  We first present a model-independent analysis using flavor SU(3) symmetry
with SU(3) breaking effects in $B$ decays to two charmless vector mesons ($VV$)
in the final state. In order to bridge the flavor SU(3) symmetry approach and
the factorization approach in $B \to VV$ decays, we explicitly show how to
translate each SU(3) amplitude into a corresponding amplitude in factorization.
Various decay modes, including $B \to K^* \phi$ which is so far the only $B \to
VV$ mode having some experimental evidence, are discussed in both the SU(3)
symmetry and factorization approaches. Within the generalized factorization
approximation, the flavor SU(3) amplitudes and SU(3) breaking effects are
numerically estimated as a function of the parameter $\xi \equiv 1/ N_c$ ($N_c$
the effective number of color).
