I gather water from Rock Creek Park, a tributary of the Potomac River, into a glass cup. I walk with this cup to the performance space where I set it on a table and perform a múa khăn (scarf dance). The dance is acknowledgement, apology and hope for transformation. This is the video intro to the “xin lỗi nước” performance.

My performance addresses the aftermath of the historic Potomac River sewage spill in January 2026 which led to the dumping of over 200 million gallons of raw sewage into the watershed.

The act of gathering and transporting water is inspired by the Vietnamese performance collective Phụ Lục and their “Upstream Water” performance, where water was brought to the space, and members of the collective interacted with the water in different ways.

Music: “Om Mani” by Mai Khôi & the Dissidents. Used with permission from the artist.

Cinematography: Jamie Nhi Vuong and Anthony Le

Special thanks to Ashley Jaye Williams