The Old Hackney Bath House - An Viet House
HCCS will be relocating to the former site of An Viet House on Englefield Road in Dalston, over the course of the past year a £2.4 million refurbishment. The refurbishment is co-funded by Hackney Council, which will contribute an additional £950,000 to the regeneration program as part of a 15-year development scheme aimed at creating a strong local identity, high-quality architecture, and built-in heritage.
The An Viet Foundation was founded in Hackney in 1981 by Khanh Thanh Vu who came to Hackney in 1979 in order to aid the settlement of Vietnamese refugees in London following the Second Indochina War.
Their service developed into a focal point for Vietnamese families, including assistance with housing, access to healthcare, and mother-tongue and English-language classes. The community grew quickly and helped improve the landscape by making social, cultural, and economic contributions within Hackney.
HCCS will officially become an East and Southeast Asian Centre with the aim of providing a central hub for the local community as well as the London-wide ESEA community. Our centre has been a point of gathering for a range of community organisers, from book clubs centering ESEA history and experience, to potluck clubs bringing untold stories about diaspora homes and recipes.
This regeneration project will support new and current projects such as our Migrant Advice (MACE - Migrants Advice Centre ESEA) as well as our Luncheon Club with Hackney Lunch Clubs Networks and more.
The renovated facility will include a community restaurant, a commercial kitchen, meeting rooms, a spacious multi-purpose hall for events, and co-working spaces for rent. HCCS currently has over 1000 members, and with the relocation to Dalston, we aim to double this number by the end of 2024.
After opening, the HCCS's community kitchen will host training sessions in East Asian cuisine, pop-up restaurants, and opportunities for local catering events. Additionally, it will serve as a resource center, acting as a hub for culinary knowledge, skills, and expertise within East Asian communities.
The new ESEA community center is currently scheduled to open in May 2024.