’m the youngest. That’s what you do,” she said. “They all have their own businesses, restaurants, tailor shops, hair salons. They all have their own thing going. Once I got to understand the business, I fell in love with it. I could see why he loved it.”

Many years have passed, and the market — where she would grab a snack as a girl before heading to work at the family store — will be undergoing a transformation. By 2025, Nguyen explained, everything will look different, apart from the Banh Mi stand, which is expected to stay. 

In fact, through a passageway on the left side of the market, a new, breezy Japanese udon noodle restaurant now sits. Nguyen opened up the spot called Zaru, already Michelin recommended just this week, alongside her husband, restaurateur Johnny Tung. 

And while there is much change, Nguyen said that it makes holding onto tradition — and passing it along to her three young children — even more important. 

“I want them to see what we have built, but also know the history of what my family has built. It’s a legacy, it really is,” she said. 

The Miss Vietnam Florida pageant is Sunday, Feb. 18, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.