Fellow Vietnamese American leaders,

We are inviting you to take part in a movement that will change the dynamics of our community, elevate its levels of being and performance, and lay the foundation for progress for generations to come.  After 35 years of struggle and sacrifices, the Vietnamese American community has come of age, with abundant individual success stories like yours.  Vietnamese Americans have been known to be resilient, hard-working, and determined to overcome challenges to achieve success, but have we as a community lived up to our ancestors’ great expectations and the inspiring ideals of America?

As a community we remain under-organized, under-studied, under-served and under-represented. There are so many needs left unmet in our own backyard, from the youth without role models, to adults left out of work, to the elderly facing a bleak future, to the struggling small businesses… As a community, we have had no plan to capitalize on the talents, the passion, and the resources of our own and reinvest them to help our community address its own needs, grow strong, and contribute to a more united and prosperous America. Without a plan for the future, we cannot adequately prepare for the great challenges of our time and fulfill our destiny.

Over the past 10 months we have traveled through big cities and small towns, from college campuses to community centers, to share the message of hope and responsibility and to listen. We have met so many talented, accomplished and passionate individuals who deeply care about our community. We have met many young Vietnamese Americans interested in serving the community in different capacities—a new phenomenon that was practically non-existent some five years ago. There has been excitement, shared by young and old alike, at the possibility—the possibility of a community born out of misfortune to be a model of civic engagement, political empowerment, economic development, and social integration. The people we have met, and you are among them, shared with us their pride in our heritage and their dream of a strong and healthy community in which generations work alongside one another to discuss issues, build strong leaders and institutions, and provide solutions. With such pride, hope, and dream, let us answer the call for service and leadership.

On July 2nd of this year, hundreds of Vietnamese American leaders (accomplished and emerging) will convene in Washington DC to share visions, to discuss issues, and to plan for the next decade. From the common areas of interest identified, we will develop overarching national initiatives and specific local projects to unleash our community’s full potentials in all sectors: public, business, and social. Topics will range from fielding candidates to run for public offices to building community infrastructure, from developing small businesses to incubating new non-profits, from forming professional associations to advocating for policy changes… The summit will launch “500 in 5 years,” an ambitious initiative to cultivate the next generation of Vietnamese-American leaders—they will be the prime force behind the said national initiatives and local projects.

We have selected the Independence Day weekend for one reason: it marks the birth of America, the great and beautiful nation founded on inspiring ideas and ideals of freedom and individual liberty that has become our homeland. The summit will help us build a collective development platform and launch a decade-long common effort to build a great community.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we look forward to having you among the Vietnamese American outstanding and passionate leaders who will come together to create positive changes for our community, for America and for Vietnam.

Let us come together. Let the movement begin.

Nguyen Dinh Thang, PhD Shandon Phan, Esq.
BPSOS Executive Director Summit Chair

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