Falls Church, Virginia | May 13, 2011 - BPSOS is proud to announce the support of:

• Senator John Cornyn, III
• Former Congressman Anh Joseph Cao
• Ambassador Grover Joseph Rees, III (ret.)
• Vietnamese American actress and humanitarian Kieu Chinh
• Congressman Christopher Smith
• Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren
• Congressman Mike Honda
• Professor Charles Cuong Nguyen
• Congressman Christopher Van Hollen, Jr.
• Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

Click here to learn more about our honorary co-chairs.

  The Vietnamese-American experience started with the bitter end of the Vietnam War in 1975, in which 50,000 Americans and some 500,000 South Vietnamese gave their lives. In coming to the shores of “the land of the free,” Vietnamese refugees brought with them five thousand years of tradition, a vibrant culture, and a treasure-trove of personal stories.

Photo: Fourth of July parade in Washington, DC (The Washington Post)

In three and half decades since the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, the Vietnamese American community has grown by leaps and bounds.  Some 130,000 Vietnamese-owned businesses contribute extensively to the economic and job growth of this country. Vietnamese Americans represent practically every professional field. Studies have shown that as a community, Vietnamese Americans’ rates of civic assimilation were the highest among all large immigrant groups.

BPSOS was founded as Boat People S.O.S. Committee in 1980 to conduct rescue-at-sea missions during the boat people exodus. Today, as a national community organization operating in 14 locations across the country and overseas operations in three Asian countries, we are proud to host the 30-Year Anniversary of BPSOS in conjunction with the celebration of 36 years of Vietnamese American history and America’s Independence Day.

We deeply appreciate the strong support from our honorary co-chairs who by joining together, inspire us all to continue our work in building bridges across generations and communities of America, and give hope to the unity of present and future leaders coming together to create positive changes for America, for the community, and for Vietnam.

Don’t Miss The Deadline Tonight for Early Bird Registration to the Summit and Gala...

Register Now!  Save $100 Per Person.

Share