Phở King is an annual male pageant hosted by UCSB's Vietnamese Student Association since 2002. The original purpose of the Phở King was to present an image of Asian males that did not coincide with common stereotypes of Asian Americans in mainstream media. Men from Vietnamese Student Associations all over Southern California come together to compete through modeling, questionnaire, and talent showcase segments for the title of 'Phở King'. Every year, the pageant is judged by a prominent social media figure in the Asian American community such as Motoki Maxted, Cathy Nguyen, Timothy Delaghetto, AJ Rafael, RINI, Adam Acosta, Jeremy Passion and Jeff Bernat.
Past Pho King Pageants
Year |
Theme |
20th Annual (2021) |
"PhoKingsMan: Race to the VSA Crown" |
19th Annual (2020) |
"Mr. Universe: Out of this Pho King World" |
18th Annual (2019) |
"Pho Queen: Find Your Princess Charming" |
17th Annual (2018) |
"Be Your Own Hero" |
16th Annual (2017) |
"Game On" |
15th Annual (2016) |
"Evil Convention" |
14th Annual (2015) |
"Go Back to Throwback: Saturday Cartoons" |
13th Annual (2014) |
"Pho King Master" |
12th Annual (2013) |
"A Land Pho Pho Away" |
11th Annual (2012) |
"A World Without Pho" |
10th Annual (2011) |
"The Legend of Pho King |