LD2016 Program Book

TABLE OF CONTENTS : 0.0 TABLE OF CONTENTS PG 01 1.0 ABOUT PG 02 1.01 CAMP ARTABAN MAP PG 03 1.02 RULES & REGULATIONS PG 04 1.03 STAFF | BAN QUAN TRAI PG 05

1.04 INTRODUCTION | LOI GIOI THIEU PG 06 - 07 1.05 G.R.A.C.E VALUES PG 08 - 09 2.0 SCHEDULE PG 10 2.01 CAMP AGENDA PG 11 - 12

3.0 SPEAKERS & PRESENTERS PG 13

3.01 KEYNOTE SPEAKER : MS. VIVIENNE A. NGUYEN PG 14

3.02 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MR. CHARLIE QUY TON PG 15

3.03 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MR. DAT NGUYEN PG 16

3.04 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MS. DUY-LOAN LE PG 17

3.05 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : DR. KIMOANH NGUYEN-LAM PG 18

3.06 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MS. QUYNH HUYNH PG 19

3.07 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : DR. THIEN CAO PG 20

3.08 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MR. TINH TRINH PG 21

3.09 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MS. VANESSA VAN-ANH VO PG 22

3.10 WORKSHOP PRESENTER : DR. ANHLAN NGUYEN PG 23

3.11 WORKSHOP PRESENTER : MR. BAO NGOC NGUYEN PG 24 3.12 WORKSHOP PRESENTER : MS. ELENA TRAN PG 25

3.13 WORKSHOP PRESENTER : MR. STEVE LIN PG 26 3.14 WORKSHOP PRESENTER : DR. TRUONG NONG PG 27 4.0 WORKSHOPS PG 28

4.01 SATURDAY WORKSHOP NO. 1 : CAREER ASPIRATIONS PG 29 - 30

4.02 SATURDAY WORKSHOP NO. 2 : GOAL SETTING PG 31 - 32

4.03 SATURDAY WORKSHOP NO. 3 : 21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP PG 33 - 34

4.04 SATURDAY WORKSHOP NO. 4 : TEAM DYNAMICS AND YOU PG 35 - 36

4.05 SUNDAY WORKSHOP NO. 5 : GENERATION GAP PG 37 - 38

4.06 SUNDAY WORKSHOP NO. 6 : CULTURAL IDENTITY: WHO AM I? PG 39 - 40

4.07 SUNDAY WORKSHOP NO. 7 : VIETNAMESE MUSIC PG 41 5.0 SCHOLARSHIPS & CONTEST WINNERS

PG 42 - 59

6.0 TEAM BIOS PG 60 6.01 TEAM BIOS : VALUES/CHARACTER PG 61 - 70

6.02 FIVE THOUSAND YEARS OF VIETNAMESE CULTURE PG 71 - 74 6.03 VIETNAM MAP PG 75 7.0 CAMP SONGS & ABOUT VCSA PG 76 7.01 CAMP SONGS PG 77 - 86 7.02 VCSA INTRODUCTION PG 87 7.03 GIOI THIEU HOI VHKHVN PG 88 8.0 SPONSORS PG 89 8.01 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PG 90 8.02 LEN DUONG CIRCLE 100 PG 91 8.03 EDMONTON VIET ASSOCIATION PG 92 8.04 VCSA TORONTO PG 93 8.05 BEHIND THE SCENES PG 94 8.06 SPONSORS PAGES PG 95 - 104 APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

PG 01

1.0 ABOUT

1.01 CAMP MAP 1.02 RULES & REGULATIONS 1.03 STAFF | BAN QUAN TRAI 1.04 INTRODUCTION | LOI GIOI THIEU 1.05 G.R.A.C.E VALUES

PG 02

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

1.01 CAMP MAP :

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

PG 03

1.02 RULES & REGULATIONS : Camp rules are established to provide Fun and Safe environment for all campers.

Consequences for infraction of rules will be from a friendly reminder of camp rules to expulsion from the camp.

If expelled from the camp, you are responsible for your own expense to get back to your home.

1. Participate in all activities set by the Camp Committee. No personal activities except during personal free time.

1. Tham gia mọi sinh hoạt của Trại. Không được sinh hoạt riêng ngoại trừ trong giờ giải lao.

2. Respect other campers and their property. No profanity or fighting is allowed.

2. Tôn trọng lẫn nhau và tài sản của người khác.

Không ẩu đả hoặc dùng ngôn ngữ khiếm nhã.

3. Clean up after yourself in cabin, camp area and dining area. No food is allowed inside cabin at anytime.

3. Giữ gìn vệ sinh chung toàn trại và thực hiện công tác dọn dẹp cabin mỗi ngày. Không mang đồ ăn vào trong cabin.

4. Stay off restricted areas. Only park your vehicle in the designated area.

4. Chỉ sinh hoạt trong các khu vực được cho phép.

Chỉ đậu xe trong khu vực quy định.

5. Always wear your name tag and appropriate clothing during programs and activities at the camp. Do not leave the camp or change cabin without Camp Committee’s permission.

5. Luôn luôn đeo bảng tên và trang phục thích hợp với các sinh hoạt của trại. Không được rời trại hoặc đổi cabin khi chưa có phép.

6. DO inform Camp Committee of any suspicious activities that violate the camp rules and campers’ safety. No illegal activities, nor any weapons, pets, drugs, alcohol are allowed. Smoking is only at designated area, if allowed by the Camp.

6. Thông báo với Ban Quản Trại mọi hành động khả nghi có thể ảnh hưởng đến sự an toàn của trại sinh hoặc vi phạm nội quy trại. Không được có những hành động bất hợp pháp hoặc mang vũ khí, thú vật, ma tuý, rượu bia hoặc các thứ bất hợp pháp vào trại.

Chỉ được hút thuốc tại chỗ quy định, nếu được phép của trại.

PG 04

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

1.03 STAFF | BAN QUAN TRAI : Camp Master :

Camp Master Assistants :

Program Managers :

Program Team :

Trần Ngọc Trâm Michelle

Fundraising Team :

Nguyễn Phúc Anh Lan (Lead), Nguyễn Linh, Lê Lily Thúy, Nguyễn Phi, Nguyễn Catherine, Phan Alex and Leadership BP Team

Marketing Team :

Scholarship Team :

Registration & Finance Team :

Workshop & Speakers Coordinator :

Lương Yvonne (Lead), Trương Tammy

Publishing :

Food Team :

Đào Christopher and Nguyễn Linh (Co-Leads)

Judging & Evaluation :

Transportation Team :

Technical & Logistics Team :

Văn Hoàng Gia (Lead), Trần Nhật Thùy Elena

Nguyễn Jaclyn, Nguyễn Kim, Lương Yvonne Nguyễn Jaclyn, Phạm Vân Anh, Phạm Mai Quyên Trần Thanh Boon and Phạm Mai Quyên (Co-Lead), Trần Ngọc Trâm Michelle, Cao Minh Thiện, Đào Christopher, Nguyễn Linh, Nguyễn Jaclyn, Âu Tina, Mã Bảo Trân, Phạm Vân Anh, Hợp Lưu

Trương Kathy (Lead) Nguyễn Nam (Lead), Tuyền Phạm Âu Tina and Mã Bảo Trân (Co-Leads), Mai Vicky

Nguyễn Thanh Thảo (Lead), Trịnh Thị Báu, Nguyễn Văn Bút, Nguyễn Phi, Lê Tiên, Lê Lily Thúy, Dương Trevor

Trần Diana (Lead) Bùi Trường (Logistics Lead), Nguyễn Bryan (Technical Lead), Trịnh Tiến Trinh, Đỗ Brian, Nguyễn Hữu Bảo Khang

Games & Entertainment : Hoàng Nguyễn Đức (Lead), Trần Gia Phú (Ice Breaker & Bonfire Activities),

Diệp Duy Jamie (Talent Show Coordinator), Nguyễn John, Trần Michelle, Johnson

Renwick, Trương Tammy, Trương Kathy Counselors :

Security & Safety :

Nguyễn Cẩm Vân (Lead), Lương Yvonne, Nguyễn Charlie, Trương Nhật, Nguyễn Linh, Lê Samantha, Nguyễn Công David, Trương Paul, Phạm Kim, Nguyễn Kim, Ngô Steven, Vũ Liêm, Nguyễn Tuê Sĩ Nguyễn Ron (Lead), Nguyễn Xuân Thảo Anh, Trương Richard, Bùi Linda, Nguyễn Sherry Thảo, Phavongkham Vieng

Medical Team :

Huỳnh Thân Như Quỳnh (Lead), Nguyễn Du David, Nguyễn Sato Trọng Huy

Video & Photography :

Đào Christopher (Lead), Lê Hoàng Nguyên, Nguyễn Tengah

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

PG 05

1.04 INTRODUCTION | LOI GIOI THIEU : Len Duong Camp 2016 I am Vietnamese – TÔI LÀ NGƯỜI VIỆT NAM Appreciate . Aspire . Achieve

Vietnamese Culture and Science Association would like to welcome all campers from the various US states and Canadian provinces to camp Len Duong 2016 for the first time in Vancouver, British Columbia. This year marked the 19th anniversary of this youth leadership development program.

Eighteen years ago, it started with one idea that young adults of Vietnamese descent from across America will get together to learn about leadership skills and cultural awareness, to develop future leaders of the Viet communities overseas and to create lifetime friendship. We took the time to conceive the idea, to create repeatable processes of building the camp and put our heads together to create the plan to implement the camp. With great passion shared by board members of VCSA and the original leadership team, camp Len Duong truly created incredible impacts among Vietnamese youths across North America in the past 18 years.

In the past 18 years, the camp was held in different cities, hosted by different chapters of VCSA in the US and Canada. This year is very special because the camp will be held the very first time in Vancouver, Canada, hosted by the newest VCSA Chapter: VCSA-Vancouver. Speakers, authors, leaders and campers from all different walks of life came to Len Duong camp and helped created a wonderful lifetime memory. Looking back, camp Len Duong has achieved success with its goal of training more than 4,500 young community activists to be more involved in the local communities and more than 300 young leaders for the local community organizations in North America. Campers were inspired to become leaders, and they created wonderful impacts in several different local cities across United States and Canada. Their stories have been the testimonial of the success of the camp in the past eighteen years.

In reflection of the camps delivered in the past 18 years, we would like to capture the CORE values that camp Len Duong help instill in each camper and staff to make the camp a wonderful experience: G.R.A.C.E. Gratitude - Respect - Accountability - Courage - Engagement. In the next four days, we want to invite you to embark on this wonderful journey to discover your dream, reflect on your cultural heritage to appreciate your root, to aspire in achieving your goals in order to achieve success in life. Have the belief in yourself and your team to achieve the goals and then have the courage to take actions toward that goal to achieve your dream. Equipped with G.R.A.CE, campers are encouraged to interact with each other, to appreciate each other uniqueness and to have the courage to get out of one’s comfort zone collaborating with other team members to achieve the team’s goals in every differen activities.

Let’s Embark on this Great Journey!

PG 06

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

Trại Phát Triển Kỹ Năng Lãnh Đạo Thanh Niên 2016

Trại Phát Triển Kỹ Năng Lãnh Đạo Lên Đuờng 2016 hân hoan đón chào các bạn về tham dự trại hè đuợc tổ chức tại đất trại Camp Artaban, gần thành phố Vancouver, tỉnh bang British Columbia, Gia Nã Đại. Năm nay là năm kỷ niệm lần thứ mười chín của Trại Lên Đuờng. Bắt đầu từ những suy nghĩ chủ quan của Ban Tổ Chức, trại Lên Đuờng đuợc hình thành nhằm đáp ứng nhu cầu sinh hoạt và học hỏi về nguồn của thanh niên gốc Việt tại hải ngoại. Trại Lên Đuờng ’98 đuợc tổ chức chỉ có tính cách thử nghiệm; nhưng như một nguời bạn trẻ tham dự trại này đã viết: “If you build it, they will come.”Sự hiện diện của các bạn tại trại Lên Đuờng năm thứ mười tám là một bằng chứng hùng hồn là nhu cầu sinh hoạt và học tập của giới trẻ Việt Nam đúng là một nhu cầu khẩn thiết.

Nhu cầu khẩn thiết này đã đuợc rất nhiều các hội đoàn thanh niên, sinh viên, tôn giáo và chuyên viên đáp ứng, nhưng hầu hết đều có tính cách địa phương. Hội Văn Hóa Khoa Học Việt Nam đã mạnh dạn đứng ra làm một nhịp cầu nối kết các bạn trẻ đang tích cực sinh hoạt khắp nơi tại Hoa Kỳ và Gia Nã Đại trong một môi truờng chung để các bạn có cơ hội cùng chia sẻ và học hỏi các kinh nghiệm về sinh hoạt cộng đồng, cùng học hỏi và thực tập các kỹ năng lãnh đạo, và nhất là để thấy đuợc những nét hay, nét đẹp của văn hóa, lịch sử và địa lý Việt Nam. Sự gặp gỡ và sinh hoạt chung với nhau chắc chắn sẽ mang đến kết quả tốt đẹp trong việc tạo sự thông cảm giữa các cá nhân với cá nhân, giữa hội đoàn với hội đoàn: điều kiện tất yếu để mọi nguời có thể hợp tác trong các dự án tuong lai hầu phục vụ cộng đồng và đất nuớc.

Trại Lên Đuờng là trại phát triển kỹ năng lãnh đạo dành riêng cho các bạn trẻ đang sinh hoạt tích cực trong các hội đoàn, ưu tiên đối với các bạn đang giữ các chức vụ điều hành các hội Sinh Viên Việt Nam tại các truờng đại học. Khởi đầu từ trại Lên Đuờng 1998 với con số 180 trại sinh, Lên Đuờng 1999 đa đạt đuợc quy mô toàn quốc với tổng số 312 trại sinh đến từ hầu hết các tiểu bang Hoa Kỳ và Gia Nã Đại. Trong suốt 18 năm qua, trại Lên Đường đã giúp cho hơn 4500 thanh niên nam nữ gốc Việt đào luyện về kỹ năng lãnh đạo, học hỏi về văn hóa, lịch sử và địa lý Việt Nam, và qua chương trình này trại Lên Đường đã đào tạo hơn 300 nhà lãnh đạo trẻ cho các cộng đồng, tổ chức, và hội đoàn ở khắp nơi trên toàn nước Mỹ và Gia Nã Đại. Con số này ngày càng lớn mạnh và chứng tỏ sự trưởng thành của giới trẻ gốc Việt Nam ở hải ngoại.

Với tinh thần dấn thân, phục vụ và niềm tin vào sự phát triển và hợp tác trong cộng đồng cùng huớng về tương lai, Lên Đuờng 2016 uớc mong sẽ cung cấp thêm đuợc cho các trại sinh một số kiến thức và kỹ năng cần thiết trên buớc đuờng hoạt động tuong lai. Nào mời các bạn cùng...

LÊN ĐƯỜNG!

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

PG 07

1.05 G.R.A.C.E. VALUES : G.R.A.C.E - Gratitude . Respect . Accountability . Courage . Engagement Before we embark on our journey, camp Len Duong would like to feature the five core values that we encourage all staff, guests and campers to demonstrate throughout all the programs and activities delivered during the four days at camp. We also encourage all campers to take these core values home and create a leadership action plan to implement these values in your daily life. These core values will help shaping you to become a successful leader in all of your future endeavors.

Gratitude : A deep appreciation of life in all forms, valuing both its gifts and lessons. We are living in a very busy environment that sometimes it is easy to forget the blessing that all of us have in our daily life. The blessing of the gift of life; the blessing of enjoying the sun shine, the seasons of the year; the blessing of having a loving family, a great friendship and all the positive things currently happening around us. The world is usually focusing too much on the negative thoughts and worries that sometimes we forgot all the blessing around us.

We need to take time to appreciate all the blessings that we currently have and be grateful for all the things that other people do for us through their service. Gratitude helps us to be humble and to appreciate others around us and keep us in perspective. A Vietnamese proverbs says once “Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây” (When eating fruits, remember the one who planted the tree). Make a commitment every day that you have to identify at least 3 things happening on that day that you are thankful for. Create a habit of gratitude and appreciation will change your life to a much more positive way. It is the foundation for finding joy in our human condition.

Respect : The practice of awareness and openness to others, new ideas and different perspectives. Working in a team, it is so important for each team member to feel that each of them is being heard. Respect other viewpoint and respect other perspective help you to improve your listening skills and create a collaborative environment where your team can solve the problems effectively. Respect yourself by doing the right things and doing things that you feel right. Respect others by following the golden rule that “do not do things to others that you don’t want others to do on you”. Respect also need to be practiced not only to other people, but also to the environment around us. Respect the environment by minimizing the negative impacts of creating waste. Respect the diversity of our campers and sometimes agree to disagree on different viewpoints. At camp Len Duong, respect is strongly encouraged since it is the basis for peace and understanding.

Accountability : Taking responsibility for our actions, thoughts and emotions. As a human being, each of us enters this world and is shaped in a certain way of life through our family, our environment and our culture and background. However, as a leader to oneself, one must be accountable for one’s own life by setting the goals, purpose of one’s life and be accountable to make it happen. Self leadership is the foundation that leads to higher level of leadership. Leadership starts with the person in each of us. A leader should be accountable not just for his/her own actions, but also accountable for the things and unexpected events occurring in his/ her life. Although sometimes we cannot change the circumstances that happened to us, we can still be accountable on what kinds of responses or choices we make upon these circumstances. “Life begins when you do!” Be accountable for your own actions to make things happen toward achieving your goals. At Camp Len Duong you will be a part of your team and each team member is strongly encouraged to be accountable for all the tasks assigned for them and ensure that things happen toward achieving the team’s goals. Remember, you are THE CHOICE you made.

PG 08

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

Courage : This is a critical value of a leader to be the change agent and to create something from nothing. Life is a series of events and experiences that one goes through and continues to grow from. In order to grow and to change for the better, sometimes one has to take the courage to take risks to take actions going out of one’s own comfort zone and face with the unknowns. Without the courage to face the unknowns at sea, the Vietnamese refugees would not be able to achieve freedom in the New World. In some difficult situations, a leader should practice the courage to take actions and to create the necessary changes to improve the conditions of self and others. Learn to practice courage in your daily life and make it a way of life. Having the courage to act differently from how you feel to bring yourself up, to be prepared for the success tomorrow. Courage allows us to grow and realize our true potential and dreams.

Engagement : The intention to wholeheartedly contribute our gifts and skills in a way that benefits our communities and natural environments. We live in a world that everyone is inter-connected through different communities and environments and each of us is given a unique gift and talent that can be used to serve others. By caring for others, caring for making a difference in other people’s life, each camper is encouraged to practice volunteerism, activism and civic engagement to bring about positive changes in the world around us. As in all Len Duong camps in the past, we encourage the camper to “Be the Change!” by learning from the past, create actions and lead them to results in the present. These results will continue to help you moving forward to a successful future in your life. However, you cannot accomplish your goals alone, you need to engage others to assist you and work with you to accomplish your life goals and purpose. At camp Len Duong, Engagement is strongly encouraged to allow you to interact with other campers in your team to achieve your team’s success.

If each of us makes a sincere effort to practice these above five core values and support each other in this practice, we will all become happier with our lives, enjoy a more caring and peaceful world and leave a more sustainable environment to our children.

Through the four days of Camp Len Duong, we encourage all campers to reflect on these five values, make a commitment to “Be the Change” in your life and start practicing these values in your daily life after coming back home. We look forward to hearing great stories and great plans on how you can help to spread the word on the power of practicing your values and helping to create positive changes in your communities. Please make sure you record your progress in the GRACE worksheet and submit to us after the camp is complete and then a few months afterward.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

PG 09

2.0 SCHEDULE

2.01 CAMP AGENDA

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

PG 10

2.01 CAMP AGENDA : FRI 07.01.2016 ACTIVITIES

LOCATION 04:00pm – 05:00pm All Staff Briefing Rec Hall 12:00pm – 06:30pm Camper Registration Dining Hall 06:30pm – 07:30pm Dinner Dining Hall 07:30pm – 08:15pm Intro Activities : Ice Breaker Rec Hall 08:15pm – 08:35pm Welcome & Security Briefings Rec Hall 08:35pm – 09:15pm Camp Activities Rec Hall 09:15pm – 09:50pm Team Introduction & Bonding Rec Hall 09:50pm – 10:20pm Theme & G.R.A.C.E. Presentations Rec Hall 10:30pm – 12:00am Campers Settle into Cabins & Shower Time Cabins & Showers 11:00pm – 11:45pm Camp Staff Meeting Rec Hall 12:00am – 06:00am Lights Out SAT 07.02.2016 ACTIVITIES

LOCATION 06:45am – 07:30am Yoga *** Ball Field 06:45am – 07:30am Shower Time (First Come, First Serve) *** Showers 07:30am – 08:10am Breakfast Dining Hall 08:15am – 08:55am Team Orientation,

Team Leader Election & Team Chant Team Home Base 09:00am – 09:40am Camp Opening Ceremony Ball Field 09:50am – 10:50am Keynote Speaker : Ms. Vivienne A. Nguyen Rec Hall 10:55am – 11:55am Small Game #1 Ball Field 12:00pm – 01:15pm Free Time & Lunch (12:15pm) Dining Hall 01:20pm – 03:25pm Concurrent Workshops & Evaluation : 1.

Career Aspirations Panel Rec Hall 2.

21st Century Leadership Dining Hall 3.

Goal Setting Somerville 4.

Team Dynamics and You Wilma Mitchell 03:30pm – 03:55pm Team Reflections Team Home Base 04:00pm – 04:40pm Free Time

(Optional Shower Time, First Come First Serve) Showers 04:45pm – 07:45pm Concurrent Team Project / Dinner 06:00pm – 07:00pm Dinner Dining Hall 04:45pm – 05:15pm All Counselors Meeting Rec Hall 05:15pm – 06:15pm All Staff Meeting Rec Hall 07:45pm – 09:00pm Team Project Presentations Rec Hall 09:05pm – 09:40pm Bonfire #1 Ball Field 09:45pm – 11:00pm Late Night Snack & Talent Show Rec Hall 11:00pm – 12:30am Shower Time Showers 01:30am – 07:00am Lights out

PG 11

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

SUN 07.03.2016 ACTIVITIES

LOCATION 07:00am – 08:00am Religious Programs : 1.

Buddhist Program *** 2.

Catholic Program *** 07:00am – 07:00am Shower Time (First Come, First Serve) *** Showers 07:30am – 08:25am Breakfast Dining Hall 08:30am – 08:55am Team Leader Election & Workshop Sign-Up Team Home Base 09:00am – 10:25am Concurrent Cultural Workshops & Evaluations : 1.

Vietnamese Session: Dining Hall How to Bridge the Generation Gap between Vietnamese Parents and Children?

2.

English Session: Rec Hall Cultural Identity : Who Am I? 10:30am – 11:30am Vietnamese Music & Leadership with Ms. Vanessa Van-Anh Vo Rec Hall 11:45am – 12:45pm Lunch Dining Hall 12:45pm – 01:00pm Team Prep for Big Game 01:00pm – 05:00pm The Big Game Start at Rec Hall 05:00pm – 05:55pm Free Time

(Optional Shower Time, First Come First Serve) Showers 06:00pm – 08:30pm Concurrent Team Skit & Dinner 06:00pm – 07:00pm Dinner Dining Hall 06:30pm – 07:15pm All Counselors Meeting Rec Hall 07:15pm – 08:15pm All Staff Meeting Rec Hall 08:35pm – 09:45pm Team Skit Presentations Rec Hall 09:50pm – 10:30pm Late Night Snack Dining Hall 10:35pm – 11:15pm Bonfire #2 & Open Discussion Ball Field 11:20pm – 12:50am Shower Time Showers 01:30am – 07:30am Lights out MON 07.04.2016 ACTIVITIES

LOCATION 07:30am – 08:30am Shower Time (First Come, First Serve) *** Showers 08:15am – 09:00am Breakfast Dining Hall 09:00am – 09:30am Clean-up Competition & Cabin Clean Up 09:30am – 10:00am Team Reflections & Evaluation Team Home Base 10:05am – 12:00pm Group Sharing & Closing Ceremony Rec Hall 12:00pm – 01:00pm Lunch Dining Hall 12:15pm – 12:30pm Loading for the First Boat 01:00pm – 03:00pm Final Clean Up and Farewell 03:00pm – 03:30pm Loading for the Second Boat

*** Optional Activities for Campers APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

PG 12

3.0 SPEAKERS & PRESENTERS

KEYNOTE SPEAKER : 3.01 MS. VIVIENNE A. NGUYEN

CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELISTS : 3.02 MR. CHARLIE QUY TON

3.03 MR. DAT NGUYEN

3.04 MS. DUY-LOAN LE 3.05

DR. KIMOANH NGUYEN-LAM

3.06

3.07

MS. QUYNH HUYNH

3.08

MR. TINH TRINH

DR. THIEN CAO

3.09 MS. VANESSA VAN-ANH VO

WORKSHOP PRESENTERS : 3.10 MS. ELENA TRAN 3.11 DR. ANHLAN NGUYEN

3.12 MR. BAO NGOC NGUYEN

3.13 MR. STEVE LIN

3.14 DR. TRUONG NONG

PG 13

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

3.01 KEYNOTE SPEAKER : MS. VIVIENNE A. NGUYEN on April 30, 1975. She joined the United States Navy in honor of the men and women that saved her family from fishing boats in 1975 and eventually resulting in her family becoming US citizens. She is also the grand-daughter of Nguyen Ngoc Khoi, former mayor of Da-Nang, full colonel in the Republic of (South Vietnam) Army, former member of the Republic of (South Vietnam) delegation to the Paris peace talks in 1973, and recipient of several military awards.

New Jersey. Trước khi gia nhập Prudential, cô đã phục vụ trong Nha Hải quân Quân pháp (JAG) trong Hải Quân Hoa Kỳ trong gần 5 năm. Cô hành nghề với chuyên môn về công pháp quốc tế và hành chính trong lúc đóng quân ở Nhật Bản. Cô đã làm việc cùng với các đội ngũ pháp lý Nhật bản, Nam Hàn và Phi Luật Tân. Cô là viên chức JAG nữ giới đầu tiên được chỉ định đến Căn Cứ Tàu Ngầm Hải Quân New London nơi cô là cố vấn pháp luật duy nhất cho hơn 25 bộ chỉ huy hành quân tàu ngầm,

Community impact is a core value for Vivienne. She led the Japanese Community Legal Association in Yokosuka, Japan for two years and performed piano at two charity concerts she hosted for the benefit of physically disabled adults in Ms. Vivienne A. Nguyen Japan. Additionally, she has spearheaded Director of Corporate Counsel several community initiatives including International Investments being the founder of Law Brigades at HofPrudential Financial stra and organizing the first successful law brigades team in the United States to trav Vivienne Ai Nguyen is a sec- el to Panama to assist farmers acquire title ond-generation Vietnamese-American. to their land.

She was born and raised in southern California. Vivienne received her Bachelor of She is excited for opportunities Arts in Political Science from University of to better connect to her Vietnamese roots California, Berkley. She obtained her Juris and will be reaching out to you for ideas, Doctor (J.D.) from Hofstra University with thoughts, and inputs. Vivienne is blessed a degree concentration in Corporate and and honored to be at Len Duong this year Commercial Law. She is currently pursu- and is looking forward to learning and ing a degree in National Strategic Studies growing alongside all of the participants from the Naval War College. and campers here this year.

Gia đình là nguồn cảm hứng của cô. Cha mẹ của Vivienne là những người tỵ nạn và đã rời Việt Nam vào ngày 30 tháng 4 năm 1975. Cô gia nhập Hải Quân Hoa Kỳ để tỏ lòng kính trọng những quân nhân hải quân nam nữ đã cứu gia đình cô từ những chiếc thuyền đánh cá trong năm 1975, và sau cùng đưa đến kết quả là gia đình cô đã trở thành công dân Hoa Kỳ. Cô cũng là cháu nội của ông Nguyễn Ngọc Khôi, cựu thị trưởng Đà Nẵng, đại tá trong quân đội Việt Nam Cộng Hòa, cựu thành viên của phái đoàn Việt Nam Cộng Hòa ở Paris năm 1973, và nhận được một số tặng thưởng trong quân đội.

Vivienne is currently Director, Corporate Counsel International Investments at Prudential Financial in New Jersey. Prior to joining Prudential, she served as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) with the United States Navy for almost 5 years.

She practiced international and administrative law while stationed in Japan and worked alongside Japanese, South Korean, and Australian legal teams. She was the first female JAG to be assigned to the waterfront at Naval Submarine Base New London, where she was the sole legal advisor for over 25 operational submarine commands.

Her family is her inspiration. Vivienne’s parents were Vietnamese refugees and left the Republic of (South Vietnam)

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

Vivienne Ái Nguyễn là một người Mỹ gốc Việt thế hệ thứ nhì. Cô sinh ra và lớn lên ở Nam California. Vivienne tốt nghiệp cử nhân Bachelor of Arts chuyên ngành Political Science tại University of California, Berkley. Cô đạt được học vị Tiến Sĩ Luật Khoa Juris Doctor (J.D.) từ Hofstra University với một văn bằng tập trung vào Luật Doanh nghiệp và Thương Mại (Corporate and Commercial Law). Hiện cô đang theo đuổi một bằng cấp về Nghiên Cứu Chiến Lược Quốc Gia (National Strategic Studies) từ trường Naval War College.

Ảnh hưởng của cộng đồng là một giá trị cốt lõi cho Vivienne. Cô đã lãnh đạo Japanese Community Legal Association ở Yokosuka trong hai năm, trình diễn dương cầm tại hai buổi hòa nhạc từ thiện mà cô đã đứng ra tổ chức để gây quỹ giúp cho những người tàn tật trưởng thành ở Nhật.

Thêm vào đó, Vivienne còn dẫn đầu trong một vài dự án cho cộng đồng, và tổ chức thành công Lữ đoàn Luật sư đầu tiên ở Hoa Kỳ đi tới Panama để giúp các nông dân giành được quyền sở hữu đất đai của họ.

Cô rất vui mừng vì những cơ hội được kết nối chặt chẽ hơn với cội nguồn Việt Nam của mình và sẽ cố gắng đến gần các bạn để có được ý tưởng, suy nghĩ, và những đóng góp. Vivienne cảm thấy may mắn và vinh dự khi có mặt tại Trại Lên Đường năm nay và mong muốn học tập và phát triển cùng với tất cả những người

Hiện Vivienne là Giám Đốc, luật tham gia trại ở đây trong năm nay. sư của công ty về đầu tư quốc tế (Corporate Counsel International Investments) tại công ty tài chính Prudential Financial ở

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3.02 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MR. CHARLIE QUY TON in Wal-Mart. He noticed that Wal-Mart had a hair salon on site and yet it had no nails salons. Based on that observation, Ton developed the concept that became Regal Nails salons. Ton met with Wal-Mart officials to convince them to lease space to Regal Nails. Wal-Mart turned him down at first because they did not think the concept would work. Ton refused to give up. He kept after Wal-Mart officials until they agreed to let him open a test store in Shreveport, La. The first Regal Nails opened on October 29, 1997. The salon proved so successful that Wal-Mart agreed to let him open other salons inside their stores. He began selling franchises to Vietnamese immigrants and within ten years Ton had sold more than 900 franchises with plans to reach more soon. Franchises are located inside Wal-Mart Supercenters, Mr. Charlie Quy Ton Meijer, and HEB Stores and now working CEO, Alfalfa Nails Supply Inc., Regal with AAFES to create services within miliNails, New Orleans, Louisiana tary. At one point, they were growing at a

Mr. Quy “Charlie” Ton came to rate of a hundred per year.

America as a boat person and grew up Ton has won numerous awards in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduat- ed from Louisiana State University with a including ‘Young Alumnus of the Year” Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering. from the LSU Alumni Association Hall of He began his business career importing Distinction; “Top Forty Under Forty” from nail supplies, in part, because his wife the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report owned a nails salon and her customers and “Young Business person of the Year” wanted quality nail care products without from the Baton Rouge Business Awards having to pay exorbitant prices. He named & Hall of Fame. He also had previously the company Alfalfa Nails Supply after the served on the Baton Rouge Chamber of flowers loved by the bees he tended as a Commerce Board of Directors. work-study student at LSU. He began by selling to local nail salon owners and ex Ông Quý “Charlie” Tôn là một panded throughout the United States. thuyền nhân, đến Mỹ và trưởng thành tại

Today, Alfalfa Nails Supply has New Orleans, Louisiana. Ông tốt nghiệp more than ten thousand salon customers. Đại học Louisiana State với bằng Cử nhân Ton has developed many lines of nail prod- về Kỹ sư Hóa học. Ông khởi đầu doanh ucts including well-known brands like Re- nghiệp bằng việc nhập cảng những dụng gal lacquers, ANS, QT, Lexi, Beyond, Shei- cụ làm móng tay, một phần vì vợ ông làm la, Lila, Geluv, and Gelart. He engineered, chủ một tiệm làm móng tay và thân chủ developed, and now produces Ispa, Ever- của bà muốn có được những sản phẩm est, Katai, Kata Gi, GspaW, Ion, Petalo and tốt chăm sóc móng tay mà không phải many more pedicure spas using the top of trả giá quá mắc. Ông đặt tên cho công ty the line massage chairs known as HT-135 của mình là Alfalfa Nails Supply, theo tên PS brand and designs, and builds much of những loại hoa có sức quyến rũ loài ong the spas designs and the furniture used in rất mạnh; sở dĩ như vậy vì khi còn học tại LSU ông phụ trách nuôi đàn ong trong his second business venture. chương trình work study. Doanh nghiệp

That business venture - Regal của ông Charlie khởi đầu bằng việc bán Nails - took root in 1997 while shopping dụng cụ cho các tiệm móng tay và nay đã

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được mở rộng trên toàn quốc Hoa Kỳ.

Cho đến nay, Công ty Alfalfa Nails Supply có hơn mười ngàn khách hàng là những chủ tiệm nail. Ông Charlie đã chế biến nhiều loại sản phẩm dành cho móng tay, gồm có những hiệu nổi tiếng như Regal lacquers, ANS, QT, Lexi, Beyond, Sheila, Lila, Geluv, và Gelart. Ngoài ra ông đã chế tạo, hoàn thiện và sản xuất các sản phẩm như Ispa, Everst, Katai, Kata Gi, Gspa W, Ion, Petalo và nhiều những cửa tiệm làm móng chân dùng những chiếc ghế massage nổi danh như HT-135PS, đồng thời vẽ kiểu, thiết kế cho những bàn ghế dùng trong lãnh vực kinh doanh thứ hai.

Lãnh vực kinh doanh thứ hai này là Regal Nails. Khởi đầu từ năm 1997 khi mua hàng ở Wal-Mart, ông Charlie thấy rằng Wal-Mart có tiệm làm tóc nhưng hoàn toàn không có tiệm làm móng tay.

Theo quan sát này, ông Charlie bắt đầu có ý tưởng mà sau này trở thành Regal Nails; ông liên lạc với Wal-Mart và xin thuê địa điểm trong Wal-Mart để mở tiệm, nhưng Wal-Mart từ chối vì nghĩ rằng không khả thi. Nhưng Charlie vẫn kiên trì theo đuổi và cuối cùng Wal-Mart đồng ý cho thử nghiệm với tiệm đầu tiên tại Shreveport, LA, vào ngày 29 tháng 10, năm 1997. Cửa tiệm Regal Nails đã thành công vượt mức và Wal-Mart đồng ý cho ông mở thêm những tiệm khác trong Walmart. Cho đến nay ông đã có hơn 900 đại lý và còn có kế hoạch để phát triển thêm. Những đại lý của Regal Nails tọa lạc trong những siêu thị Wal-Mart, Meijer, và HEB. Hiện nay Charlie đang thương thảo với AAFES (Khu Thương mại dành riêng cho quân đội Hoa Kỳ) để mở những cửa tiệm trong những trung tâm này. Trong quá trình hoạt động Regal Nails đã có lúc tiến triển với tốc độ 100 tiệm mỗi năm.

Ông Charlie Quy Ton đã nhận được nhiều giải thưởng như “Cựu Sinh Viên Trẻ Trong Năm” của Hội Cựu Sinh viên LSU; “Bốn Mươi Nhân Vật Hàng Đầu Dưới Bốn Mươi Tuổi” của Greater Baton Rouge Business Report và “Doanh Gia Trẻ Trong Năm” của Baton Rouge Business Awards & Hall of Fame. Trước đây ông cũng là thành viên Hội đồng Quản trị của Phòng Thương mại Baton Rouge.

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

3.03 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MR. DAT NGUYEN grams delivered in Vietnam. By the end of 2008, the money raised for this Community fund has exceeded $200,000 CAD. In 2002, with his technical background in Material Science, Mr. Dat Nguyen founded his third company called Lancotek Products Inc. to produce fire retardant coatings and products, which is also a very successful company, operated mostly in the United States.

Mr. Dat Nguyen Founder and CEO Thoi Bao Inc., Webnews Printing Inc., Lancotek Products, and Sky Light Media Inc.

Dave Dat Nguyen arrived in Canada in 1975 and earned a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Dallhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1980. He has worked for 18 years as a Research Material Engineer for various companies in Ontario before he moved to the Publishing industry and founded the Thoi Bao incorporation, Webnews Printing Inc. and Lancotek Products. He has published over ten technical papers and co-authored three US patents on fire retardant materials. Mr. Dat Nguyen is not just a well respected professional engineer, but he’s also a very successful entrepreneur who founded Thoi Bao Inc. in 1987, started in Toronto, Canada, then Vancouver (1994), Montreal (1996) and then in all 50 states in the United States (2004) (Thoi Bao USA) and started Thoi Bao Houston in 2006. In 1998, he started another initiative, Webnews Printing Inc., a printing company that is currently printing more than 100 community and ethnic newspapers in Greater Toronto Area.

In 2000, Mr. Dat Nguyen founded the Thoi Bao Community Fund as a non-profit corporation to support charities programs in Canada and charities pro-

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

đã nhận được nhiều giải thưởng cao quý như giải thưởng Sierhey Khamara Ziniak, giải thưởng Người Gia Nã Đại gốc Á Châu xuất sắc năm 2008 do Hội Đồng Đa Văn Hóa toàn Canada trao tặng, vân vân.

In 2007, he initiated the TNVN Radio program in Toronto which broadcasts 24-hour programs in Toronto, Canada. Mr. Dat Nguyen has received numerous recognitions for his achievements in both the media profession and as well as his entrepreneurship. Some Awards include: the 2005 Community Excellence Award by the Vietnamese Association of Toronto for his outstanding achievement in business, media promotion, and community contribution; 2008 Sierhey Khamara Ziniak Award by CEMA for his journalistic excellence in publishing weekly newspapers and for his integral initiative in rescuing the Ontario printing media from punitive PST taxation; 2008 Outstanding Asian Canadian Community Award by Canadian Multicultural Council (CMC) for being one of the pioneers who have contributed to the establishment of the Asian communities in Canada. Mr. Dat Nguyen currently resides in Toronto, Canada with his wife and three children.

Ông Nguyễn Đạt không những là một chuyên viên về Ngành Vật Liệu mà còn là một thương gia rất thành công trong việc sáng lập ra các công ty trong ngành Truyền Thông như Thời Báo, nhà in Webnews Printing và đài truyền thanh và truyền hình TNVN tại Toronto, Canada.

Công ty Thời Báo đã thành công không phải chỉ ở thành phố Toronto, Vancouver và Montreal, Canada với tuần báo Thời Báo, nhưng cũng đã xuất bản Thời Báo USA tại 50 tiểu bang trên toàn nước Mỹ, và năm 2006, Thời Báo Houston cũng đã xuất hiện tại thành phố Houston, Texas. Ông cũng là người sáng lập ra công ty Lancotek Products chuyên về các sản phẩm liên hệ đến sức bền vật liệu và chống lửa sử dụng trong các máy móc về điện. Ông

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3.04 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MS. DUY-LOAN LE

Ms. Duy-Loan Le Senior Fellow Texas Instruments

Ms. Le is a Senior Fellow, Senior VP equivalence of Texas Instruments’ (TI’s) technology track. She has extensive operational and development experience in the semi-conductor industry. In her various roles at TI, she oversees technology definition & development for business, directs product & technology qualifications with world-wide manufacturing teams, leads all aspects of product launch execution & high volume ramp, works with foundries, partners and suppliers all over the world to support TI’s business & technical needs.

In 2008, Texas Instruments opened offices in Vietnam and Ms. Le helped to grow new businesses there with key customers. In addition, she engages with universities to update teaching curriculum, establishes laboratories, and chairs national design contests to nurture future engineers who are most familiar with TI’s technology. In 2002, Ms. Le was elected to the Board of Directors at National Instruments Inc. (NATI, traded on NASDAQ). She served on the Nomination & Governance Committee and currently chairs the Compensation Committee.

In 2012, Ms. Le was elected to the Board of Directors at eSilicon Corp., the world’s largest independent semiconductor design and manufacturing services (SDMS) provider headquartered in Silicon Valley.

She leads the ‘Technology Committee’.

Ms. Le started her career with TI as a Memory Design Engineer at the age of 19. She was responsible for bringing up TI’s multi-billion-dollar memory product line, with joint venture partners in 5 countries and 3 continents for the first time in

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TI’s history. One of TI’s Digital Signal Processor (DSP) products under her development leadership was recognized in the 2004 Guinness World Records. Two of the DSP products under her operational management generated >$2,000,000,000 of revenue for TI.

In 2002, Ms. Le became the first Asian-American and the only woman to get elected TI Senior Fellow, the highest elected title on the technical career track, in TI’s 85 year history. She holds 24 patents, among which is a portfolio classified as ‘pioneering patents’ for TI. She is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) and a sought after keynote speaker, including invitations from Fortune 500 companies and West Point.

Throughout her career, Ms. Le’s achievements have been recognized with many prestigious awards, including Pink’s Top 15 Women in Business, Women on the Move, Women of Vision: Leadership, Women In Technology International Hall of Fame (WITI), National Technologist Of The Year, Times People, Science Spectrum Trailblazer, Asian American Engineer of The Year, Outstanding Young Engineering Graduate Award, Outstanding Young Texas Exe Award from the University of Texas, Who’s Who in the World, Vietnamese and American National Gala (VANG)’s Golden Torch Award for Exemplary Citizenship, United States Congressional Recognition for Civic Leadership, California Senate Recognition for Outstanding Civic Leadership, Texas State Recognition for Leadership, Houston’s Leader.

Ms. Le graduated with BSEE, Magna Cum Laude, from Cockrell College of Engineering, University of Texas in 1982.

She obtained her MBA from Bauer College of Business, University of Houston in 1989 while working full time at TI. Ms. Le is married to her husband Tuan N. Dao for 31 years. She has two boys, Dan 20 and Don 17. She enjoys traveling, fishing, reading, movies, music, gardening, and playing poker. Ms. Le also holds a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do and has won several medals and trophies in the State of Texas.

Bà Lê Duy-Loan là một chuyên gia nổi tiếng trong Công nghệ Bán Dẫn và là nhà Tư vấn Kỹ thuật tài ba với khả năng chuyên biệt trong việc phát triển kỹ thuật toàn cầu. Gần đây nhất,với cương vị Senior Fellow of Texas Instruments (TI),bà đã điều hành sự phát triển kỹ thuật và phẩm chất sản phẩm cùng với các đội ngũ kỹ sư trên thế giới, chỉ đạo tất cả mọi mặt trong việc thực hiện đưa sản phẩm ra thị trường và trong lãnh vực sản xuất khối lượng lớn.

Bà đã làm việc với các cơ sở sản xuất,đối tác, và các nhà cung cấp nguyên vật liệu để hỗ trợ những nhu cầu kinh doanh và kỹ thuật toàn cầu của TI.Vào năm 2008,

bà Duy-Loan đã góp phần thiết lập các doanh nghiệp ở Việt Nam và đã làm việc với các trường đại học địa phương để cập nhật chương trình giảng dạy, thành lập những phòng thí nghiệm, và tổ chức cuộc thi đua hàng năm về thiết kế kỹ thuật trên toàn quốc để bồi dưỡng và đào tạo các kỹ sư tương lai. Bà đã thực hiện được 24 bằng sáng chế.

Trong năm 2002, Bà Lê Duy Loan đã trở thành người Hoa Kỳ gốc Á Châu đầu tiên và là người phụ nữ duy nhất trong lịch sử của công ty TI được bầu vào chức vụ Senior Fellow, chức vụ kỹ thuật cao nhất của TI. Bà đã bắt đầu sự nghiệp ở TI với tư cách là kỹ sư thiết kế bộ nhớ ở tuổi 19 và đã chịu trách nhiệm trong việc khởi đầu dòng sản phẩm bộ nhớ có giá trị nhiều tỷ mỹ kim, với các đối tác liên doanh ở 5 quốc gia và 3 lục địa.

Một trong những sản phẩm Digital Signal (DSP) dưới sự lãnh đạo của bà trong lãnh vực phát triển được ghi nhận trong Thành tích Toàn cầu Guiness năm 2004 và hai sản phẩm DSP khác dưới sự quản trị điều hành của bà đã mang lại cho công ty hơn 2 tỷ đô-la.

Bà Duy-Loan hiện đang làm chủ tịch ủy ban Compensation trong Hội đồng chỉ đạo của công ty National Instruments Inc. và là thành viên các ủy ban Audit và Nomination & Governance. Bà cũng là chủ tịch Ủy ban Kỹ thuật trong Hội đồng Chỉ đạo của eSilicon Corporation. In 2015, bà Duy-Loan được bầu vào Board of Medigram Inc. Bà cũng được is recognized by the National Association of Corporate Directors as a NACD Board Leadership Fellow. Her extensive community service around the world is focused on education and Science-Technology-Engineering-Math (STEM).

Trong suốt sự nghiệp của bà, Duy-Loan đã nhận được nhiều giải thưởng cao quý như Pink’s Top 15 Women in Business, Women on the Move, Women of Vision: Leadership, Women In Technology International Hall of Fame (WITI), National Technologist Of The Year, Times People, Science Spectrum Trailblazer, Asian American Engineer of The Year, Outstanding Young Engineering Graduate Award, Outstanding Young Texas Exe Award from the University of Texas, Who’s Who in the World, Vietnamese and American National Gala’s (VANG) Golden Torch Award for Exemplary Citizenship, United States Congressional Recognition for Civic Leadership, California Senate Recognition for Outstanding Civic Leadership, Texas State Recognition for Leadership, and Houston’s Leader.

Bà Duy-Loan là Registered Professional Engineer, tốt nghiệp văn bằng MBA tại Phân khoa Doanh nghiệp Bauer thuộc Viện Đại học Houston, và Kỹ sư Điện tại phân khoa Kỹ sư Cockrell thuộc Viện Đại học Texas.

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

3.05 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : DR. KIMOANH NGUYEN-LAM ber of the College of Education where her teaching and research interests were in bilingual education, language minority education and dual immersion language programs. She served as the Director of the Bilingual Teacher Preparation Consortium across six CSU campuses to prepare bilingual teachers in Cantonese/Mandarin, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

Dr. Nguyen-Lam had conducted training and served as keynote speaker on the topics of Cross-cultural/Multilingual Teacher Preparation, 21st Century Education, Dual Language Immersion, and Interdisciplinary International Education across the U.S. and in China, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, and Vietnam.

Dr. KimOanh Nguyen-Lam Program Director Office of English Language Acquisition US Dept. of Education

Dr. KimOanh Nguyen-Lam is the Program Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition and is the liaison between OELA and White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

She joined the U.S. Department of Education in 2011 as the Director of the Advanced Training and Research Division of the International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE), Office of Postsecondary Education.

Dr. Nguyen-Lam has extensive leadership experience with the California State University system including serving as the Executive Director for the 23-campus Consortium for the CSU Critical Language Initiative and the Associate Director of the Center for Language Minority Education and Research at CSU Long Beach.

From 2006-2011, she worked with university presidents, provosts, deans, and faculty to establish an innovative language immersion consortium program that enabled students to gain advanced proficiency in Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Persian, and Russian through an interdisciplinary program connecting U.S. and overseas campuses. From 1993-2002, Dr. Nguyen-Lam was a CSULB faculty mem-

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

Her teaching experience includes 13 years K-12 schools and 16 years at the university level including UCLA, Pepperdine University, CSU Long Beach and Fullerton. She was the elected school board trustee of the Garden Grove Unified School District from 2004 to 2011.

Ngôn Ngữ Thiểu Số tại CSU Long Beach.

Từ 2006-2011, bà đã làm việc với chủ tịch hội đồng quản trị, hiệu trưởng, khoa trưởng, và ban giảng huấn của các trường đại học để thiết lập một chương trình đổi mới trong phương pháp giảng dạy ngoại ngữ trong đó giáo viên và học sinh chỉ sử dụng ngoại ngữ trong lớp học, cho phép các học viên có khả năng đạt tới trình độ thành thạo các ngôn ngữ như Ả Rập, Quan Thoại (Mandarin), Đại Hàn, Ba Tư, Tagalog, và Nga qua một chương trình liên ngành liên kết các trường sở ở Hoa Kỳ và ngoại quốc. Từ 1993-2002, Tiến sĩ Nguyễn-Lâm là một thành viên ban giảng huấn CSULB của College of Education nơi mà những sự quan tâm giảng dạy và nghiên cứu của bà là các chương trình giáo dục song ngữ, giáo dục ngôn ngữ thiểu số, và ngôn ngữ dual immersion. Bà đã phục vụ với cương vị Giám Đốc Bilingual Teacher Preparation Consortium tại 6 trường của CSU để chuẩn bị các giáo chức song ngữ về Quảng Đông/Quan Thoại, Cam Bốt, Đại Hàn, Tagalog, và Việt Nam. Tiến sĩ Nguyễn-Lâm đã hướng dẫn việc đào tạo và là diễn giả chính trên những chủ đề về Giao Thoa Văn Hóa/Chuẩn Bị Giáo Chức Đa Ngôn Ngữ, Giáo Dục Thế Kỷ Thứ 21, Dual Language Immersion, Giáo Dục Liên Ngành Quốc Tế trên toàn Hoa Kỳ và ở Trung Hoa, Nam Hàn, Đài Loan, Nga, và Việt Nam.

Her Doctoral Dissertation titled “Recruitment, Preparation, and Retention of Teachers of Color: The Southeast Asian American Teachers’ Experience” won the 2002 Award of the National Association of Bilingual Education Award and the Southwest Center for Education Equity and Language Diversity.

Kinh nghiệm giảng dạy của bà bao gồm 13 năm ở các trường từ mẫu Tiến sĩ Nguyễn-Lâm KimOanh là Giám giáo đến lớp 12 và 16 năm tại các trường Đốc Chương Trình cho Office of English đại học bao gồm UCLA, Pepperdine UniLanguage Acquisition (OELA) và là người versity, CSU Long Beach và Fullerton.Bà đã điều phối nối kết giữa OELA và White được bầu vào Hội Đồng Quản Trị Khu Học House Initiative về người Mỹ gốc Á Châu Chính Garden Grove từ năm 2004 đến và Pacific Islanders. Bà làm việc tại Bộ Giáo năm 2011.

Dục Liên bang Hoa Kỳ vào năm 2011 với cương vị là giám đốc của Advanced Train- Luận án tiến sỹ của bà với nhan ing and Research Division trực thuộc Inter- đề“ Tuyển mộ, Huấn luyện, và Bảo lưu national and Foreign Language Education Giáo Chức Da Màu: Kinh Nghiệm Của Các (IFLE), Văn Phòng Giáo Dục Sau Trung Học Giáo Chức Hoa Kỳ Gốc Đông Nam Á” ( “ReOffice of Postsecondary Education. cruitment, Preparation, and Retention of Teachers of Color: The Southeast Asian Tiến Sĩ Nguyễn-Lâm có kinh nghiệm American Teachers’ Experience” ) đã đoạt sâu rộng về khả năng lãnh đạo với hệ giải thưởng năm 2002 của Hiệp Hội Quốc thống Đại Học California bao gồm việc Gia Về giáo Dục Song Ngữ ( National Assophục vụ với cương vị Giám Đốc Điều Hành ciation of Bilingual Education Award) và tập hợp nhóm 23 trường sở cho CSU The Southwest Center for Education EquiCritical Language Initiative và Phó Giám ty and Language Diversity. Đốc Trung tâm Giáo Dục và Nghiên Cứu

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3.06 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MS. QUYNH HUYNH concurrent to her medical degree, she is văn bằng y khoa, cô còn đang theo đuổi pursuing a MSc in Systems Leadership and chương trình cao học về Systems LeaderInnovation. ship and Innovation.

As an alumna of Lên Đường Là một cựu trại sinh của Trại Lên Camp, Quỳnh can attest to the impact of Đường, Quỳnh có thể chứng tỏ sự ảnh this program and can attribute her camp hưởng của chương trình này và có thể experiences to a stepping stone for cur- cho đặt những kinh nghiệm từ trại thành rent career and leadership pursuits. When nền tảng cho sự theo đuổi nghề nghiệp not studying or catching up on sleep, she hiện tại và khả năng lãnh đặo. Những khi can be found teaching Vietnamese words không phải học tập hay ngủ bù, cô có thể at some phở restaurants, attempting to được tìm thấy đang dạy những từ tiếng learn her mom’s recipes, or getting lost in Việt tại tiệm phở, cố gắng học công thức a good board game. của mẹ cô, hay lạc vào một bàn cờ thú vị nào đó.

Ms. Quynh Huynh MSc, MD Candidate University of Toronto

Quỳnh grew up in small town Barrie, Ontario, Canada. As in many Vietnamese families, her parents emphasized the importance of education from a very young age. She has spent the majority of her life immersed in academic pursuits including graduate training in Community Health and Epidemiology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and now as a senior medical student at the University of Toronto. Quỳnh has developed an interest in the roles of primary care and public health, and their integration in enabling a healthier population and a more efficient health system. She has worked as an epidemiologist at Public Health Ontario, a crown agency of the province, where she used research and evaluation methods to explore and understand modifiable factors in chronic disease prevention and management.

Her career goal is to explore knowledge translation strategies to take action and to drive change, particularly in the context of mobilizing and building capacity for healthy communities including the Vietnamese community. She hopes to develop a career where she can address patient health clinically while improving upstream determinants and system capacities that affect our population. Thus,

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Quỳnh trưởng thành ở thành phố nhỏ Barrie, bang Ontario, Canada. Giống như nhiều gia đình Việt Nam khác, cha mẹ của cô đã chú trọng đến tầm quan trọng của việc học tập từ khi cô còn nhỏ.Cô đã trải qua phần lớn đời sống của cô mải mê theo đuổi việc học tập bao gồm việc tốt nghiệp thực tập chuyên ngành Community Health and Epidemiology tại Queen’s University ở Kingston, Ontario và hiện là sinh viên y khoa năm cuối tại University of Toronto. Quỳnh đã quan tâm về những vai trò của việc chăm sóc sức khỏe thuộc về y khoa phòng ngừa (Primary Care) và y tế công động, và sử phối hợp những vai trò này trong việc giúp người dân mạnh khoẻ hơn và một hệ thống y tế hiệu quả hơn.

Cô từng làm việc với vị trí là chuyên viên nghiên cứu bệnh dịch (epidemiologist) tại Public Health Ontario, một cơ quan nổi tiếng của tỉnh bang; tại đây cô sử dụng những phương pháp nghiên cứu và đánh giá để khám phá và hiểu rõ những yếu tố có thể điều chỉnh trong việc phòng ngừa những bệnh kinh niên.

Mục tiêu sự nghiệp của cô là khám phá những chiến lược truyền đạt kiến thức nhằm đưa đến sự thay đổi, trong phạm vị động viên và xây dựng tiềm năng để có những cộng đồng lành mạnh bao gồm cộng đồng người Việt. Cô hy vọng phát triển một sự nghiệp nơi cô có thể giải quyết những vấn đề về sức khoẻ của bệnh nhân dựa trên chẩn đoán lâm sàng trong lúc cải thiện những yếu tố “ngược dòng” như sự bất bình đẳng và bất lợi về xã hội và y tế có ảnh hưởng đến dân số của chúng ta. Vì thế đồng thời cùng với

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

3.07 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : DR. THIEN CAO physicians and pharmacists in training.

Ever since his first experience with Len Duong Camp in 2006, he has been more active in the Vietnamese community and involved with many VCSA’s activities. He has come back to help with the camp every year for the past 10 years. Outside of work and volunteer, he enjoy travelling and exploring food scenes around the world. His model: “Live to eat, not eat to live.”

Mr. Thien Cao Pharm.D, RPh Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston

Thien was born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam. He migrated to the USA when he was 17. During the first few years, his family and he had been moving to several states and finally decided to call Houston his second hometown. Originally, he wanted to pursue computer science, but after meeting his mentor, he chose pharmacy to be his lifelong career. Houston happened to be the epicenter for medical care and public health, which helped nurturing his pathway. He finished his undergrad at University of Houston, and doctorate degree in pharmacy at Texas Southern University. Graduated in 2012, he worked as a retail pharmacist at CVS.

However, his passion has always been direct patient care and particularly serving children population. Early 2013, after many failed attempts, he finally got his dream job, working for the Texas Children’s Hospital as a clinical pharmacist. His primary area of focus is pediatric surgery, with a secondary in hematology/oncology. His daily activities involve rounding with the medical team, optimizing patient’s medication profiles, antibiotic stewardship, and medication therapy management. He is also an active preceptor, helping to develop the next generation

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

thiện nguyện, anh yêu thích đi du lịch và khám phá món ăn vòng quanh thế giới.

Phương châm của anh là “ Sống để ăn, không phải ăn để sống “

Thiện sinh ra và lớn lên ở Sài Gòn Việt Nam. Anh đi cư đến Hoa Kỳ ở tuổi 17. Trong suốt những năm đầu tiên, anh và gia đình đã cư trú ở một vài tiểu bang, trước khi quyết định gọi Houston là quê hương thứ nhì. Thoạt đầu anh đã muốn theo đuổi khoa học điện toán (Computer Science), nhưng sau khi gặp người thầy cố vấn của mình, anh đã chọn dược khoa là sự nghiệp suốt đời. Tình cờ Houston lại là điểm trung tâm về chăm sóc y tế và y tế công cộng và giúp phát triển con đường của anh.

Anh đã tốt nghiệp chương trình cử nhân tại University of Houston, và học vị tiến sĩ dược khoa tại Texas Southern University.Tốt nghiệp vào năm 2012, ông làm việc với vị trí dược sỹ tại CVS. Tuy nhiên, niềm đam mê của anh luôn luôn là việc trực tiếp chăm sóc bệnh nhân và nhất là phục vụ trẻ em. Đầu 2013, anh có được công việc trong mơ của mình sau nhiều nỗ lực bất thành, hiện anh đang làm việc cho bệnh viện nhi đồng Texas Children’s Hospital với vị trí là một dược sỹ điều trị (clinical pharmacist). Lĩnh vực chú tâm chính yếu của ông là giải phẫu nhi khoa, và thứ yếu là khoa huyết học/ung thư. Những hoạt động thường ngày của anh có liên quan đến vịệc đi thăm bệnh nhân với đội ngũ y tế, đánh giá hồ sơ thuốc của bệnh nhân, quản lý thuốc trụ sinh, và quản lý việc điều trị thuốc. Anh còn là một người thầy tích cực, giúp phát triển các bác sỹ và dược sỹ cho thế hệ kế tiếp đang được đào tạo.

Kể từ kinh nghiệm đầu tiên với Trại Lên Đường 2006, anh đã trở nên tích cực hơn trong cộng đồng người Việt và có liên quan với nhiều hoạt động của VCSA. Anh đã trở lại để giúp trại mỗi năm trong 10 năm qua. Ngoài công việc làm và việc

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3.08 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MR. TINH TRINH SA’s inventor of the Year (1992), NASA’s Silver Snoopy (1998) and the induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in April 2011. His invention has contributed significantly to the advancement of biology and medical science. He is the very first Vietnamese American Engineer who received this honor in the area of Aerospace Engineering. Mr. Trinh is also known as a great problem solver. He has been instrumental in helping with VCSA Youth Leadership Development camp Len Duong in the past several years. He was the Chief Technologist (head of the Technical Team and Camp Gate Building) for the Camp Len Duong in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Mr. Tinh Tien Trinh Senior Engineer, Inductee to the US Space Technology Hall of Fame

Mr. Trinh arrived in the United States as a Vietnamese refugee in 1975. He currently serves as the Senior Mechanical Engineer with Wyle Laboratories (NASA/ JSC) in Houston, TX; a contractor of National Areospace Agency (NASA). Mr. Tinh Trinh is one of the founders of the Vietnamese Culture and Science Association in 1990. He also has been instrumental in the establishment of the organization and an active member of VCSA in the last twenty years. He has also been very active with Church activities. He has served as the Chairman of the Parish Council and Chairman of the Financial committee at Vietnamese Martyrs Church, Houston, Texas for several years (1995-2002 and 2010 to present). Mr. Tinh Trinh began his career in the Aerospace industry as an Associate Lab Technician with Technology, Inc. . Then he became a Junior Engineer with Krug Life Sciences and eventually moving into his current position as Senior Mechanical Engineer with Wyle- Integrated Science and Engineering Group. It was during his years with Krug Life Sciences that he developed the Rotating Wall Bioreactor to grow human cells in simulated microgravity. This revolutionizing technology has allowed Mr. Trinh to receive several honors and awards including NA-

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Kỹ sư Trịnh Tiến Tinh hiện đang phục vụ tại Wyle Laboratory, một công ty làm việc cho cơ quan NASA. Ông là một kỹ sư xuất sắc với óc sáng tạo đã chế ra dụng cụ “Rotating Wall Bioreactor” để giúp phát triển tế bào con người trong môi trường siêu trọng lực. Nhờ sáng chế này ông đã được tặng giải thưởng NASA Inventor of the Year năm 1992 và mới đây ông đã nhận được giải thưởng cao quý vinh danh vào Hall of Fame của Kỹ thuật không gian Hoa Kỳ. Ông không những là một kỹ sư xuất sắc, ông còn là một nhà hoạt động cộng đồng rất năng nổ, hiện nay ông đang là Chủ Tịch Hội Đồng Mục Vụ Giáo Xứ các Thánh Tử Đạo tại Houston, Texas, ông còn là sáng lập viên của Hội VHKHVN và là một thành viên tích cực của ban tổ chức Trại Lên Đường.

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

3.09 CAREER ASPIRATIONS PANELIST : MS. VANESSA VAN-ANH VO

Ms. Vanessa Vân Ánh Võ Instrumental Musician, Fremont, California

Ms. Vanessa Vân Ánh Võ comes from a family of musicians and began studying đàn tranh (16-string or plucked zither) from the age of four. She graduated with distinction from the Vietnam Academy of Music, where she later taught. In 1995, Vân-Ánh won the championship title in the Vietnam National Đàn Tranh Competition, along with the fist prize for best solo performance of modern folk music.

When she was in Hanoi, Van-Anh founded the music group Đồng Nội Ensemble and she has performed in more than fourteen countries. She relocated to United States in early 2000’s and has become a very active musician in the music scene. In addition to touring internationally, Vân-Ánh has presented her music at Carnegie Hall, Zellerbach Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and as a composer and guest artist for the Kronos Quartet at the Olympic Games 2012 Music Festival.

In 2002, Vân-Ánh released her fist CD, “Twelve Months, Four Seasons”; and in 2009, she released “She’s Not She” with award-winning composer Do Bao. Recently, she released her third CD, “Three-Mountain Pass” with the Kronos Quartet as her guest artist.

Vân-Ánh dedicates her life to creating music on the đàn tranh and fusing Vietnamese musical tradition with fresh new structures and compositions. Since settling in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001, Vân-Ánh’s has focused on collabo-

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

rating with musicians across different music genres to create new works, bringing Vietnamese traditional music to a wider audience, and preserving her cultural legacy through teaching.

Besides the Kronos Quartet, she has also been collaborator and guest soloist with such artists as Southwest Chamber Music, Grand Houston Opera, Yerba Buena Center for Performing Arts, Nguyên Lê, Paul McCandless, and Ali Ryerson.

Continually cultivating the beauty and versatility of the đàn tranh, Vân-Ánh has been co-composer and arranger for the Oscar® nominated and Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner for Best Documentary, Daughter from Danang (2002), the Emmy®Award-winning film and soundtrack for Bolinao 52 (2008), and the winner of multiple “Best Documentary” and “Audience Favorite” awards, A Village Called Versailles (2009).

In addition to đàn tranh, Vân-Ánh also performs as soloist on the monochord (đàn bầu), the 36-string hammered dulcimer (đàn tam thập lục), the bamboo xylophone (đàn t’rung), the open-ended bamboo tubes (đàn K’lông pút), traditional drums (trống), and Chinese zither (guzheng). She lives and teaches đàn tranh and other Vietnamese traditional instruments in Fremont, California.

Võ Vân Ánh là một trong những nghệ sĩ biểu diễn xuất sắc nhất về nhạc cụ cổ truyền Việt nam trên thế giới, và là một nhà soạn nhạc nổi tiếng đang lên.Cô cống hiến cuộc đời cho việc sáng tác âm nhạc qua việc pha trộn những âm thanh tuyệt vời độc đáo của nhạc cụ Việt Nam với các thể loại nhạc khác và kết hợp âm nhạc truyền thống cổ điển Việt Nam với những cấu trúc và sáng tác âm nhạc mới.

Năm 1995, Vân Ánh đã đoạt danh vị quán quân trong cuộc tranh tài Vietnamese National Đàn Tranh (Zither). Kể từ khi định cư ở vùng San Francisco Bay Area vào năm 2001, Vân Ánh chú tâm vào việc hợp tác với các nhạc sĩ thuộc các thể loại âm nhạc khác nhau để tạo ra những tác phẩm mới, đem âm nhạc truyền thống Việt Nam đến với số khán giả rộng rãi hơn, và bảo tồn di sản văn hóa của mình thông qua việc giảng dạy. Năm 2002, Vân-Ánh đã phát hành CD của cô Mười Hai Tháng, Bốn Mùa (Twelve Months, Four Seasons).

Năm 2009, cô đã phát hành CD thứ nhì

She’s Not She với nhà soạn nhạc đoạt giải thưởng Bảo Đỗ. Năm 2013, cô đã phát hành CD thứ ba, Three-Mountain Pass, với ban tứ ca Kronos Quartet là nghệ sĩ khách mời. Tác phẩm này đã đem lại những lời tuyên dương tích cực và những lời ca ngợi bởi NPR, BBC “The World,” L.A. Times, v.v…

Vân Ánh cũng đã từng là người hợp tác và khách mời độc tấu với ban tứ ca Kronos Quartet, nghệ sĩ vĩ cầm nổi tiếng thế giới Yo-Yo Ma, Southwest Chamber Music, Eastbay Oakland Symphony, các nghệ sĩ nhạc Jazz , nghệ sĩ nhạc Rap, và các nghệ sĩ âm nhạc thế giới khác. Thêm vào đó Vân Ánh còn là người hợp soạn và hòa âm cho bộ phim Daughter from Danang (2002, được đề cử giải Oscar và thắng giải “ Phim tài Liệu Xuất Sắc Nhất “ của Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Bolinao 52 (2008) thắng giải Emmy® Awards về phim và nhạc phim, và là người thắng nhiều giải thưởng “Phim Tài Liệu Xuất Sắc Nhất” và giải thưởng “Audience Favorite” cho bộ phim A Village Called Versailles (2009).Cô đã trình diễn âm nhạc của mình tại Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, NPR, Houston Grand Opera, Yerba Buena Performing Arts Center, UK WOMAD Festival, và Lễ Hội Âm Nhạc Thế vận Hội London 2012 ( London Olympic Games 2012 Music Festival). Cô đã được mời và tham gia làm giám khảo vòng sơ tuyển trong hạng mục Âm Nhạc Thế Giới (World Music) cho cả hai giải thưởng Grammy 2015 & 2016. Vân Ánh mới đây đã trở thành nữ nghệ sĩ Việt Nam đầu tiên trình diễn tại Tòa Bạch Ốc. Thêm vào với đàn tranh, Vân Ánh còn trình diễn độc tấu đàn bầu, đàn T’rưng, trống truyền thống và nhiều nhạc cụ truyền thống khác.

Gần đây trong việc hợp tác với Asian American for Community Involvement, một Tổ Chức Phi Chính Phủ (Non-Government Organization) phục vụ người tỵ nạn trong 40 năm ở quận hạt Santa Clara, VânÁnh đã được trao giải $40,000 từ quỹ Creative Work Fund để làm việc về tác phẩm kế tới của cô được lên lịch ra mắt lần đầu tiên tại Kenedy Center vào tháng 3/2016.

The Odyssey – from Vietnam to America (Cuộc Phiêu Lưu bi hùng – từ Việt nam đến Hoa Kỳ) nhằm làm nổi bật sức mạnh đáng kinh ngạc của tinh thần con người, giá trị của tự do và ý chí sống còn của thuyền nhân Việt Nam. Ngoài ra, The Odyssey cũng muốn truyền đi những thông điệp về Sự Tha thứ, Bình an và Hòa hợp.

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3.10 WORKSHOP PRESENTER : MS. ELENA TRAN

Ms. Elena Tran is a business professional with experience in organizational change and transformation, capability development, and workforce planning and deployment. She holds an MS in Organization Development from Pepperdine University and BS degrees in Business Management and Marketing from Rockhurst University. Elena has held multi-year Board positions in a number of organizations, including the Association for Information Technology Professionals (AITP), Association for Women in Computing (AWC), Sunflower Mission, and Women in Technology International (WITI).

Ms. Elena Tran President, Vietnamese Culture & Science Association, Houston

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She co-founded Sunflower Mission and served as President for 10 years.

She became the President of VCSA in July 2015. Elena is a proud mother of four children. Elena and family reside in Sugar Land, Texas.

Cô Elena Trần là một chuyên viên thương mại với kinh nghiệm trong việc thay đổi và chuyển hóa tổ chức, phát triển năng lực, và lập kế hoạch điều động nhân sự. Cô có bằng Cao Học chuyên ngành Phát Triển Tổ Chức từ Đại Học Pepperdine University và các văn bằng BSBA chuyên ngành Quản Trị Kinh Doanh và Tiếp Thị từ đại học Rockhurst University. Elena đã nhiều năm giữ các chức vụ trong Hội Đồng Quản Trị của một số hiệp hội bao gồm Association for Information Technology Professionals (AITP), Association for Women in Computing (AWC), Sunflower Mission, và Women in Technology International (WITI).

Cô đồng sáng lập Tổ chức Sunflower Mission và giữ chức chủ tịch trong 10 năm. Cô đã trở thành Chủ Tịch Hội Văn Hóa Khoa Học Việt Nam VCSA vào tháng 7 năm 2015. Elena tự hào là mẹ của 4 người con. Hiện Elena và gia đình cư ngụ ở Sugar Land, Texas.

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3.11 WORKSHOP PRESENTER : DR. ANHLAN NGUYEN

Dr. Anhlan Nguyen - IT Portfolio Manager Univ. of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - VCSA Chairwoman of Board of Director

Dr. Anhlan Nguyen believes the future is in the hands of the youth. Her accomplishments include the establishment of the Vietnamese Youth Center of Toronto, Canada; the National Youth Leadership Development Camp “Len Duong” for young community activists from across USA and Canada; and the hosting of numerous community programs aimed at helping and developing Vietnamese-American youths. She was also the organizer of the “Thank You, America” luncheon in Houston, TX in 1995 honoring local charities that have helped Vietnamese refugees relocate and become acclimated in their new homeland. Nguyen’s passion has inspired her to lead numerous humanitarian efforts for the hurricane and flood victims in Central America and in Vietnam. Dr. Nguyen has served as president of Vietnamese Culture and Science Association (VCSA) for two consecutive terms 1999 –2002 and 2002 - 2004. She is currently the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of VCSA.

In 2000, she was selected as one of the Five Outstanding Young Houstonians by Houston Jaycee (Junior Chamber of Commerce) and she was also selected

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

as the Honoree of the Asian-American Heritage Month of 2001 by Houston METRO Transit Authority. In 2004, she was honored by Youth Leadership Council as the recipient of the Outstanding Community Leader Award. In 2006, Bank of America recognized her as the “Local Hero” Neighborhood Excellence Award recipient for her involvement in the Katrina relief effort.

In 2010, she was recognized by Comerica Bank and Steed Society as one of the Top 25 Women in Houston. She was also a recipient of the Texas Women’s Leadership Empowerment Award by Texas Women Empowerment Foundation in 2011. In May 2012, Anhlan Nguyen was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the Board of Directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation, a federal agency that oversees a scholarships program for Vietnamese graduate students studying abroad in Science and Technology field.

She was elected Board Chair of VEF in July 2013 and was re-appointed for another two-year term by president Obama in 2013.

Liên Đoàn Trưởng Nữ LĐ Nhị Trưng năm 1990 – 1992. Năm 1990, bà cùng một số thân hữu thành lập Trung Tâm Thanh Niên Toronto, một tổ chức thanh niên rất năng động tại Toronto và vẫn duy trì sinh hoạt cho đến ngày nay. Năm 1994, bà lập gia đình và sang định cư tại Hoa Kỳ và đã tích cực sinh hoạt trong Hội VHKHVN và ba` đã giữ nhiệm vụ Hội Trưởng từ năm 1999 – 2004. Năm 2000, bà được tổ chức Houston Jaycee trao giải thưởng “5 Người Trẻ Xuất Sắc toàn thành phố Houston.” Bà nhận được rất nhiều giải thưởng vì khả năng lãnh đạo và những đóng góp của bà cho cộng đồng tại địa phương.Hiện nay bà đang làm việc tại Viện Ung Thư MD Anderson Cancer Center tại Houston, Texas.

Chuyên ngành của bà là về Quản trị các dự án về điện toán (IT Project Management).

Bà tốt nghiệp Cử Nhân Ưu Hạng ngành Điện Toán năm 1989, Cao Học ngành Điện Toán năm 1993 tại đại học Toronto, Canada, và văn bằng Tiến sĩ về Quản Trị Kinh Doanh năm 2015. Năm 2012, bà được tổng thống Obama bổ nhiệm làm ủy viên Hội đồng Quản trị Quỹ Giáo dục Việt Nam, một cơ quan trực thuộc chính quyền Liên

Dr. Nguyen currently works at bang Hoa kỳ.

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center as an Information Technology Portfolio Manager. Her specialty is project management, especially for the Information Technology field. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP)

by Project Management Institute (an international organization specialized in project management). Nguyen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science in 1989 and a Master’s in Computer Science, University of Toronto, Canada.

She earned her Doctorate Degree in Business Administration specialized in Project Management at Northcentral University, Arizona in October 2015.

Tiến sĩ Nguyễn Phúc Anh Lan hiện nay là Chủ Tịch Hội Đồng Chỉ Đạo Hội Văn Hóa Khoa Học Việt Nam (HVHKHVN).

Bà Anh Lan sinh quán tại Huế, Việt Nam, sang Canada định cư năm 1984 và đã tích cực tham gia các sinh hoạt thanh niên sinh viên trong thời gian Cô học tại đại học Toronto, Canada. Trong thời gian này bà sinh hoạt tích cực trong công tác Hướng Đạo và là Bầy Trưởng Bầy Chim Non thuộc nữ Liên Đoàn Nhị Trưng từ năm 1987 – 1994,

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3.12 WORKSHOP PRESENTER : MR. BAO NGOC NGUYEN flower Mission, an organization that commits to improve the lives of the people in Vietnam through educational assistance programs.

Mr. Bao Ngoc Nguyen Senior Engineer Keppel LeTourneau

Mr. Nguyen has also been teaching Marriage Preparation Classes and Strengthening Marriage and Relationships courses for the Catholic Diocese of Galveston-Houston for 25 years. He has a very strong interest in Vietnamese literature and a strong commitment to help the Vietnamese youth to preserve and develop their cultural heritage. His specialty includes Vietnamese literature during the 19th century, especially the “Kim Van Kieu” masterpiece. He has been a visiting instructor in Vietnamese literature at the University of Houston, University Park for the last two years. In July 2007, he was selected for the Golden Wave Award by Little Saigon Radio and Viet Tide Magazine for his outstanding contribution to the Vietnamese community in Houston, Texas.

In 2007, he was also honored as Outstanding Community Leader by University of Houston, Clear Lake Campus in November 2007.

Nguyen, Ngoc Bao, was born in Hanoi, Vietnam, but grew up in the South and graduated from Chu Van An high school in 1971. From 1971 to 1972 he attended School of Law, University of Saigon. As the Vietnam War reached its peak, he joined the South Vietnam army Kỹ sư Nguyễn Ngọc Bảo sinh năm in 1972 for two years and served as a first 1952 tại Hà Nội, Việt Nam. Ông theo học lieutenant. trung học tại trường Chu Văn An và sau

In 1974 he attended the Nation- đó, phân khoa Luật, viện đại học Sài Gòn. al Public Administration Institute. After Năm 1972, ông tham gia quân ngũ, thụ 1975, Mr. Nguyen and his family escaped huấn khóa 9/72 trường Sĩ Quan Bộ Binh the communist and relocated in Hous- Thủ Đức. Khi ra trường, ông phục vụ trong ton, Texas. He managed to work full-time binh chủng Pháo Binh, quân lực Việt Nam and to go to school at the same time and Cộng Hòa.. graduated Magna-Cum-Laude from the Năm 1974, ông thi đậu vào khóa University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineer- 22 Đốc Sự trường Quốc Gia Hành Chánh ing. Mr. Nguyen currently works as Senior và trở về đời sống sinh viên. Ngày 30 Engineer at Keppel LeTourneau. Before tháng 4 năm 1975, ông cùng gia đình rời this job, he has more than twenty years of Việt Nam, rồi đến định cư tại thành phố experience in engineering at Cameron Inc. Houston, tiểu bang Texas. Tại đây, ông and NASA/Johnson Space Center, Struc- theo học đại học Houston và tốt nghiệp cử nhân ngành kỹ sư cơ khí với hạng danh tures and Mechanics Division. dự. Hiện ông là kỹ sư cao cấp của công ty

He is the founder of the Vietnamese Cul- Keppel LeTourneau, trước đó ông đã phục ture and Science Association (VCSA), and vụ trong chương trình không gian Hoa served as its first President from 1990 to Kỳ từ 20 năm qua. Trong sinh hoạt thiện 1998 and as the Chairman of the Board of nguyện, ông là sáng lập viên hội Văn Hóa Directors from 1998 to 2005. He is current- Khoa Học Việt Nam (VHKHVN), từng đảm ly an advisor for the VCSA and for the Sun- nhiệm chức vụ hội trưởng từ 1990 đến

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1998 và chủ tịch Hội Đồng Chỉ Đạo từ 1998 đến 2005. Ông hiện là cố vấn hội VHKHVN; cố vấn Sunflower Mission, tổ chức trợ cấp phương tiện giáo dục cho các học sinh nghèo ở Việt Nam; cố vấn Messengers of Love, tổ chức giúp đỡ người tật nguyền và trẻ mồ côi tại Việt Nam; và cố vấn hội Ái Hữu Hà Nội tại Houston, Texas. Ngoài ra, ông còn là giảng viên lớp Dự Bị Hôn Nhân cho cộng đồng Công Giáo Việt Nam tại Houston và Galveston từ 1980 đến nay, là một cây bút trong ban biên tập báo Ngày Nay từ 1995, và là người phụ trách chương trình Văn Học Nghệ Thuật trên đài phát thanh Saigon Houston từ 2004. Với một kiến thức phong phú về văn học, ông từng được mời phụ giảng lớp Văn Chương Việt Nam tại đại học Houston.

Những đóng góp của ông dành cho cộng đồng người Việt hải ngoại trong nhiều năm qua đã được đồng hương và người bản xứ ghi nhận. Ngày 14 tháng 7 năm 2007, ông được trao giải Sóng Vàng, giải thưởng do đài phát thanh Little Saigon và tuần báo Việt Tide thành lập để vinh danh cá nhân có đóng góp to lớn cho sự phát triển của cộng đồng Việt Nam tại Houston, Texas, qua cuộc bình chọn của thinh giả cùng độc giả. Hội VHKHVN cũng được trao giải đoàn thể trong ngày này. Bốn tháng sau, ngày 14 tháng 11 năm 2007, ông được viện đại học Houston-Clear Lake trao giải thưởng Community Award.

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3.13 WORKSHOP PRESENTER : MR. STEVE LIN

Steve Lin is the Program Manager responsible for the management, logistics, development, and facilitation of LEAP programs. He grew up in Ohio and graduated from Hampshire College with a Bachelor of Arts in Asian American Studies and then from UCLA with a Masters in Student Affairs. Steve has over 20 years of working with high school and college students through the Posse Foundation, LeaderShape, Organization for Chinese Americans, and as a Student Affairs professional at UCLA. In his spare time, Steve enjoys reading, movies, and training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Steve Lin là Giám Đốc Chương Trình chịu trách nhiệm về quản lý, tổ chức, phát triển và điều hợp những chương trình của LEAP. Anh lớn lên ở Ohio, tốt nghiệp từ trường Hampshire College với văn bằng Cử Nhân chuyên ngành Nghiên Cứu Về Người Mỹ Gốc Á Châu (Bachelor of Arts in Asian American Studies) và rồi từ trường UCLA với văn bằng Thạc Sĩ về Student Affairs. Steve đã có hơn 20 năm làm việc với các học sinh trung học đệ nhị cấp và sinh viên đại học qua tổ chức Posse Foundation, LeaderShape, Organization for Chinese Americans, và là một chuyên viên về Student Affairs tại UCLA.

Trong thời gian rảnh rỗi của mình, Steve rất thích đọc sách, phim ảnh, và tập luyện môn võ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Mr. Steve Lin Program Manager Leadership Education for American Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP)

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3.14 WORKSHOP PRESENTER : DR. TRUONG NONG Vietnamese history and literature courses for the past 12 years. He also served on the first Advisory Board of Sun Flower Missions, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people in Vietnam through educational assistance programs.

Dr. Truong Nong President Institute For Civic Education In Vietnam (ICEVN)

Dr. Truong Nong is an educator, a community activist with more than 25 years of experience, and a leadership trainer in the past 18 years. In the past 25 years, Dr. Nong has been involved in community building, working with youth groups as a counselor and leadership trainer. Being a high school teacher for 14 years at DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Dr. Nong knows firsthand the impact of education. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, a Master’s of Arts in Political Science, and a Ph.D in Education. Dr. Nong has been teaching Vietnamese language and Vietnamese Studies at the University of Houston in the past eight years.

In 1990, he was one of the founders of the Vietnamese American Youth Organization (VAYO) in Houston, TX. Currently, he serves as Advisory Board Member of the Vietnamese Culture and Science Association (VCSA), a national Vietnamese American organization based in Houston, Texas. In this capacity, he has designed and delivered a number of workshops in leadership development for VCSA’s annual youth leadership camps for the past 18 years, as well as designed and taught

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In 2005, he left his teaching position at Michael DeBakey High School to pursue his dream: to establish the Institute for Civic Education in Vietnam (www. icevn.org), a non-profit organization.

ICEVN’s mission is to promote social responsibilities and transparency in Vietnam by providing civic education, entrepreneurship education, and managerial leadership development in Vietnam. ICEVN provides on-line educational classes on civic education, business management and leadership development, and aims to build an on-line library of approximately 100 translated books in humanity and social sciences to share this knowledge to the people in Vietnam.

chức trong nhiều năm qua. Năm 2005, GS giã từ nghề giáo để dành toàn thời gian cho việc thành lập Học Viện Công Dân, một tổ chức thiện nguyện với mục đích phát huy tinh thần trách nhiệm xã hội và minh bạch tại Việt Nam qua chương trình giáo dục Công Dân chú trọng về kỹ năng lãnh đạo và quản trị doanh nghiệp.

Giáo Sư Nông Duy Trường vừa là một nhà giáo dục và là một người hoạt động cộng đồng tích cực với hơn 25 năm kinh nghiệm và cũng là một nhà huấn luyện về kỹ năng lãnh đạo cho trại Lên Đường trong nhiều năm qua. Với kinh nghiệm hơn 14 năm giảng dạy tại trường trung học DeBakey High School for Health Professions, ông hiểu rõ tầm quan trọng và ảnh hưởng của giáo dục đến giới trẻ.

GS Trường tốt nghiệp Cử Nhân Toán và Cao Học về Khoa Học Chính Trị tại đại học Houston, và Tiến sĩ về Giáo dục.

Năm 1990, GS là một trong những người sáng lập ra Nhóm Sinh Hoạt Thế Hệ tại thành phố Houston, Texas. Hiện nay GS là thành viên Hội Đồng Cố Vấn của Hội VHKHVN và nguyên là thành viên của Hội Đồng Cố Vấn của tổ chức từ thiện Hoa Hướng Dương (Sunflower Mission) (từ năm 2002 đến năm 2006).

GS Trường đã soạn thảo nhiều chương trình huấn luyện về kỹ năng lãnh đạo cho các trại Lên Đường trong mười tám năm qua, cũng như soạn thảo và giảng dạy nhiều lớp học về văn chương, lịch sử và ngôn ngữ Việt Nam do Hội VHKHVN tổ

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4.0 WORKSHOPS

4.01 SATURDAY WORKSHOP NO. 1 :

CAREER ASPIRATIONS 4.02 SATURDAY WORKSHOP NO. 2 :

GOAL SETTING 4.03 SATURDAY WORKSHOP NO. 3 :

21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP:

CULTURE, VALUES,

LEADERSHIP AND YOU! 4.04 SATURDAY WORKSHOP NO. 4 :

TEAM DYNAMICS AND YOU 4.05 SUNDAY WORKSHOP NO. 5:

GENERATION GAP 4.06 SUNDAY WORKSHOP NO. 6 :

CULTURAL IDENTITY: WHO AM I? 4.07 SUNDAY WORKSHOP NO. 7 :

APPRECIATE DIFFERENCES THROUGH

TRADITIONAL MUSIC

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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4.01 SATURDAY WORKSHOPS : Career Aspirations Panelists : Charlie Ton: Business Duy-Loan Le: Engineering Dat Nguyen: Media/Business Dr. KimOanh Nguyen-Lam: Education Quynh Huynh: Health Sciences Dr. Thien Cao: Health Sciences Tinh Trinh: Engineering Van-Anh Vo: Performing Arts Vivienne A. Nguyen: Law People often confuse career aspirations with career goals. A career aspiration is a path that you want your career to follow. It includes short-term and long-term career goals, as well as objectives, based on your career path planning. Thus, this workshop is designed to provide young professionals with high-quality advices and guidance to help them find their way in the world, and make informed choices that will set them on a journey for success. This workshop is divided into six major sectors that are dominating our career world today. They are: Business, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, and Performing Arts.

Notes :

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LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

NO. 1 : CAREER ASPIRATIONS

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4.02 SATURDAY WORKSHOPS : Workshop Presenter : Dr. Truong Nong Workshop : GOAL SETTING - From the Wheel of Life to the Goal of Life - The Seven Steps to Achieve Any Goal

1. Identify the goal with specifics

2. List the benefits (what’s in it for me) which serve as your motivation – the WHY?

3. List the obstacles to overcome: anticipate obstacles, take stock of what you have and will need to overcome

the obstacles, and to prepare yourself.

4. List the skills and knowledge required to achieve the goal. “Knowledge is power, skills are the tools.”

5. Identify the people and groups to work with.

6. Develop a plan of action – Most fail in this area. Create a plan, then break it down to small steps and STICK TO IT.

7. Set a Deadline.

- Benefits of Goal Setting 1. Motivation 2. Direction 3. Independence 4. Meaning 5. Enjoyment 6. Fulfillment

- SMART Goal Specific Measureable Achievable Realistic/Relevant Time-bound Notes :

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LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

NO. 2 : GOAL SETTINGS

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4.03 SATURDAY WORKSHOPS : Workshop Presenter : Steve Lin Workshop : 21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP: CULTURE, VALUES, LEADERSHIP AND YOU! Through interactive activities, participants will explore cultural values, how those values impact their leadership style, and strategize how to “Keep your values. Develop new skills.” to be the most effective 21st century leader!

Notes :

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NO. 3 : 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP

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4.04 SATURDAY WORKSHOPS : Workshop Presenter : Elena Tran Workshop : TEAM DYNAMICS AND YOU An effective leader understands the dynamics and complexities of group dynamics. This workshop covers: - Stages of Group Development - Five Dysfunctions of Teams - Four C’s of Team Performance - Some Common Group Interventions - Your Leadership Style Notes :

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LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

NO. 4 : TEAM DYNAMICS AND YOU

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4.05 SUNDAY WORKSHOPS : Workshop Presenters: Bao Nguyen and Duy-Loan Le “How to Bridge the Generation Gap between Vietnamese Parents and Children?”

Many young Vietnamese Americans/Canadians struggle with their “dual identity” – especially young people growing up in a place different than their parents did. Those developing and growing up in America/ Canada generally feel more American/Canadian than Vietnamese. They grow up surrounded by friends and classmates who are Americans/Canadians and interact with them on a daily basis. Their culture around them is American/Canadian and it plays a tremendous impact on their heritage. This definitely creates a fracture between the Vietnamese American/Canadian youth and their parents. This workshop will delineate specific steps and methods to bridge that gap and create a more coherent relationship between Vietnamese Americans/Canadians of different generations to form a synergetic and united Vietnamese American/ Canadian family and society.

Notes :

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LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

NO. 5 : VIETNAMESE CULTURAL WORKSHOP

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4.06 SUNDAY WORKSHOPS : Workshop Presenter: Dr. Anhlan Nguyen “Cultural Identity: Who Am I?” Through interactive activities, the participants will increase their awareness of their cultural identity and learn to identify their own sacred self which might be a combination of multiple cultural influences. By appreciating the root of where they came from and learning how their family, community influence their living styles, thought process and habits, each participant will discuss and come up with an action plan to practice mindfulness and appreciate their own uniqueness in their personal and professional life.

Notes :

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LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

NO. 6 : ENGLISH CULTURAL WORKSHOP

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4.07 SUNDAY WORKSHOPS : VIETNAMESE MUSIC Workshop Presenter: Vanessa Van-Anh Vo “Appreciate Differences Through Traditional Music”

Music is a lens through which we can visit another time or place. In general, music can tell us about the people and society of a particular time. In particular, traditional music spans many generations and does reflect the traditions and customs from many different regions.

To examine the history, arts, culture, and life experiences of people of Asian descent in the United States, Vân-Ánh Võ - Emmy Award composer, vocalist, educator, and the national champion of Vietnamese traditional music – will lecture, perform, and demonstrate the diverse range of music and culture in Vietnam which help participants to acquire awareness and understanding of Asian and Asian American cultures, history, and issues.

Notes :

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LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

5.01 FIRST PRIZE CONTEST ESSAY :

HILTON NGUYEN 5.02 SECOND PRIZE CONTEST ESSAY :

CHRISTINA QUACH 5.03 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

VINCENT LE

5.0 SCHOLARSHIPS & CONTEST WINNERS

5.04 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

BINH LY 5.05 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

ERICK CARRERAS 5.06 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

VINH-SON NGUYEN 5.07 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

TO UYEN (ROSE) NGUYEN 5.08 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

TINA NGUYEN 5.09 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

TRI PHAN 5.10 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

VIVIAN NGO 5.11 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

MICHAEL LE 5.12 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

CATHERINE NGUYEN 5.13 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

JAMIE VUONG 5.14 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

ANDREW HA 5.15 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER:

VY TRAN 5.16 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER:

PHUC NGUYEN 5.17 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER:

VUONG DOAN

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5.01 FIRST PRIZE CONTEST ESSAY : Oppenheimer Park, we connected with one person, then one more.

Very soon, there was a line of people extending all the way down the block. I remember feeling shocked to see so many people in need of such basic things that people often take for granted. I will never forget seeing the changes in their expression as we interacted with each person, their smile and gratitude just from one small initiative our group organized. That we, a group of just over twenty students, were able to make a positive impact in the lives of hundreds that day, was an experience I will keep with me and drive me to not ignore the issue of homelessness in the future. As the bus pulled away, we received appreciative waves for making a difference that day. It was important to my classmates and Hilton Nguyen I to give back to our community where help was needed. With that trip completed, it would inspire me The Value of Volunteering to become a lifelong volunteer and seek out more opportunities to

Hilton is a student at the Uni- help out others. versity of British Columbia’s SaudThat volunteer trip, to help er School of Business in Vancouver, Canada. Currently, he is involved out the homeless, was in tenth Now, as a university student with the Commerce Undergraduate grade. that has just finished their first year, Society where he serves as the Sec- I have been involved in countless ond-Year Representative as well as volunteer experiences, committing the UBC Marketing Association as to that goal to being a lifelong voltheir Vice-President of Corporate Re- unteer set when I was 15 years old. are two reasons why comlations. One of his favourite activities There munity volunteerism is important is helping new students out by vol- to me. The first is to gain new expeunteering his time as an orientation riences and insights. I have learned leader and visiting surrounding high skills such as customer service, schools to showcase his university’s leadership, communication, team, more through volunteering. commerce program. He looks for- and These volunteer experiences have ward being surrounded by like-mind- allowed be experience an abuned peers that also strive to be leaders dance of personal development. in their communities, and also wants Volunteering is also an opportunito become better connected with his ty to meet new people, people that also believe in the value of volunVietnamese heritage. teering. There are also always opto volunteer in a variety

After joining my high portunities causes, which always keeps it exschool’s volunteer team, we had of The second is about adding our first meeting where we com- citing. into the lives of other people mitted to our first volunteer initia- value of a desire to help and tive. Planning weeks in advance, we because There is an indescriborganized a trip to the downtown contribute. able feeling when you know that eastside of Vancouver to provide you were able benefit somefood, clothing and hope to some of one else and I amtoa huge the most vulnerable citizens in the of giving back as a result.advocate I city, the homeless. We prepared completed presentations When about boxes of steaming hot baked pota- the business program my universitoes, brought fruit, snacks, drinks, ty offers, I would be approached by and a collection of warm clothing. eager high school students asking Within minutes of setting up near PG 43

me questions on how to increase their chances of getting accepted.

I would answer their questions, but most importantly, I would always tell them that I believed in them and that with the right mindset, they could achieve anything in life. Seeing these hopeful students smile and thank me for the presentation and help in answering their questions was always the highlight of my day. It is having the power to help others simply because I can and am able to that makes community volunteerism so important to me.

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

5.02 SECOND PRIZE CONTEST ESSAY :

Christina Quach Second Prize Essay Contest

Christina was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. This fall she will be attending the University of Waterloo for Health Studies as one day she hopes to become a health provider. She believes leadership skills are crucial, as we should all aspire to be great leaders, not only for the Vietnamese community but also for our future generations. “Symbolically, attending Len Duong will represent a new personal beginning, where I not only meet new friends but have a clearer mindset of where my future will head. I believe that making connections and learning new skills will inspire and motivate me to create an impact once I enter university. Similarly, I attended a local Vietnamese camp started by two Len Duong Camp alumni, First Step. Attending during the summer was a direction changing moment in my high school career, as those leaders helped me find my personal vocation and direction in life. Witnessing the impact Crystal and Kimmie have created in our Vietnamese community inspires me to become a leader just as they are.�

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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5.03 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

Vincent Le Nguyen-Hoang Charity Scholarship

Vincent is a 3rd year student at Ryerson for Psychology. He was the second year academic representative of the Psychology Students’ Association and will be taking in the role of Vice President of Student Life and Events. Outside of school, Vincent volunteers with FEAT for Children as a mentor. At camp, he looks forward to making new friends, reuniting with old teams and stepping out of his comfort zone to further build his leadership skills.

Breaking Barriers

Camper Expectations:

Volunteering to me is giving one’s time towards a cause that they believe in. It is recognizing the importance of helping other people in need and promoting compassion and respect of all people.

It is beneficial on a two way street between the giver and the receiver. When we spend time away from our jobs and inner bubbles to provide our voluntary service, it brings us back to the outside reality and keeps our humanity in check. To quote Michelle Obama, “success is not about how much money you make, it is about the difference you make in people’s lives”. When people come together in support of a cause, it creates social cohesion within a community. Then, in that, comes pride.

Coming into the camp, I expect to learn things about my culture that I do not already know. I would like to learn more about Vietnam’s history through the interactive games. Having attended the camp for two years, I know that there will be fun activities to participate in. I am familiar with some of the staff members and trust that they will do a phenomenal job running the camp and taking care of all the logistics. I know that they hold safety as a top priority. To help develop and hone my own leadership skills, I am expecting that I will have to step out of my comfort zone. However, I know that I will not be forced to do things that I am not comfortable with. I am looking forward to the competition between all of the teams. I expect to meet new friends and also see some old faces too! I am expecting that there will be times where I will not understand instructions if they are being spoken in Vietnamese because I only understand the basics. I hope that there will be a translator there otherwise I hope that a fellow teammate can help out. Overall, I look forward to participating in the camp and taking in the scenery of Vancouver.

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LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

5.04 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

Binh T. Ly VCSA-DC Scholarship

Since his first internship with the 2008 Presidential campaign, Binh has been actively organizing and advocating for Asian American, Vietnamese American, and LGBT issues. Most recently he was Special Assistant to Representative Tony Cardenas of California’s 29th District. In 2012 he helped elect Senator Tim Kaine as Outreach Coordinator to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and an Asian American Action Fund Fellow. That same year Binh joined a team of young professionals to organize the Vietnamese American Youth Leadership Conference (VAYLC) in Washington, D.C.

Born in Northern Virginia, Binh grew up in a cozy three-bedroom house with both his Bà Ngoại and Bà Nội, parents, and three older brothers. In his spare time, he enjoys teaching at a weekend enrichment programs for middle and high school students and volunteering at a city food kitchen. He also plays on recreational flag football and volleyball leagues and recently ran his first marathon.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

Binh is currently pursuing Master degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and Public Administration at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He holds Bachelors’ degrees in Government and International Politics and Global Affairs from George Mason University.

foot on American soil there are those who have succeeded, rising to start and own businesses, taking public office, and becoming venerated authors and actors. But casting a successful narrative for the entire community would not do justice for those still struggling …”

Building a Stronger Vietnamese Community

Camper Expectations:

“Our nation was built and founded by immigrants, but somehow ‘immigrant’ has become a dirty word. It gets used in political discourse, especially in an election year, to mean someone to be feared, someone who will show up and leech public services and degrade the values of our nation.

This has never been my immigrant experience. I have never known the word to be anything other than a badge of honor. A title meaning you overcame insurmountable odds to better your life and the lives of your children…

I look forward to meeting other young Vietnamese Americans from across the country. It is always a treat to be able to brainstorm with those that share similar passion for the Vietnamese community.

…Watching my parents and brothers rebuild their lives and give back to the country that welcomed them has shaped my passion for community activism and politics.

From Gia Long Alumni Association cultural shows to rebuilding typhoon ravaged Vietnam to helping seniors pass the Citizenship test to become naturalized citizens.

My parents are why I volunteer on weekends tutoring first generation Vietnamese students, and why I knock on doors to urge neighbors and strangers to exercise their right to vote in local and national elections.

I am always looking to lift up other Vietnamese accomplishments. On many occasions I have proudly blasted out an email to everyone in my family with a subject line of, “Another successful Vietnamese!” Now, forty years after the first Vietnamese refugee stepped PG 46

5.05 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER : his plans for the Canada Day Long Weekend, Erick simply couldn’t see himself spending it anywhere else but here – where together, we support our global community by inspiring the leadership of tomorrow, today – at Lên ĐườngCamp 2016!

“To make impactful and meaningful contributions to the world at any scale or level without remuneration for your services that will help improve the world for future generations, starting today.”

- Erick M. Carreras

Erick M. Carreras Dr. Anh Tat (AJ) Nguyen Scholarship

Erick M. Carreras graduated from the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a Bachelor of Science: Major in Biology, and Science Minor in Psychology. He has four years of clinical research experience at BC Children’s Hospital, and two years of global health research experience at UBC’s Department of Family Practice. Inspired by his global health work along the Napo River of Peru, Erick has chosen to switch from a medical career path focused in clinical research, to one in global health. With this goal in mind, he has been accepted into the Master of Science in Global Health Program at McMaster University. Erick considers himself a global citizen. He believes all of our cultural differences are not our weakness or a reason to divide, but our strength and a means to innovate and improve our lives together. When Erick had his first exposure to the Vietnamese global community, he saw passionate and vibrant people who are strongly connected around the world. Because of this common ground, Erick has supported his local Vietnamese community on more than one occasion now. Naturally, when asked about PG 47

…As is illustrated by the inclusion of the word “…world…” in my definition of volunteer service however, volunteer service does not have to be restricted to one’s local or own cultural community. Indeed, it is not defined by national boarders, language barriers, or cultural differences; rather, these so called differences are what unite us and strengthen us as the collective whole that we are as global citizens. Global citizens that is, who all share the same spectrum of emotions, have loved ones, have dreams, and have lives worth living; but also, share the same responsibility of caring for the finite resources on this planet – a mere spec in the cosmos – we are lucky enough to call home. From this lens of humans as a united force for the greater good of our collective future, and our home’s future, I have chosen to work and volunteer in global health. Global health is not bound by geographic or political borders, but instead is united for the sole, non-partisan, purpose of health for all humans. Inherent to working in such circumstances, one must be empathetic, understanding, and above all, open and keen to learn about the languages and cultures of the world, without prejudice. With this in mind, it is likely to no surprise that such characteristics were ingrained in my nature as a person that I grew up al-

ways wanting to learn as much of, and as many, languages, cultures, histories, and people from places around the globe. … Leadership, love, health, and volunteer service share something in common – they each know no bounds. As is evidenced by my actions in my to-date contributions to the collective global community, I simply cannot live a life without assuring I’ve done what I can to leave it in a better state than when it was given to me. But the road ahead is long, and I hope to make many more contributions in my lifetime. So now, as I look ahead, with a compass engraved with my definition of volunteer service to guide me, and the winds of life on my back, I set-sails for the horizon where I see Lên Đường Camp 2016 approaching the shores of Vancouver, and where I see I can make a contribution to the the global Vietnamese community by instilling the importance of positive global leadership in the young leaders of tomorrow, today!

Camper Expectations:

Community, learning, fun, adventure. These are the words that come to mind when I think of what I expect at Camp Len Duong.

Camp Len Duong 2016 will host and bring together a community of young leaders in their community, where leadership skills are nurtured and can flourish. We will all learn more about Vietnamese culture, and what that means in the context of our globally connected community – from young adolescents, to young professionals, and beyond. Of course, none of this would be done without having lots of fun, through the many friendships that will be made, mentors that will be met, and extended family that will be made – all put together in the frame work adventure!

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

5.06 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER : namese community has thrived even ering my Vietnamese heritage. after having endured so many hard Before Camp Len Duong 2015, I ships.

The immigrant mentality to continuously count your blessings and work hard runs deep within our veins, but with each new generation there is potential for our stories of great struggle to disappear. I have taken it upon myself, as a first generation Vietnamese American, to set a precedent that our people are diligent and tenacious.

With every success, we understand that we must give back to those who are less fortunate. Volunteering is a civic duty. It is a responsibility that we have to our community and to each other. From racial disparities to poor availability of health care to extreme poverty, we have so many problems Vinh-Son Nguyen in this world that it is easier to turn a Greatland Investment Scholarship blind eye. But it is our moral obligation that if we have the power and capaci Vinh-Son Nguyen will be a first ty to change the world for better, then year medical student this coming fall at we must take the initiative to do so. the University of Texas Health Science Because of Len Duong I have Center at San Antonio. Combining his discovered a call to action that I nevlove of medicine and space, Vinh-Son er felt before.

As I move on to medical has completed several internship rotaschool, I will remain active in my Viettions with NASA in the Department of namese community in order to serve Human Research. He remains active in as a mentor to those in need. With my his community by volunteering at local newfound knowledge, I hope to inhealth clinics and assisted living facil- crease the span of abilities to which I ities. In his free time, Vinh-Son creates can give back. A pervasive health iscontent for his page “Humans of UTSA” sue in the Asian American community which documents the lives of students is Hepatitis B. I wish to serve susceptiand faculty around campus through in- ble communities one day and increase awareness of this crippling disease. sightful stories and photographs.

Growing up, volunteer service has al “Some of my greatest memo- lowed me to better understand myself ries have stemmed from volunteering and develop my sense of appreciation, with close friends. Not only does it but greater than these, it has providbenefit the community, but it builds ed me the opportunity to pay back a comradery that transcends conver- to a community that has given me so sation. There is a special bond that is much.” established when you volunteer with Camper Expectations: others as you know you are doing something special. I am so active with Last year was my first time attendvolunteering as I want to serve as an example for those in the Vietnamese ing Camp Len Duong. I remember I had no community that with great privilege idea what camp would be like, but I wanted comes great responsibility. Our par- to keep an open mind. I expected to make ents came to this country seeking friends and do a lot of challenging activities, opportunity and hoping to establish but did not know what to expect beyond a better future for us. We are a prod- that. But having that experience last year, I uct of their efforts and this country, so can frame my expectations more accurately we have a duty to give back and pay it for camp this year. I expect to grow more as forward. I am inspired by how the Viet- a leader and continue my journey on discov-

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

vividly remember my cultural identity: I was an American who happened to be Vietnamese. The area I grew up was predominantly white and Hispanic, so my group of friends were not reflective of my cultural background. I did not go to a Vietnamese church or go to Viet school, so my Vietnamese influence purely came from my immediate family. Having come to this country 30 years ago, my family has largely assimilated to the American way of living even gaining fluency of the English language. Growing up, I was not conditioned to be bilingual as English was always a crutch I could fall on. Compared to other Vietnamese youth, I was not as proficient in the language and thus feeling inferior. Taking all these factors into consideration, I did not feel as if my Vietnamese heritage meant very much to me as others were “more Vietnamese” than I was.

I came to Len Duong last year as my parents had been begging me to go ever since I turned 18. I had an excuse every single year because of internships and summer activities, but last year I had no excuse. I reluctantly said yes, and to be honest, Camp Len Duong 2015 were the most formative few days for my cultural identity. I learned how to be a leader, how the accomplishments of other Vietnamese immigrants have stemmed from their culture, and how I can in turn use my cultural knowledge to my own advantage in order to further my successes. Not only did I appreciate my heritage more, but I could identify why it was important to know the story of your people. After Len Duong 2015, I finally had the profound feeling that I was not just an American who happened to be Vietnamese, but that I was truly a Vietnamese American.

During Len Duong 2016, I hope to further cultivate my own leadership abilities, compare how Vietnamese Canadians view their cultural identity, and have an amazing time making new friends. I am truly fascinated how different this year’s camp will be now that I have already established connections.

I hope to see many of my friends from last year and reflect on our memories together.

But most importantly I am looking forward to learning more about myself and how I can further contribute back to my people.

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5.07 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER : to volunteer in my community. By inspiring others within my community, one person will become ten, then ten will become a hundred, hundred to a thousand, and so forth. Though small act, each individual effort can acumulate into something big and the world will be changing. The effort, however, must start with one self.

To Uyen (Rose) Nguyen Le Hoang Nguyen Scholarship

After attending Len Duong Camp 2015, To Uyen became inspired by the values of GRACE, specifically courage. With the support of many Len Duong friends, mentors and GRACE values, To Uyen gained the courage to take charge of her career.

Now, a graduate student at George Washington University in Master of Science in Crime Scene Investigation, she is ready to start a new chapter of her life. She is very thankful for the life-changing experiences she had, and looks forward to more wonderful adventures and memories.

Foundation of Community

“The reason that I volunteer is integrate goodness into my life, so in turn, I am able to contribute the goodness in world. The world is riddled with war, famine, and disease. Everywhere you look, there are people who are always in need.

As of right now, I know that I cannot change the world with my power, influence, or fortune. I, however, can help within in my community to create a ripple effect. I want to live a life full of volunteering service to be a better person through it and also help inspire the people PG 49

…After starting with one self, the next step would be to help your community. The reason that I help with my own Vietnamese community is my pride in my culture. Of course, I can volunteer anywhere and for any foundation, but along with indirectly giving back to my community, I am also learning about my culture. I was not born in Vietnam or the United States, so my childhood memories were not filled of the streets of Vietnam or States. It is, however, never too late to begin learning about your roots and the culture that influenced most of life. Growing up, my parents tried their best to integrate the Vietnamese culture into my life, but without an abundance of Vietnamese people around, it was hard for me grasp my traditions. Now given the opportunity to volunteer for VCSA, I was able to grasp what the Vietnamese culture had to offer. Volunteering for the Vietnamese community does not only help me be better person, but it also educates me of my culture and of my country.”

Camper Expectations:

Overall, I expect Camp Len Duong 2016 will help me further my development as a leader. Camp Len Duong 2015 surprised me when it opened my eyes to ways of developing myself as a person, especially in GRACE. The trait that stood out for the most was courage. For a while, I have been passive about the direction of life. After Len Duong 2015, I have taken hold of my career. For this camp, I would like learn about Engagement. I would find more ways to contribute my gifts to benefit my whole community. I know that you are suppose to live all five traits all at once, but I think it is important to understand each and every trait before I can fully live in GRACE. Thank you. I am completely excited for this trip.

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

5.08 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

Tina Nguyen Nguyen Cong Khanh Scholarship

Tina Nguyen is currently a Biological Science student majoring in cellular, molecular, and microbial biology at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Born and raised in Edmonton, AB, Tina moved to Calgary at the age of 11, where she got involved with the Vietnamese community, participating in events such as volunteering at Lunar New Year festivals, choreographing traditional dances and helping in Vietnamese community fundraisers. When she started university in 2014, she joined the Vietnamese Students’ Association on campus and in 2016, was appointed to the role of Vice-President. In her spare time, Tina enjoys playing piano, baking and spending time with family and friends. After graduation, Tina hopes to find a career in the health care sector.

“Serving and being active in the Vietnamese community is something I am very passionate about. My parents have always encouraged me to be involved. They have showed me how important it is to learn and understand as much as we can about our culture. They APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

unfortunately had to leave their homeland behind to give my sister and me a brighter future. Although we are not living in Vietnam, we are still Vietnamese, therefore we should uphold our culture and understand it more. It is easy to lose our Vietnamese heritage when we’re not constantly surrounded by it. By being involved in the Vietnamese community, we are able to better keep that legacy. This is why I continuously volunteer in Vietnamese events and organizations in Calgary – it is not only to assist the elders in the community, but because it also provides me with a means to preserve and learn about our Vietnamese culture. I was raised in a more traditional Vietnamese family therefore the Vietnamese culture is not something completely new to me, it is something I feel comfortable with, something I am proud of. By serving in the Vietnamese community, it gives me the sense of belonging and it strengthens the Vietnamese aspect of my life. I am a first generation Vietnamese Canadian, this means that my generation can either continue to pass on the Vietnamese culture to the next generation or we can lose it. By being more involved in the Vietnamese community, I’m hoping that I’m helping to keep the culture and that I’m being a role model to the younger generation to encourage them to be involved as well. It is also a chance to show that although my parents and those who have left Vietnam in search of a better future left behind their home, they did not lose everything. We may not be born in Vietnam but we are trying to build a strong Vietnamese community in our new home whether that is in Canada or United States.”

Camper Expectations: I’m hoping that Camp Len Duong 2016 (LD2016) will have team activities that will encourage attendees to put aside differences and work together as a team. Since the camp has attendees from all over North America, this would be a great opportunity for people to meet and make new friends and connections and I’m hoping the activities planned will help with us achieve this. I’m hoping that LD2016 will help me to expand my network, grow my leadership skills and build upon my ability to work in a team interdisciplinary setting. Although it may seem a little daunting at first, I hope that LD2016 will provide plenty of opportunities for new people to meet each other and share their leadership skills and knowledge (possibly by grouping us to groups so that we have people from different places in North America instead of possibly coming from the same city).

This will be my first time attending an LD camp, but based on previous attendees’ experience, I’m hoping that we will have a chance to learn more about how to get more involved in our community and in particular in the Vietnamese community. I’m hoping the activities planned, the keynote speakers we have scheduled and the people we will meet during this camp will inspire us to become a more proactive member in our community. I also am looking forward to being exposed to more Vietnamese culture and learn some new things about our Vietnamese heritage.

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5.09 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

“Volunteerism is an umbrella term that comes from the act of unconditional love. A volunteer aims to serve God by taking care of his creation, children, or what we know as our kind of living beings.

Since volunteerism comes from an act of unconditional love, it is priceless and cannot be weighed in compared to what we call “work”.

This simple, yet sophisticated term refers to those who form a unit of force that continue to provide for their country without the possibilities of being rewarded and recognized in their society. A volunteer would dedicate the personal time and resources to the community by giving back the blessing and courtesies that he or she received from Tri Phan Greatland Investment Scholar- them. To volunteer is to help those who are truly in need of assistance, ship yet they cannot help themselves.

Tri Doan Phan, or known as Thus, it means to serve a cause that Đoan Tri, is an active musician who is greater than serving your needs. helps her mother in promoting the As simple as the term is deVietnamese culture through music.

Coming to the U.S. as an eight year fined, I believe volunteerism is the old, Tri and her family began the root in which every unit of society search for a Vietnamese-American is built on. It acts as the core that identity, which led them to rely on leads to changes. It is an essential volunteering with their local com- part of every organization to grow. munity. On weekends, Tri, her moth- In every society, there are leaders er, and their students would provide such as President of Vietnamese free performances to local senior Center, who have sacrificed their centers. Aside from volunteering, Tri personal time and resources to helps to promote youth awareness of promote a certain organization. As crisis in Vietnam. Her participations a result, the work portrays them as varied from attending anti-Commu- positive models to everyone else. nist demonstrations to accompany- Volunteerism can be as simple as ing travelers on their Washington an act of daily life such as openD.C. trip. At Houston Baptist Univer- ing doors for other people, helpsity, Tri is completing her Bachelor of ing your family members carrying Music Education this year. She is cur- groceries bags. Regardless of how rently teaching violin and piano at small the contribution, even the an elementary afterschool program. smallest difference is a form of inA musician at heart, Tri hopes to ac- vestments for building a bond with complish one of her biggest dreams- people that are outside of his or to establish a music institution that her comfort zone. “ serve students from low-income families.

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Camper Expectations:

I hope to make new friends and learn more about leadership. I am looking forward to adventurous games that allow me to learn the meaning of teamwork is.

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

5.10 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

Vivian Ngo Pham Hong Mai Scholarship

Vivian Ngo is entering her 3rd year in the Bachelor of Science program with a major in biological sciences at the University of Calgary. As a passionate volunteer, she spends her time in university clubs such as Step Forward and Bear Necessities.

Fascinated by the medical field, she started volunteering with the Foothills Medical Centre as a hospitality volunteer where she is continually inspired to visit and joke around with patients every week. Vivian strives to be an active member in the Vietnamese community and is currently entering her 3rd year as an executive member of the Vietnamese Student’s Association. Aside from volunteering, Vivian enjoys playing the guitar and ukulele. She is also an avid dancer in jazz, ballet and hip hop. This is Vivian’s first time at Len Duong camp and she is very excited to meet and learn from the motivated individuals that will be attending this camp.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

Volunteering one’s time to the community has always been very admirable to me and I continue to be inspired by motivated individuals such as my mother in the Calgary community. From what I have observed from my past volunteer experiences, I believe that the rewards that come along with volunteer service are as significant as how the individual embraces the experience. I have repeatedly observed the success of a group of volunteers who are able to change the community with their active participation.

viduals, therefore I hope to work on these skills and improve the ways in which I communicate with others.

In addition, these networking skills that I will obtain at Len Duong will be beneficial to my role as the incoming Vice President of External Relations.

In this role, I will primarily be responsible for bridging the gap between the University community and the Vietnamese community, thus the networking skills obtained during this conference will benefit the ways in which the University campus is integrated within the off-campus community.

Camper Expectations:

Another goal I hope to achieve is to learn how to recognize group dynamics and how these group dynamics can interfere or promote the productivity of the team.

Through hands on experiences at Len Duong, I will be able to figure out how to successfully lead a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Due to the presence of enriching team activities, workshops, and speaker sessions available at Len Duong, I will be able to develop skills that I can take back to Calgary and apply them in all other aspects of my life.

I hope that Len Duong Camp will provide me with inspiration to continue to positively contribute to the community as an emerging leader. My past two years as an executive member of the Vietnamese Students’ Association (VSA) provided me the opportunity to learn and develop as a leader.

However, I hope to strive to be a better leader in my team, therefore I have been looking for an opportunity to learn more about my own leadership potential as well as develop leadership skills. The opportunity I have been looking for is this conference. I hope to gain confidence in my own leadership abilities through the workshops and seminars available at camp.

Len Duong Camp is also a great opportunity to meet new individuals who share the same passions as my own. We are able to enrich our leadership experiences by sharing our stories and learning from others.

I hope that this conference will further develop my networking skills, interpersonal skills as well as provide me with connections to motivated individuals from across North America. A leadership trait that I wish to sharpen during the time at Len Duong Camp is meeting new indi-

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5.11 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

Micheal Le Catherine Tran Charity Fund Scholarship

Michael Le is a recent graduate in Geophysics pursuing a Masters in medical physics at the University of Calgary. At the University, he is the 2016 – 2017 Vietnamese Students Association (VSA) President and has worked within the local Vietnamese community on various projects and fundraisers. In his most recent project, he and the VSA assisted the Calgary Vietnamese Canadian Association (Hội Người Việt) to help raise over $45 000 for the Fort MacMurray wildfires in Northern Alberta.

Currently living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he hopes to become a Radiation Oncology Physicist and assist people living with Cancer.

A Vietnamese – Canadian Guide to Paying it Forward

I was born to my parents in a refugee camp in Hong Kong and arrived in Canada when I was only an infant.

My parents had arrived in Canada with the help of several sponsors and with the help of the Canadian government while stationed at the refugee camp. I have come to where I am today due to the generosity and good-will of a countless number of people, people who have sponsored their time andmoney to help families such as mine re-settle in new places so that families may have a chance of living a normal and prosperous life.

There were times in my youth where I had walked around in shoes two sizes too small, forcing me to wear

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them with my heels sticking out. I was wearing spring jackets in - 40o snow blizzards because we could not afford winter jackets. I can remember a time during lunch recess where I was playing outside in our cold, Canadian winters with only my windbreaker on. One of the supervisors pulled me aside and asked me to come into the office. I was asked if I had anything warmer to wear and to which I had responded, “no, this was all I had.” I was ushered into a small room, filled with winter jackets and snowpants and I was asked to find one that I liked and I walked back outside with a thick, red jacket with blue sleeves.

I had learned soon after that these jackets were all part of a winter jacket drive where people would donate their new and slightly used winter jackets for kids who couldn’t afford them. I was one of those lucky kids who got one. For the longest time I was able to have a relatively normal childhood off the backs of people who donated and volunteered their time and money.

As I was growing up, I would volunteer here and there with my school and church groups but I mainly did it out of obligation. It was just something that everyone else did. When a family member wasdiagnosed and passed away soon after from cancer, it was then when I started my real volunteering journey.

The compassion that my family was shown from our local cancer institute from the volunteers and medical staff who would help show us around and talk to us was inspiring. I soon joined as a volunteer at the same institute and everything snowballed from there.

It was also at this point in my life when I had decided to join a club at university and somehow stumbled along the Vietnamese Students’ Association (VSA). I had met an old friend in the club and started coming to more and more events. Soon after, I was convinced that I had to become a part of the executive team. I had found that the team would donate so much of their time and energy to create an atmosphere for student to collaborate and participate in a variety of events, and with everything else that was going on in my life, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to try something new.

Being active in my Vietnamese community helps to give me a sense of fulfillment and provides an avenue to pay things forward. The kindness and compassion that I was shown when I was young has helped shape me into the person I am today. It would be impossible for me to go back and say thanks to the countless amounts of people who have helped my family and I, so volunteering is the only way I know how

to repay the people who have helped me live a normal life. This is why I serve and why I volunteer Camper Expectations:

As a previous camper (Len Duong 2014), I expect myself to take away several things I’ve learned from my previous experience as well as providing me with new skills.

The friends I had made two years ago are still some of the people I have reconnected with and still talk to today. Developing a broader network is vital to me as a student and as a future professional as it allows me to meet people in a team building environment, people that I normally would not have had a chance to meet within my own community.

As the incoming president for our local Vietnamese Students’ Association (VSA) at the University of Calgary, I hope to take some of the skills that I learn from the workshops and team building exercises and apply my knowledge to my future team executives and members of our club.

If Len Duong has taught me anything, it was for me to become an effective leader within my own local communities and organizations.

Culture to me was simply something that my parents and family passed on to me and it wasn’t something I took seriously. Len Duong has empowered me to embrace my culture, and gave me an opportunity to grow and learn more about it, in my own way. As a second generation Vietnamese – Canadian, being Vietnamese means something a little different to me than it does for my parents and Len Duong has helped me embrace that. It tested more than just my Vietnamese language skills. It taught me what it meant to be a Vietnamese person, and how I could mold it into something that is relevant for me, in my society. Not only that, Len Duong has taught me how to be a critical thinker, how to resolve conflicts, and how to understand group dynamics so that I could become a better leader and a better person.

With these things in mind, I hope that this year’s camp will help reinforce everything that I took away from my last experience and provide me with new skills that I may take and introduce to my own respective organizations. I expect this camp to be as inspiring as my last one, with the exception of meeting even more people, developing a broader network, and learning more skills that I may be able to pass on to others and future generations. I came out of Len Duong 2014 a better person, and I only expect bigger and better things coming out of Len Duong 2016.

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5.12 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER : the U.S. Consulate General in Saigon, Vietnam. She is very excited to come and join camp Len Duong all the way from Vietnam.

In her free time, Catherine enjoys traveling with friends, enjoying a good happy hour or night out, and spending time with her puppy named Nala.

Vietnamese-Americans: Generation X vs. Generation Y

Catherine Nguyen Tony Toan Nguyen Scholarship

Catherine Nguyen is currently on a summer internship with US State Department in Vietnam, her favorite country. She aspires to advocate for Vietnam and bridge the gap between Vietnam and the United States. Her resume boasts that she has worked in Vietnam in five different capacities and her passport reveals the 18 entry and exit visa stamps from Tan Son Nhat Airport in the past four years. Although her love for Vietnam has been tested by getting robbed by a banh mi stand seller in Hanoi, catching the flu and pneumonia, reaching a 107° fever interrupting her vacation in Mui Ne, and getting run over by a speeding motorbike while crossing the street (twice), she has somehow found the hospital bills, the stolen iPhone, and all the scars from those accidents worth it. Beside her commitment and passion for Vietnam, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin where she was a Rapaport Service Scholar, a fully funded scholarship designed for students that are interested in volunteerism, community service and service learning. After graduating a year early from UT-Austin, and leveraging a variety of available assistance and savings, Catherine recently became a proud owner of a house in Houston, Texas at age 22. She is currently a 1L law student in Houston, Texas and is currently interning for the Commercial Sector in

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I have found that the past four years, ever since I fell in love with my homeland, I have been constantly been questioned, been under suspicion and even under distrust, especially by the older generation of the Vietnamese-American community. My relatives, parents and mentors have attempted to dissuade me from going back to Vietnam, have related all the horror stories that they have heard on the news about Vietnam and have openly belittled our “quê hương.” With every scathing comment, I always bite my tongue and remind myself that the older generation of Vietnamese-Americans are different; they’ve been through war, through tragedy, through loss, through abandonment, through refugee camps, through re-education camp, through so much more than I could ever imagine. I have been sheltered, been nourished, been provided for and have never really struggled a day in my life. I am fortunate; my generation is fortunate.

Though I have the utmost of respect for the boat people, I personally don’t believe that we should be weighed down by their history. We should be encouraged to venture back to our homeland, to learn mother tongue, to explore our deep- rooted culture, and to learn first-hand about what being Vietnamese is really about.

I loved watching foreigners learn our language, pick up on our culture, relish our food, and appreciate the beauty of our country. When I worked in Vietnam, I loved watching foreign advisors protect the local economy, advise companies, teach the public, learn from the public and defend the country. When I traveled throughout Vietnam, I loved living like a local in Sài Gòn, exploring the 36 old streets in Hà Nội, drinking shoulder to shoulder with strangers on Bùi Viện, eating fresh seafood in Nha Trang, sending lanterns down the river in Hội An, exploring the old seat of the Nguyen Dynasty in Huế, and biking through the rice fields in Miền Tây. Every time I return to Vietnam, I have a different experience; I learn and grow more, I become more fluent in the language, I become closer to my family, I make new friends, I understand the country more, and, ultimately, I grow to love the country more.

Camper Expectations:

Last year was my first year at Camp Len Duong and I came in without any expectations and came out stunned at the power of camp. I never imagined that in one weekend, I would make close friends that I speak to almost everyday now, I would make connections with people who are now my trusted mentors and advisors, and have an inspiring experience that has driven me to this day. I know that this year, Len Duong is going to be equally if not even more amazing.

The bar has been set high for camp and I have no doubt that the staff will continue to make Len Duong an unforgettable experience for us again. I hope that camp will continue to inspire me, connect me with amazing peers, and make my flight to Vancouver all the way from Vietnam worth it!

With every chance I get, I encourage my peers, my relatives and my friends to travel to with me to Vietnam, to show them the beauty of our country, the charm of the cities and towns, and the exoticness of our culture. When I studied in Saigon,

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5.13 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER : Camper Expectations:

Jamie Vuong Ms. Hoa Nguyen Scholarship

Jamie Vuong is a new graduate finishing her term as a Cardiac Intensive Care student at the University of Calgary. During the year 2015-2016, she led the UofC VSA as President through a variety of events including an Asian Night Market, BYOB Pho Night, and dodgeball tournaments. Throughout the year, she collaborated with other key community members to gather resources and funds for a young, Syrian family taking refuge in Canada. She also actively engages in other volunteer roles as a child care provider at the Children’s Cottage Society - a crisis nursery for children ages 0-9. Currently, she maintains an advisor role to the VSA and continues her entry into the workforce as a Registered Nurse.

This year, I will be attending Len Duong camp for the second time. The expectations I have from the camp stem from learned experiences from the 2014 camp, and my expectations for the upcoming year.

In attending the camp, I will be able to build social support networks across related organizations, foster leadership skills to bring home to my own community, and to bridge the cultural gaps that exist between myself and older generations. In attending the camp, I hope that I will learn first-hand what qualities build an effective leader, and relate these qualities to my work as a student nurse and as the President of the Vietnamese Student’s Association (VSA).

to share ideas and model life experiences. My role at the camp is to participate in team building exercises, develop communication and collaboration skills, to learn from my peers and exchange ideas on how to lead and build self-efficacy within a community. Most importantly, I am to bring back what I have learned from Len Duong Camp and apply it to my own community to grow as a young leader.

Len Duong Camp builds effective leaders through several means. They address the disconnect between cultures in Vietnamese-Canadians, a prevalent concern in Canada. With culture becoming a decreasing priority in Western societies, the camp helps youth to rekindle their culture in their respective areas, so that they can continue to reconnect others, and so on. Growing up in Canada, I have noticed that we are a largely homogenized society, with the focus of attention on the individual and not the collective. Similarly, groups like the VSA and our peers at the camp help build social support networks and interdependence within our members, as well as connect people through their culture.

We are able to share ideas, experiences and tips on what works or does not work in planning and implementing community tasks. The camp also has several team building exercises develops our ability to communicate and work as a team to achieve a common goal. We work with both novice and experienced leaders to create a learning environment where staff and peers are able

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LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

5.14 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

Andrew Ha Catherine Tran Charity Fund Scholarship

Andrew was born and raised in the Canadian prairies. He is currently a Student-At- Law completing his articles in Calgary, Alberta. He hopes to provide legal services to members of the Vietnamese community who are otherwise excluded from the justice system, and also hopes to one day join the foreign service. Drawn to social justice initiatives, Andrew has volunteered with the Pro Bono Students of Canada, and carried out research for the Edmonton Social Planning Council. He loves to play music and write stories. Andrew will probably write a story about you.

Vietnam is a Memory

I have never set foot in Vietnam.

But I can with ease imagine the delicious smells of street vendors, or the sweeping views of rice paddies, terraced and winding over hills. I can even see, in my mind’s eye, the rocky outcrops of Ha Long Bay rising out of water, speckled with floating fishing villages – it is an image that is displayed in popular documentaries, plastered on postcards the world over. And there lies the crux of the whole question, of what Vietnam means to me. It is a sobering thought, and one painful to dwell on, that everything I know of Vietnam I have learned vicariously, through the lens of a camera, or through the stories of my parents. It is unsettling to accept that, although it is such an important part of my identity, I may not really know Vietnam.

I look forward to the day when finally, I

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

see the land that raised my parents. I expect a great number of things will fall into place. I will finally taste the exotic fruits they have always spoke of, and perhaps walk the same streets they walked when they were my age a long time ago, and begin to understand. But I do not believe that even then I will truly know Vietnam.

Because the Vietnam that raised me, the Vietnam that is remembered by my parents, no longer exists. I have always treasured those glimpses of the past my parents shared, knowing that they are living survivors of a culture interrupted by war.

Only recently have I begun to appreciate my role in carrying on their legacy. Always remember. Vietnam to me is a precious fading memory.

It is essential to understand that to preserve a memory is no simple task.

The gap between cultures and generations can be vast. Raised in the Canadian prairies, I often think that it is an impossible task. I sometimes feel that my very mind has been colonized, made incapable of understanding anything outside Western discourse. I had my first taste of this clash of cultures as an English instructor in Korea. It was the first time I had found myself in Asia, where the seniors reminded me of my own grandparents, and it was not immediately understood that I was ‘foreign.’ Observing my Korean-American friends attempt o reintegrated themselves into Korean culture, I came to understand the reality that there will always be barriers to finding your roots, whether they be cultural or generational.

Years ago, I made the mistake of trying to understand Vietnam from an academic point of view, thinking I could bypass the cultural barriers by using this seemingly objective lens. Ironically, the Vietnamese identity convoluted even in scholarly works. In K. W Taylor’s History of the Vietnamese, an authoritative work in Western academia, he finds that as he delved into the past, sifting through decades of Vietnamese Whig history, there was no proto-Vietnam. He concedes by stating that as the Vietnamese identity is so complicated, he could not describe using any universal terms. I despaired after reading this assessment; my holy grail did not exist. And yet one must remember that this assessment is made by a non-Vietnamese. The ideal disinterested academic opinion of a culture means nothing if it is not accepted by those of that culture. Identity, though molded by society, is a strictly personal affair.

I hope to make the search for Vietnamese identity relevant for the next generation through story. After decades of silence, new voices have begun to emerge from communities of Vietnamese immigrants into mainstream culture.

Writers like Nam Le and Kim Thuy have

brought nuance and complexity to the public understanding of Vietnamese experience through their stories and novels.

These writers have given me hope that one can have a strong, modern Vietnamese identity even after they have left their homeland. However, there still exists gap between these writers and myself. The distinction can be most clearly seen in through Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2016 Pulitzer Award winning novel, The Sympathizer. Nguyen’s protagonist is a hybrid entity.

He mother is Vietnamese, but his father a Frenchman. He is a South Vietnamese Republican military aid, but also a Communist mole. And after fleeing the country to California, he becomes both Vietnamese and American. In this last duality, I believe Nguyen is speaking with his own voice. Although Nguyen left Vietnam at the young age of five, I believe he is still writing of a lived trauma. His story is incredible, but it is not my story.

The current understanding of the Vietnamese in mainstream culture is shifting. It will not be long before the definitive wartime histories are written, and the refugee opus’ cease to be written. The community will change and grow. The torch will then pass to us – those that were born in North America, who have not the experience of pre-war Vietnam, but only its memory. But Vietnam will still mean something to us. We are a living history.

And the story is ours to tell.

Camper Expectations:

Camp Len Duong brings together Vietnamese leaders from all over North America, each with a unique perspective. I hope to make use of this great resource by asking this community how they are struggling, overcoming, or overcame the obstacles that I believe all Vietnamese North Americans face, including racism, cultural barriers in the professional world, and the search for a strong, genuine, Vietnamese identity. I expect to learn a great deal from my fellow campers and camp directors.

To younger campers, and those that are interested, I also believe that I can be a teacher in some small way. I have thought a great deal and dealt with the issues listed above, and can impart this knowledge onto others. I have a specific perspective, as a Western Canadian, and as a Asian Canadian male, and as one who is often criticised by my Vietnamese peers as being “whitewashed.”

In the process of sharing, I expect that with so many different perspectives in this community of learners, that we will collaborate and share ideas. Lastly, I expect to have a lot of fun, and forge some lasting friendships.

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5.15 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

Vy Tran Dr. Rick Ngo Scholarship

Born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam, Vy Tran is an aspiring life adventurer from Houston, Texas.

As a student at Rice University, she recently returned from a semester abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, served on the executive board of the Vietnamese Student Association, and volunteered extensively both within the community and abroad in the Peruvian Amazon. Vy first became involved with VCSA through co-chairing the 2015 Youth Excellence Recognition Program (VVDV) and nothing was the same ever since. Through VCSA, she was able to build meaningful friendships, get more in touch with the Vietnamese culture, and now attending her first Len Duong Camp. Ever since she left the city in 2004, Vy has not had the chance to return to Saigon; exploring the wonders of Vietnam will be her next attempt at alleviating the itch of the travel bug. During her free time, Vy enjoys weaving her way to the front row at concerts, going on food crawls while traveling (when in Rome, gelato four times a day is socially acceptable), doing hoodrat stuff with her friends and FDR, and making bad Drake references.

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Volunteer Service: the Nurturing ican/Canadian community. I look Soil of a Strong Community forward to making deep, meaningful connections with the people I will

In the world today where meet, in hopes of forging lasting rethere is so much to do and never lationships and networks. I am also enough hours in the day, time is excited to learn more about progold and our personal achievement fessional skills and to advance my often takes precedence over deeds leadership skills in the various workthat do not directly or immediate- shops at camp. I hope to gain a more ly benefit us. So, what is the point focused insight that will help me of volunteerism? Why add on more determine what direction my future responsibilities and items to check career path will take, and I’m sure off on the already packed to-do list? meeting professionals and listening In my eyes, giving back to the com- to the speakers will aid in this task. munity is equally as important as Lastly, I wish to get more in touch working my way to accomplishing with my Vietnamese heritage, to personal successes. Volunteer ser- further understand where my family vice has not only taught me many and I come from, and to be inspired invaluable life lessons and profes- to bring about positive change in sional skills, but also contributed to the Vietnamese community when I my overall wellbeing and develop- come back home from camp. ment throughout my young adult years. Furthermore, I have found a welcoming home in the Vietnamese-American community through my time volunteering with various organizations in the Houston area. … Oftentimes I, along with many other twenty-somethings, get so caught up in the exhausting and fiercely competitive “rat race” for success that we forget to give back to the community that supports us. This leaves us with the empty feeling that we’re “missing something.” I have come to realize that it is incredibly important to keep the fire and passion of volunteerism alive even in the midst of personal struggles. That is because for me, volunteer service brings me joy as I walk away from it richer in new practical and professional skills, long lasting relationships, and a family and home in the organizations I have lent a hand.

Camper Expectations:

This year’s Camp Len Duong will be my first time attending camp.

I am incredibly excited meet Vietnamese youth from all over North America who share the same vision of growth for the Vietnamese-AmerLÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

5.16 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

Phuc Nguyen Saigon Eggroll Scholarship

Phuc Nguyen is an appraiser at Harris County Appraisal District, Houston. He received his Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management from University of Houston in 2012. After graduation, Phuc started his own food truck business then became sous chef at Rice University. In 2015, he decided to take a break from the food business and explore other options which lead to his current job. Phuc is currently working toward opening his own restaurant in the near future.

Phuc first attended Len Duong camp in 2014 and since then has been involved with it. He is currently an active member for Vietnamese Culture and Science Association and Len Duong Bonfire Passion. In his free time, Phuc enjoys cooking, going to concert, traveling, exploring new restaurants and repping FDR.

ese way. As a fifteen years old kid, being a Vietnamese in America is like trying to fit two puzzle pieces that are not quite match up to each other. However as the years go by, I recognized how fortunate I was to be able to grow up in Vietnam.

With many of cultural influence, Vietnam taught me to be proud to say that I am a Vietnamese first before I am an American. Slowly I discovered that you don’t have to lose your Vietnamese way to fit in. That’s the beautiful part of the United States melting pot where one can carry on their motherland heritage while adjusting to the American life style. To me, Vietnam is will always hold a special place in Vietnamese people heart all over the world. Even though we might not have biological connections to each other but Vietnamese culture will holds us all together and build strong Vietnamese communities in this distance country.

Camper Expectations: As a camper for the past two years, my expectations for Camp Len Duong 2016 remain the same. I expected to connect with many other Vietnamese youth leaders from Canada and other parts of the US. While at camp, I expect to meet and hear amazing stories of successful Vietnamese speakers from workshop.

I want to learn from those people good habits that I can apply in my career development and my personal life. Last but not least, I want camp activities to be challenging, competive yet fun at the same time.

Vietnam, My Home, My Identity

Discovering myself was not an easy process for me thanks to the strong influence from my Vietnamese culture. After moving to America, I struggled to fit in to a new environment because I tried so hard to hold on to the VietnamPG 58

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

5.17 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER :

Vuong Doan Logo Contest Winner

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”

This is a quote I strive to live by and encourage everyone to figure out what you like to do and do it really well! My family came to USA from Vietnam with nothing much. I am thankful for my parents who came here so that my siblings and I can have a better life. From working hard starting out in my garage, when many people & families were unsupportive, I now am an entrepreneur running a small business. I hope to make a difference in the world someday or in someone’s life by encouraging and motivate individuals to be their best! Nope, I’m not super rich, still paying off student loan debts; but I’m happy that I have freedom & be able to do a lot of traveling. Enjoy life and give it your best! Recently, I started a new brand to represent the Asian community; RYCEclothing. com. Check it out and support me please, thank you!

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6.0 TEAM BIOS

6.01 TEAM BIOS : VALUES/CHARACTERS 6.02 FIVE THOUSAND YEARS OF VIETNAMESE CULTURE 6.03 THE BIG GAME STORY 6.04 VIETNAM MAP

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6.01 TEAM BIOS : Team Name Data | Tên Các Đội This year, Len Duong Camp uses values/characters to name teams. These values are considered invaluable across cultures. The values used this year are only examples in leadership character building. Among them some values are typically Vietnamese while others have not been acculturated, and should be promoted.

There are innumerable Vietnamese heroes and heroines whose lives exemplified these characters. The association between characters/values and heroes is only suggestive.).

Trại Lên Đường 2016 dùng các đức tính để đặt tên cho các đội. Những đức tính này có giá trị phổ cập đối với mọi văn hóa và dân tộc. Để trở thành một người lãnh đạo cần nhiều đức tính, và những đức tính/giá trị dùng trong năm nay chỉ có tính cách gợi ý và tương đối. Trong số những đức tính này một số đặc biệt tiêu biều cho dân Việt; tuy nhiên cũng có một số mà người Việt chúng ta thiếu và cần được phát huy. Lịch sử Việt nam có không biết bao nhiêu anh hùng, nữ kiệt mà cuộc đời phản ảnh không những một mà hầu hết các đức tính được dùng trong năm nay. Song song với những đức tính này là những danh nhân đã thể hiện một cách nổi bật nhất các đức tính đó.

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Mạo Hiểm - Adventure Quật Cường - Resilience Tự Do - Freedom Bất Khuất - Indomitability Dũng cảm - Courage Dân chủ - Democracy Liêm Chính - Integrity Nhân Ái - Compassion Kiên Trì - Perseverance Cấp Tiến - Progressive Sáng tạo - Creativity Hy Sinh - Sacrifice LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

VALUES/CHARACTERS : Bất Khuất – Indomitability – Indomitability is a typical Vietnamese characteristic because Vietnam is a small country next to the giant China who has tried to conquer Vietnam for thousands of years. The constant struggle for independence and freedom has forged this indomitability in the Vietnamese people.

Of all Vietnamese heroes/heroines, Trần Bình Trọng exemplified this value. He is a famous military officer of royal blood of the Tran Dynasty. This dynasty was marked by the war against the Mongol Dynasty in China and the Champa kingdom in the South.

When the Mongols invaded Vietnam and after the fall of Thăng Long capital, Trần Hưng Đạo has assigned Trần Bình Trọng to stay in the North to protect Thiên Trường and to stop the Mongol troops to cross Vietnamese territory.

During the fight, Tran Binh Trong was captured

by Thoát Hoan, the Mongol prince commanding general. Thoát Hoan tried to bribe him and promised him if he agreed to work for the Chinese they would give him all the money, beautiful women and a lordship in the north. To all these, Trần Bình Trọng has famously answered, “I would rather be a dead man in my motherland than a Lord alive in your Northern land”.

Quyền’s scheme on sông Bạch Đằng 300 years earlier, had his men planting steel-tipped wooden stakes in the bed of the river. As planned, the Mongol retreating by way of sông Bạch Đằng fell for Tran Hung Dao‘s scheme.

Bất Khuất là một đức tính có thể nói là đặc biệt Việt Nam vì Việt Nam là một nước nhỏ nằm cạnh một nước khổng lồ là Trung Hoa với dã tâm thôn tính Việt Nam và đã đô hộ Việt Nam trong suốt 1000 năm.Thế nhưng Việt Nam đã không chịu khuất phục và đã đấu tranh liên tục từ đời này sang đời nọ để bảo vệ độc lập và tự do của dân tộc.Trần Bình Trọng một danh tướng đời nhà Trần đã nêu cao chí bất khuất của cả dân tộc khi đương đầu với quân Mông Cổ.Trần Bình Trọng có trí dũng hơn người, tước phong là Bảo Nghĩa Vương. Ỗng tham dự cuộc chống xâm lăng của nhà Nguyên (Mông Cổ).Khi kinh thành Thăng Long thất thủ, Hưng Đạo Vương rước vua ra Hải Dương, Trần Bình Trọng được giao sứ mạng ở lại giữ Thiên Trường để ngăn sự tiến quân của Thoát Hoan.Vì thế binh cô quả, ông bị bại trận và bị giặc Nguyên bắt.Thoát Hoan biết Trần Bình Trọng là tướng tài, liền kiếm lời khuyến dụ quy hàng nhưng Trần Bình Trọng đã cương quyết trả lời “Ta thà làm quỷ nước Nam còn hơn làm vương đất Bắc”. Đây là một lời nhắn gửi cho chúng ta rằng “cho dù được sống đời sống ở xứ người tiện nghi, giàu sang, và được thành công có danh vọng ở xứ người, chúng ta vẫn phải nhớ đến cội nguồn dân tộc, hãnh diện làm người Việt Nam và nhớ tới quê hương đang lầm than khốn khổ”

300,000 Mongols were killed or taken prisoner, and 400 enemy warships were destroyed by the steeltipped wooden stakes. The Bạch Đằng Naval victory marked one of the most glorious victories against the Chinese aggressors in Vietnam’s history.

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6.01 TEAM BIOS : Cấp Tiến – Progressive

...Progressive is a new value that needs to be promoted. Until the beginning of the 20th entury, progressive thinking began making its way in the Vietnamese elite circle. However, Nguyen Truong To (1828- 1871) is considered as the first scholar who had progressive ideas (to reform the old system and to modernize the country). Best known for his multiple recommendations to Emperor Tu Duc around the time of the French invasion of Vietnam. Nguyen Truong To was one of the earliest Vietnamese intellectuals trained outside of the Far East. He grew up in Bui Chu village, Nghe An province, trained initially in the traditional Confucian school, but after he converted to Catholicism, he was sent by the French Bishop Gauthier to Hong Kong, Italy, and France for further education. Upon returning home from abroad, he reportedly made numerous recommendations to the emperor on areas of economics, agriculture, education, foreign policy and military. He proposed to restructure the education system, to send Vietnamese to study abroad, to open up relations with other countries, particularly the Western countries like France, to build a new and modern military and to modernize the economy, taxes, agriculture etc. His recommendations were, however, not taken seriously by the government which at that time was having to deal with the eminent invasion of the French and thus was every suspicious of anything foreign. It has been said that had his proposals been considered and implemented, they may have modernized Vietnam and made a significant difference in the situation of the country.

PG 63

Cấp tiến lả một giá trị mới cần được phát huy và là kết quả của tư tưởng phóng khoáng, và của tư duy dân chủ, nghĩa là chấp nhận khác biệt và dám đổi mới.Cho đến đầu thế kỷ 20, chịu ảnh hưởng của văn mình Tây phương, tư duy cấp tiến mới xuất hiện và được phát huy tại Việt Nam.Tuy nhiên, tư duy cấp tiến đã được một danh sĩ khởi xướng tại Việt Nam vào giữa thế kỷ 19; đó là danh sĩ Nguyễn Trường Tộ (1828-1871), người đã đưa ra những tư tưởng cấp tiến để canh tân Việt nam hòng đối phó với sự xâm lược của Pháp. Nguyễn Trường Tộ quê ở Bùi Chu, tổng Hải Đô,huyện Hưng Nguyên, tỉnh Nghệ An.Tuy ông rất thông minh về Hán học, ông lại yêu chuộng lối học thực dụng của Âu Tây và ông bỏ lối học cử nghiệp.

Theo đạo Thiên Chúa, ông được giám mục Gauthier gíúp xuất dương du học tại các nước như Hương Cảng, Ý, Pháp để nghiên cứu các môn học có tính cách thực dụng. Khi về nước, ông bèn đem những kinh nghiệm thu thập được, tóm tắt lại thành những bản điều trần trình lên vua Tự Đức, với niềm hy vọng được nhà vua lưu ý áp dụng cải tiến nền hành chánh, kinh tế, xã hội, giáo dục, nông nghiệp, ngoại giao và quân sự...hầu đem lại thịnh vượng cho xứ sở và nhất là để kịp thời đối phó với thời cuộc khó khăn thời bấy giờ.

Suốt trong 9 năm liền, từ 1863-1871, ông đã dâng lên vua Tự Đức và các quan đại thần nhiều bản điều trần đề nghị rất nhiều chương trình nhằm cải tổ việc giáo dục, gửi sinh viên ra du học nước ngoài, mở rông giao thiệp với các nước phương tây, tu chính võ bị,cải tiến kinh tế, thuế khóa, tài chánh, nông nghiệp v.v..Ngày nay xem lại những bản điều trần của ông, chúng ta nhận thấy ông quả là một người có tinh thần cấp tiến, có những sáng kiến mới lạ, nhất là có một chương trình hoạt động thiết thực có thể giúp nước Việt đi tử chỗ chậm tiến đến chỗ canh tân để theo kịp đà tiến của văn minh thế giới.Chỉ tiếc triều thần nhà Nguyễn bấy giờ với chính sách bài ngoại và bế môn tỏa cảng đã bỏ qua một dịp để canh tân xứ sở. Ông mất năm 1871, lúc chỉ mới 44 tuổi.

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

VALUES/CHARACTERS : Dân chủ – Democracy

...is a political concept in the West, but it also is a way of life with these characteristics: (1) acceptance of the difference in one anther (2) there is no absolute truth that leads to extremism (3) the relationship among individuals is equal (4) use of dialogue and compromise to resolve conflicts, and (5) acceptance of the rule of law. Democracy is a political system in which governmental powers are derived from the consent of citizens and vested in different and separate branches of government through regular elections. In Vietnam Phan Chu Trinh is the first revolutionary propagated the strategy of democratization in parallel to the struggle for independence .Phan Chu Trinh, also known as Tây Hồ, born in 1872 in Quang Nam province. When he was a teenager, he joined his father and the Can Vương Movement (Aid to the King Movement) in an armed struggle against the French. After his father was killed, Phan returned home and continued his education. He passed the national exam for Bachelor degree and then the Master degree in two consecutive years. Phan became a Mandarin for a short while, and then resigned to actively become a professional revolutionary advocating for reform and democratization. His program consists of three phases: Opening the people’s mind by education; Restoring the people’s self-confidence by improving living-condition; and Training cadres to run government. He said: “Do not rely on foreigners, relying on them is foolish. Do not resort to violence, violence breeds devastation .There is nothing more effective than education.” Phan advocated for free-schooling in the Central and Northern regions to educate the people about science and civic duties.

His activities worried the French colonial government; he was arrested for “agitating the people against the government” and sentenced to three years in Con Dao (Alcatraz of Vietnam). When he was released, due to the intervention of his friends in the French government, Phan moved to Paris and continued to advocate for a free and independent Vietnam in the French Parliament. He contracted terminal illness while living poorly in Paris and returned home in 1925 and passed away a year later at the age of 54.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

Dân chủ là một khái niệm chính trị xuất phát từ Tây phương, nhưng cũng đồng thời là cách sống thể hiện những đặc điểm sau : (1) chấp nhận sự khác biệt của nhau, (2) không có chân lý tuyệt đối để đưa đến quá khích, (3) quan hệ giữa cá nhân là quan hệ bình đẳng, (4) dùng đối thoại và thỏa hiệp để giải quyết vấn đề và các mâu thuẫn, (5) tinh thần pháp trị.Về phương diện chính trị, dân chủ là một thể chế trong đó quyền lực quốc gia do dân ủy nhiệm cho các ơ quan lập pháp, hành pháp, và tư pháp theo định kỳ. Tại Việt nam Phan Chu Trinh là nhà cách mạng đầu tiên đề ra chiến lược tiến hành dân chủ hóa song song với đấu tranh giành độc lập. Phan Chu Trinh hiệu là Tây Hồ, sinh năm 1872 tại tỉnh Quảng Nam. Lúc còn niên thiếu ông đã theo cha hưởng ứng Hịch Cần Vương chống Pháp.Khi phong trào Cần Vương bị tan rã và cha ông bị giết, Phan Chu Trinh trở về làng đi học và thi đậu cử nhân (1900) và phó bảng (1901). Ông ra làm quan một thời gian ngắn rồi từ quan và đi vào đường hoạt động cách mạng, khởi xướng Phong Trào Duy Tân và Dân Quyền (1904).Chương trình hoạt động của Phan Chu Trinh gồm có: Khai Dân Trí, Chấn Dân Khí,Thực Nhân Tài nghĩa là mở mang dân trí, sau đó khôi phục lại dân khí, và đào tạo nhân tài. Ông nói “Không nên trông người ngoài, trông người ngoài là ngu.Không nên bạo động, bạo động thì chết.Tôi chỉ có một lời nói với đồng bào, không gì bằng học.” Ông vận động mở các trường học miễn phí ở Trung kỳ và Bắc kỳ để mở mang dân trí và giáo dục dân chủ dân quyền. Các hoạt động của ông làm cho chính quyền thực dân pháp bực tức và vu cáo cho ông tội khích động quần chúng làm loạn.Ông bị Pháp bắt và đầy đi Côn Đảo giam hết 3 năm. Khi được tha ông tiếp tục đấu tranh và sang tận Pháp đấu tranh với quốc hội Pháp tại Paris.Vì hoàn cảnh sinh sống khó khăn tại xứ người, Phan Chu Trinh lâm trọng bệnh, ông về nước năm 1925 và mất năm sau đó, hưởng dương 54 tuổi.

PG 64

6.01 TEAM BIOS : Dũng cảm – Courage

Hy Sinh – Sacrifice

...is the most important virtue of a leader. Courage does not mean “dare devil” but the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self- possession, confidence, and resolution. More than that, a courageous person takes up challenges even dangerous ones because of his/her sense of righteousness. Confucius said: “If you dare not do the right thing, you are not courageous.”

The Vietnamese hero who best exemplifies courage is General Tran Hung Dao, one of the greatest heroes in Vietnam’s history. During the late XIII Century, he has been successfully defeated the invasion of the Mongolian Dynasty (China) twice to protect the country’s independence. In October 1283, Prince Thoat Hoan of the Mongolian Dynasty took 500,000 troops to invade Vietnam. Hưng Đạo Vương successfully led the Vietnamese much smaller number of troops to defeat Thoat Hoan, and the Chinese troops had to withdraw in shame. The second time, in 1287, it was Prince Thoat Hoan again who took 300,000 troops to Vietnam to exact revenge and were miserably defeated in the Battle of Bạch Đằng River (Bạch Đằng River has been a strategic and decisive battle twice in Vietnam history).

Tran Hung Dao was not only courageous because he has led his troops to fight a battle in which they were enormously outnumbered 10 to 1, but also because he has put the common goal above his personal preference and feelings.

... is a special characteristic of the Vietnamese people, especially when one sacrifices his/her happiness, or even life for the well-being of family, community, and country. Princess Huyen Tran, King Tran Nhan Tong’s daughter, best exemplifies this characteristic. Under King Tran Nhan Tong, Vietnamese territory only expanded to the region known as Quang Binh Province today. The rest of the country still belonged to Champa Kingdom. In 1282, the Mongol invaded Champa and Vietnam, King Tran Nhan Tong sent our troops to help Champa, and the allied-troops of Viet-Champa defeated the Mongol. After this war, Chmapa became an ally of Vietnam, and paid yearly tribute to the Vietnamese court. To consolidate the relationship between the two countries, King Che Man (Simhavarman III) of Champa proposed a marriage to Princess Huyen Tran and offered two regions O and Ly as wedding dowry. Tran Nhan Tong accepted his proposal. Huyen Tran agrees to this marriage is a great sacrifice of her own happiness for the good of the country. However, one year after the marriage, King Che Man died. According to Champa’s tradition, the queen must also accompany her husband to the beyond on the pyre. While Huyen Tran was awating for being cremated alive, King Tran Anh Tong, her brother, sent in troops to rescue and bring her home.

Dũng cảm là một đức tính không thể thiếu được của một người lãnh đạo. Dũng cảm nghĩa đen là có sức mạnh và gan dạ, nhưng không chỉ thuần túy gan dạ, dám làm những điều nguy hiểm, khó khăn.

Lòng dũng cảm phát xuất từ ý thức trách nhiệm đối với việc phải làm.Khổng Tử nói: “Kiến nghĩa bất vi vô dũng giã”, nghĩa là thấy việc phải mà không (dám) làm thì không phải là dũng. Để làm được những việc “phải” trong đời sống một cách thường xuyên đòi hỏi một sự dũng cảm để thắng cái “tôi”, vị kỷ. Danh nhân Việt Nam xứng đáng tiêu biểu cho lòng dũng cảm phải kể đến Hưng Đạo Vương Trần Quốc Tuấn, vị anh hùng dân tộc đã hai lần đánh tan quân Nguyên xâm lược.Trần Hưng Đạo dũng cảm không chỉ vì ông đã lãnh đạo toàn quân, toàn dân chiến đấu với một chọi mười, mà vì ông đã vì quyền lợi của dân tộc mà bỏ đi mối thù riêng của gia đình.

PG 65

Hy sinh là một đức tính đặc biệt của người Việt nam, nhất là hy sinh hạnh phúc cá nhân và ngay cả sinh mạng của mình cho gia đình, tập thể và quốc gia.

Phụ nữ Việt Nam thể hiện đức tính này cao độ nhất khi hy sinh đời sống và hạnh phúc của mình cho gia đình và cho dân tộc.Điển hình cho đức tính này là Công Chúa Huyền Trân, con vua Trần Nhân Tông.Vào đời vua Trần Anh Tông, biên giới phía nam của Việt nam chỉ mới tới địa phận Quảng Bình, phần còn lại phía nam thuộc nước Chiêm Thành (Champa). Năm 1282 quân Mông Cổ (nhà Nguyên) sang đánh Chiêm Thành và Việt Nam, vua Trần Nhân Tông gửi quân giúp Chiêm Thành và liên quân Chiêm-Việt đánh tan quân Nguyên tại mặt trận phía nam.Nhờ quan hệ này mà hai nước có liên lạc mật thiết, Chiêm Thành xin thần phục nước ta. Để kết chặt quan hệ hai nước vua Trần Nhân Tông đồng ý gả công chúa Huyền Trân cho vua Chiêm là Chế Mân. Chế Mân dâng hai châu Ô và Lý (thuộc địa phận nam Quảng Trị và bắc Thừa Thiên hiện nay) để làm sính lễ cưới công chúa Việt (1306).

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

VALUES/CHARACTERS : Kiên Trì – Perseverance

...is a typical Vietnamese value/character because being a small country that was constantly facing domination from the North and natural disasters, Vietnamese people inherited this character to survive. Lê Lợi (13861434) is one of the great heroes whose life exemplified this value. He grew up in a wealthy landlord family in the rural area. Vietnam was then under the governing of the Chinese Ming Dynasty. Being a patriot of the country, Le Loi could not stand seeing the Vietnam people were being tortured and exploited by the Chinese emperor. In 1417, he raised an army in Lam Son Mountain, and declared war with the Ming Dynasty. During the 10-year war against the Ming army, Le Loi endured sufferings when his family was captured, and he himself was surrounded facing imminent capture by the enemy. Le Lai, a staff officer had to disguise himself as decoy to rescue Le Loi. With the great assistance and wise advices from Nguyễn Trãi, his Chief of Staff, Lê Lợi has been successful in defeating the Ming Dynasty to reclaim the independence for Vietnam. In 1428, Lê Lợi declared the first King of the Lê Dynasty in Vietnam. He has helped to restore the Vietnamese culture and literature after a long period being governed by the Chinese and to create a strong legal system to bring freedom and prosperity to the Vietnamese people.

Kiên Trì là một đức tính đặc biệt Việt Nam, có nghĩa là kiên nhẫn và giữ vững trong mọi tình huống. Sở dĩ kiên trì là một đức tính đặc biệt Việt Nam vì Việt Nam luôn luôn phải đối phó với khó khăn khắc nghiệt tử cả thiên tai đến nạn ngoại xâm. Tiêu biểu cho đức tính kiên trì là vị anh hùng áo vải Lê Lợi, người làng Lam Sơn, huyện Thụy Nguyên, tình Thanh Hóa. Mấy đời ông cha đều làm nghề nông, nhà giàu có, tính tìnhh rất hào hiệp, thường hay giúp đỡ người nghèo khó khốn cùng, nuôi tôi tớ trong nhà ước cả nghìn người, dân trong làng rất kính phục Lúc thiếu thời, sống trong cảnh quốc phá gia vong, dân tộc Việt Nam sống dưới sự cai trị hà khắc của giặc Minh. Lê Lợi nuôi trong tâm một chí lớn: quật cường. Ông chiêu mộ các anh hùng, hào kiệt khắp nơi, lần lần người tài giỏi theo giúp ông ngày một đông, trong số đó có Nguyễn Trãi, vị quân sư tài ba đã giúp ông đi đến chiến thắng sau mười năm kháng chiến trường kỳ và gian khổ. Trong mười năm kháng chiến đã có lần gia đùnh ông bị giặc Minh bắt giết và ngay cả bản thân cũng bị lâm nguy, may nhờ có dũng tướng Lê Lai thay hình cứu ông ra khỏi vòng vây của quân giặc. Trước những khó khăn như vậy Lê Lợi vẫn bền gan, tiếp tục chiến đấu cho đến khi thành công. Bình Định Vương Lê Lợi sau mười năm kháng chiến đã đánh đuổi quân Minh ra khỏi bờ cõi. Năm 1428, Lê Lợi lên ngôi vua xưng hiệu là Lê Thái Tổ, đặt quốc hiệu là Đại Việt, niên hiệu là Thuận Thiên (1428-1433).

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

Liêm Chính – Integrity

... honesty, upright, or incorruptible, is one of traditional values in the East. This value is also universal across societies. In Vietnam, it is agreed that Chu Van An best exemplified this value throughout his life and conducts. Chu Van An (1292-1370) was born in Thanh Liet village, Thanh Tri town, Ha Noi. Chu Van An has been remembered by generations of Vietnamese as a teacher with noble virtues.

He lived during the latter and less glorious part of the Tran Dynasty when undesirable elements were beginning to corrupt the royal courts. As foremost scholar of his time entrusted by the Emperor Tran Minh Tong to be in charge of the most prestigious university of Vietnam, and the personal mentor of Tran Du Tong, the emperor’s heir, Chu Van An was even more revered for the manners by which he lived. Throughout his life, whether he was amongst royals, or in his small village teaching the neighborhood children, whether receiving recognition from the emperor or confronting the incompetence of the ruling mandarins, he always stayed truthful to himself, acted in the best interests of the people and country, and under no circumstances did he fear for his own safety even when the potential harm to himself was real. When Tran Du Tong showed a lack of interest and competence in leadership and failed to listen to his advice about prosecuting the corrupted mandarins, he resigned and returned to his village to become a small town teacher. Chu Van An reminds future generations that integrity, honesty, courage, and self-less devotion for the good of others are timeless virtues, and the fact that he is remembered so fondly eight centuries later makes the case even convincing.

Liêm Chính là một giá trị trong những giá trị cổ truyền của Đông Phương, có nghĩa là ngay thẳng và trong sạch. Danh nhân Việt nam tiêu biểu cho đức tính này là bậc đại nho Chu Văn An (1292-1370). Ông sinh quán ở thôn Văn, xã Thanh Liệt, huyện Thanh Trì, Hà Nội. Ông là người có tính tình cương nghị, thẳng thắn. sửa mình trong sạch, bền giữ tiết tháo, không cầu lợi lộc. Ông nổi tiếng là môt học giả uyên bác, học vấn tinh thông, học trò đầy cửa, có kẻ đỗ đại khoa, vào chính phủ làm việc.Vua Trần Minh Tông mời ông vào làm Quốc Tử Giám Tư Nghiệp dạy thái tử học.

Chu Văn An làm quan dưới triều Dụ Tông, nhưng vua ham chơi bời lười chính sự, dung túng quyền thần nhiều kẻ làm trái phép nước. Ông khuyên can nhưng Dụ Tông không nghe, ông bèn dâng sớ xin chém bảy tên nịnh thần, đều là những kẻ quyền thế được vua yêu. Người bấy giờ gọi là “Thất Trảm Sớ”. Sớ dâng lên nhưng không được trả lời, ông bèn treo ấn từ quan về quê dạy học. Ông là tấm gương của sĩ phu thuở trước quyết sống một cuộc đời trong sạch và liêm khiết, không để danh lợi làm mất sĩ khí của một người sĩ phu.

PG 66

6.01 TEAM BIOS : Mạo Hiểm – Adventure

Mạo Hiểm là một giá trị chưa được phát huy đúng mức trong thang giá trị của Việt Nam. Ngừời Việt thường tự hào về tình gia tộc, xóm làng và bám đất để sống còn, cho nên thường coi nhẹ những người có óc mạo hiểm, viễn du. Trong thời đại hiện nay, tính mạo hiểm là một giá trị được đề cao trong văn hóa Tây phương. Theo Tự Điển Hán Việt của Thiều Chửu, sự gì an hay nguy, thành hay bại mà chưa thể biết trước được đều gọi là hiểm. Mạo là cứ tiến lên không e sợ gì. Ghép lại mạo hiểm là tính xông pha, tìm hiểu ở những nơi xa lạ, có tính chất hiểm nghèo, bất trắc. Điển hình trong lịch sử Việt Nam về tính mạo hiểm phải kể đến Chúa Nguyễn Hoàng, tổ sáng lập triều đại nhà Nguyễn. Chúa Nguyễn Hoàng là con thứ hai của An Thanh Hầu Nguyễn Kim. Khi còn dưới triều Lê, Ngài đã là một tướng tài lập nhiều công lớn,được vua Lê phong tước Đoan Quận Công. Sau khi anh trưởng Nguyễn Uông bị anh rể là Chúa Trịnh Kiểm kiếm chuyện giết đi, ngài Nguyễn Hoàng lo sợ bị Chúa Trịnh ganh ghét ám hại, nên nghe lời khuyên “Hoành Sơn nhất đái, vạn đại dung thân” của Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, đã xin vào trấn thủ đất Thuận Hóa, lúc mới vào đóng tại xã Ái Tử, huyện Đăng Xương (8) tỉnh Quảng Trị năm 1558

...is a value that needs to be promoted in the Vietnamese scale of values. Vietnamese people are proud of their family ties, and clinging to their land for survival; therefore, often disregard adventurous people. In today society, adventure and risk-taking are highly regarded values in Western culture. A typical hero who is most adventurous in Vietnamese history is Lord Nguyen Hoang.Nguyen Hoang is the forefather of the Nguyen Dynasty; he is the second son of Count An Thanh, Nguyen Kim, who has helped restore the late Le Dynasty. Nguyen Hoang himself was a general and received the title Count Doan Quan.

When Nguyen Kim died, his son-in-law Trinh Kiem assumed power and got rid of Kim’s oldest son Nguyen Uong to consolidate his power. Facing imminent danger, Nguyen Hoang asked to be assigned to Thuan Hoa, the southern border region, a form of self-exiled.

Trinh Kiem let him go in 1558. Thuan Hoa, the southernmost region of Vietnam then, was a region of deep jungles and steep mountains, the wilderness. Nguyen Hoang cultivated the land, brought in people to expand and built Thuan Hoa into a prosperous region as important in economic and military as the Northern region which Trinh Kiem controlled. Nguyen Hoang governed the South in 55 years and within this period, Lúc đầu Ngài Nguyễn Hoàng vừa lo xây dựng, củng he initiated the Southward Movement in 1611 to ex- cố Thuận Hóa để dung thân, vừa lo quân họ Mạc đánh pand the country territoty to the south. His successors phá khắp nơi, nhưng vẫn một lòng giữ nghĩa khí phò continued and expanded Vietnam to today’s territory. Lê. Ngài vẫn thường ra chầu Vua Lê ở Thăng Long.

Năm 1593, Ngài đưa quân ra Bắc Hà giúp Trịnh Tùng đánh dẹp họ Mạc trong 8 năm trời rồi bị họ Trịnh lưu giữ lại, không cho Ngài trở về. Mãi đến năm 1599, nhân có vụ quân binh chống họ Trịnh, Ngài mới có cớ đưa quân sĩ trở về Thuận Hóa. Trong suốt 55 năm cai trị, Ngài đã tỏ ra là một vị tướng mưu lược, khôn ngoan lại có lòng nhân đức, thu phục hào kiệt, an ủi nhân dân, cho nên dân chúng Thuận Quảng cảm mến, gọi Ngài là Chúa Tiên. Để mở rộng bờ cõi, năm 1611 Ngài thực hiện cuộc Nam tiến đầu tiên, chiếm đất từ bắc Quảng Nam đến đèo Cù Mông, lập thành phủ Phú Yên.Chúa Nguyễn Hoàng lập ra Hệ Nhì Tiền Biên, có 10 Công Tử và 2 Công Nữ.

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LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

VALUES/CHARACTERS : Nhân Ái – Compassion

...is the innate feelings and urge to relieve suffering of other beings.

J.J. Rousseau wrote: “ I perceive in it two principles prior to reason, one of which makes us ardently interested in our own well-being and self-preservation, while the other gives us the natural repugnance to seeing any sentient creature, especially our fellow man, perish or suffer.”

Compassion is a very important characteristic in all society. Without compassion, relationship among men is the relationship among ignorant animals, and therefore being punished, but I loved them very much.”. In Vietnamese history, King Ly Thanh Tong, the third king of the Ly Dynasty, probably is the king the most exemplified this character. Legend has it that during a severe winter, Ly Thanh Tong said “I am bundled up in the Royal Palace and still feel the cold. How about those convicts in jail who have less food, and clothes? Among them many are still in investigation whose guilt are yet determined. What if they die because of the severe cold? I shall reduce the punishment of those convicted felons.” Another time he said: “I love the people as if they were my children.

They commited crime because they are ignorant, and therefore being punished, but I loved them very much.” King Ly Thanh Tong is also the first king who established Van Mieu and promoted popular education.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

Nhân Ái là lòng thương người. Chữ Nhân có hai nghĩa: thứ nhất xuất phát từ bản chất “người” trong mỗi chúng ta và con người thì ai cũng bình đẳng như nhau.Chữ “Nhân” này còn có nghĩa lá cái nhân ở trong hạt. Từ bàn chất người, chúng ta ai cũng có lòng nhân ái, yêu thương đồng loại.Jean Jacque Rousseau cũng đã viết trong Khảo luận về sự bất bính đảng của con người: “…hành vi của con người bị chi phối bởi hai bản năng: đó là bản năng tự tồn, và thứ hai là biết đau thương trước khổ đau của đồng loại”.Đức Nhân là đức tính quan trọng trong mọi văn hóa và xã hội vì đó là nền tảng của sinh hoạt nhân loại. Không có đức nhân thì sinh hoạt của loài người chỉ là sinh hoạt của loài động vật mà thôi. Trong lịch sử Việt Nam, vua Lý Thánh Tông là vị vua thể hiện đức nhân một cách rõ ràng hơn cả. Lý Thánh Tông là vị vua thứ ba đởi nhà Lý. Ngài nổi tiếng là một ông vua nhân từ có lòng thương dân. Một năm trời rét lạnh, ngài phán rằng : “ Trẫm ở trong cung ăn mặc thế này còn rét, nghĩ những tù phạm giam trong ngục phải trói buộc, cơm không có mà ăn, áo không có mà mặc; vả lại có người xét hỏi chưa xong, gian ngay chưa rõ, nhỡ rét quá mà chết thì thật là thương lắm.” Nhà vua còn phán: “ Lòng trẫm yêu dân cũng như yêu con trẫm vậy, hiềm vì trăm họ ngu dại, làm càn phải tội, trẫm lấy làm thuong lắm. Từ rày về sau, tội gì cũng giảm nhẹ bớt đi.” Lý Thánh Tông cũng là vi vua đầu tiên cho thành lập Văn Miếu, mở mang việc học.

PG 68

6.01 TEAM BIOS : Quật Cường – Resilience

Sáng tạo – Creativity

...is a particular Vietnamese character. It means the potential to spring back after being supressed.

Vietnamese history is the history of a resilient people because after enduring more than 1000 years under Chinese domination and nearly 100 years under the French, Vietnam is still an indepenpent country without having been assimilated. King Quang Trung (Nguyễn Huệ) exemplified this value. He is, one of the greatest kings in Vietnam’s History who defeated the Ching’s invasion (nhà Thanh bên Trung Hoa) to establish independence and unified Vietnam as a country.

He’s most famous with the Dong Da Exploit where his excellent military strategy has brought about victory against the Chinese within a few days. He became King Quang Trung in 1788 and harbored great dreams regarding the protection of our country against the giant Chinese neighbor.Unfortunately, he died in 1792, only after two years of governing the country.

... is a characteristic that we need to develop.

Creativity literally means to create something new, but not imitate. The Vietnamese in general has gotten more used to rote memory rather than to creative thinking, or out-of-the-box thinking. It is agreeable that Ho Quy Ly, the founder of the Ho Dynasty, is the most creative and practical ruler of Vietnam. While Ho Quy Ly was the highest-ranking officer of the late Tran Dynasty, he initiated many important reforms such as the use of paper money; reform education and examination by reducing rote memory and introducing mathematics into the curriculum; land reform to give more land to the people by cutting land from lords and court officials; establishing Health Department; using Nom characters (Vietnamese characters) instead of Chinese characters in writings... All of these reforms proved that Ho Quy Ly is a practical and creative ruler who ahead of his time. Therefore, he faced much opposition from his peers and even from the people. In order to have power to implement his reforms, Ho Quy Ly dethroned the last king of Tran Dynasty, which was deteriorating, and founded the Ho Dynasty. Ho Dynasty lasted only 7 years because the Ming Dynasty again invaded Vietnam and defeated Ho Quy Ly.

Quật Cường là một đức tính đặc thù của Việt nam, nghĩa là có sức bật dậy dù bị đè nén. Lịch sử Việt Nam là lịch sử của một dân tộc quật cường vì sau hơn 1000 năm bị Tàu đô hộ và sau đó là 100 năm thuộc Pháp, vẫn giữ được độc lập mà không bị đồng hóa. Điển hình cho đức tính này là Vua Quang Trung .Vua Quang Trung húy là Nguyễn Huệ, cùng với hai anh là Nguyễn Nhạc và Nguyễn Lữ khởi nghiệp ở đất Tây Sơn, tỉnh Bình Định. Ông là người có công thống nhất đất nước sau gần 200 năm phân chia bởi cuộc nội chiến Trịnh-Nguyễn. Khi quân Thanh sang xâm lấn nước ta năm Mậu Thân 1788, với số quân ít ỏi hơn quân Thanh rất nhiều, chỉ trong vòng năm ngày vua Quang Trung đã đánh tan tành 20 vạn quân Thanh với trận đánh lịch sử Đống Đa làm rạng danh sử Việt. Vua Quang Trung lên ngôi hoàng đế năm 1790 và có những giấc mộng và kế hoạch quy mô như: dự định đòi lại hai vùng đất Quảng Đông và Quảng Tây bị người Tàu chiếm giữ. Tiếc thay, chỉ mới lên ngôi được hai năm thì vua Quang Trung băng hà trong khi nhiều dự định chưa thực hiện xong.

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Sáng Tạo là môt khả năng hay đặc tính mà người Việt chúng ta cần phát huy. Sáng tạo nôm na nghĩa là chế tạo nên cái mới. Sáng tạo không phải là bắt chước. Người Việt Nam đã quen với lối học từ chương nên còn xa lạ với tư duy sáng tạo, suy nghĩ ra ngoài khuôn khổ. Nhân vật lịch sử điển hình cho sáng tạo không ai có thể phủ nhận được là Hồ Quý Ly là một đại quan trong cuối đời nhà Trần. Khi nhà Trần suy, Hồ Quý Ly chiếm lấy quyền hành và lập ra nhà Hồ năm 1400. Hồ Quý Ly là một nhà lãnh đạo có đầu óc canh tân. Khi còn làm quan ông đã dâng lên vua nhiều điều cải cách, trong đó có những điều quan trọng sau đây: dùng tiền giấy thay cho tiền đồng; cải cách thi cử thêm vào môn toán học; cải cách ruông đất giảm bớt đất đai của các vương hầu và ấn định lại thuế khóa cho hợp lý; khuyến khích dân nghèo đi khẩn hoang; lập ra Quảng Tế Thự ( Bộ Y Tế ngảy nay) ; và dùng chữ Nôm trong các tài liệu giảng dạy cho hoàng thân quốc thích.Tất cả những cải cách của Hồ Quý Ly cho thấy ông là người có óc thực tiễn và sáng tạo đi trước thời đại. Tuy nhiên chính vì đi trước thời đại mà ông bị rất nhiều chống đối trong cả triều thần ra đến quần chúng. Thêm vào đó nhà Minh bên Trung Hoa sang xâm lấn nước ta, chấm dứt nhà Hồ vào năm 1407.Nhà Minh đô hộ nước ta trong 10 năm, sau đó mới bị anh hùng áo vải Lê Lợi đánh đuổi và lập ra nhà Hậu Lê.

LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

VALUES/CHARACTERS : Tự Do – Freedom

...is the most essential value for a life of dignity. The Vietnamese people is a freedom-loving people and have shed blood durng four thousand years of history to protect freedom and independence. Ngô Quyền is the first king who established sovereignty and independence for Vietnam in the year 939. Before Ngo Quyen, China has dominated and colonialized Vietnam for 1146 years. During this period, innumerable Vietnamese heroes and heroines had continuously uprisen against China; some were successful, some were defeated until the year 939 when Ngo Quyen successfully defeated the Chinese and proclaimed independence. Ngo Quyen was born at Duong Lam village, county of Phú Thọ, Sơn Tây Province. Ngô quyền was not only an excellent martial artist, his strength was also exceptional that he could lift one-thousandpound bronze cauldron Ngô Quyền began his career as a magistrate for Dương Diên Nghệ, then the Vietnamese governor. Dương married his daughter to Ngô Quyền and promoted him to the post of Chief Magistrate of Ái Châu. When Dương was killed by the Chinese (Southern Han Dynasrty), Ngô quyền assumed command of the army and defeated the Chinese at Bạch Đằng river. This victory washed away the shame of the Vietnamese people who had been colonized as slaves by China for more than one thousand years and opened a new era of independence and sovereignty for later dynasties: Đinh, Lê, Lý, Trần, Lê, Nguyễn. Ngô Quyền ascended to the throne as King Ngô and chose Cổ Loa as the country’s capital. However, King Ngô died young when he was just 47 years old. The Ngô Dynastry lasted 6 years.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

Tự Do là một giá trị thiết yếu cho một đời sống có phẩm cách. Dân tộc Việt nam là một dân tộc yêu chuộng tự do và đã đổ biết bao xương máu trong hơn bốn ngàn măm lịch sử để bảo vệ tự do và độc lập của đất nước. Điển hình cho giá trị tự do này là Ngô Quyền, vị vua đầu tiên khai sáng nền độc lập cho nước ta từ năm 939 (Kỷ Hợi). Trước Ngô Quyền, Việt Nam bị Bắc thuộc trong suốt 1146 năm, dù các anh hùng nổi lên không biết bao lần để giành độc lập (Phạm Văn Sơn, Việt Nam Sử Lược, 1960). Ngô Quyền quê ở Đường Lâm, huyện Phúc Thọ, tình Sơn Tây. Ông vốn “tướng diện oai quyền, lục năng cử đảnh”, làm quan với Dương Diên Nghệ, sau được Nghệ gả con gái, cho vào trấn thủ Ái Châu, Ông đánh bại quân Nam Hán ở sông Bạch Đằng, dựng nên nền độc lập cho nước Việt, rửa được mối nhục nô lệ của dân ta hơn ngàn năm thuộc nước Tàu, mở đường cho các triều đại tự chủ Đinh, Lê, Lý, Trần sau này. Ngô Quyền lên ngôi xưng đế hiệu là Ngô Vương (939) đóng đô tại Cổ Loa. Năm Giáp Thìn (944) Ngô Vương băng hà, sau khi làm vua dược 6 năm, thọ 47 tuổi.

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6.02 FIVE THOUSAND YEARS OF VIETNAMESE CULTURE :

Historians generally share a common view that Vietnam was born out of a fairly sophisticated cultural community which was formed around the first half of the first millennium B.C.E. and flourished in the middle of that millennium. That was Nông Sơn cultural community. This culture attained a degree of development higher than that of others in the region at the time. It had its own characteristics but still bore the features of Southeast Asian culture because of the common South Asian racial root (Southern Mongoloid) and the water rice culture. Different developmental routes of local cultures in various areas (in the deltas of Hoàng (Red) river, Mã (Horse) river, Caû river and so on...) joined together to form Dong Son culture. This period marked a very “embryonic” state of a nation later called Vietnam, which was existing in the form of inter- and super-village community. The “embryonic” tribes had their autonomy but would come together in times of regional crises, specifically to resist foreign invaders or to build and maintain dikes for rice cultivation. This geopolitical philosophy served as a back bone of Vietnam’s political policy throughout most of its 5,000 year history.

The period that was considered the first apogee in the history of the Vietnamese culture known as Van Lang – Au Lac culture began around 3 millennia B.C.E. This period, popularly regarded as an era of 18 Hung Vuong kings, lasted around 3,000 years and was typified by the Nông Sơn bronze drums and stable techniques of cultivating water rice.

The beginning of the first millennium A.D. also marked the beginning of a 1,000 year occupation by China. The post-Chinese domination period was characterized by the two parallel trends, Han assimilation and anti-Han assimilation. This was a second apogee of the Vietnamese culture represented by Ly, Tran and Le Dynasties during which the Vietnamese culture underwent a comprehensive restoration heavily influenced

by Buddhism and Taoism.

Four centuries of peace ended with another short-lived Chinese invasion, which was followed by a period of civil war most notably by Trịnh and Nguyen feudal lords. In the late 18th century, in one of the most spectacular shows of force, the Tây Sôn led by King Quang Trung reunited the country. After the Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam’s last monarchy, took control of the nation, they tried to restore the Confucian culture but failed because by then the appeal of Western culture introduced by the French had already begun to penetrate Vietnamese society. A century of French domination was marked by a cultural mix which consisted of two opposite trends – Europeanization and anti-Europeanization – which represented the underlying colonialist and patriotic sentiments respectively. From the 1930’s, a modern Vietnamese culture was beginning to assume and incorporate new characters with increasingly intensive integration into world modern civilization.

It can be said that there were three layers of culture overlapping each other during the history of Vietnam: local culture, the culture that was mixed with those of China and other countries in the region, and the culture that interacted with Western cultures. The most prominent feature of the Vietnamese culture is that it has been able to resist wholesale assimilation of foreign cultures thanks to the strong local cultural foundations. On the contrary, Vietnamese have selectively utilized those foreign cultures to enrich theirs, while maintaining their national cultural identity.

Vietnamese culture emerges from a concrete living environment: a tropical country with many rivers and a confluence of great cultures. The natural environment (temperature, humidity, monsoon, water flows, water-rice agriculture etc.) exerts a remarkable influence on the material and spiritual life of the nation, as well as the characteristics and psychology of its people. Social and historical conditions may have also played a significant role in the shaping of national psychology. Though sharing the same Southeast Asian cultural origin, the Vietnamese culture distinguishes itself because of the long exposure to those of China and France.

This may explain the distinct cultural differences between Vietnam and other water-rice cultures like Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, and India etc.

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LÊN ĐƯỜNG CAMP 2016

The followings are the overview of major cultural as- “Suppleness to prevail over firmness and weakness pects: over strength” this practical philosophy allowed Vietnam to cope accordingly with difficult situations and 1. Philosophy and ideologies to do so successfully many times in Vietnam’s history.

At the start, with primitive and rudimentary cognition of materialism and dialectics, Vietnamese thinking and beliefs appeared inseparable. However, Vietnam’s affinity to agriculture as opposed to the nomadic culture predisposed it towards the appreciation of stillness over movement. More dependent on natural phenomena, the Vietnamese philosophy paid special attention to relations that was typified by doctrine of Yin and Yang and the five basic elements (not exactly the same as the Chinese doctrine) and manifested in the moderate lifestyle tending towards harmony.

Later, Vietnamese society and culture were enriched by the influence of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, all of which were conciliated and Vietnamized.

Particularly, the Zen-Buddhists during the Ly and Tran Dynasties earned historical acclaim for their own original and distinguished interpretation of Buddhist philosophies (i.e. Heart-Buddha, being-not being, lifedeath.) Although Confucianism flourished afterward, many famous Vietnamese Confucianists did not strictly follow Confucianism and Mencianism, but rather adopted the spirit of Buddhism and Taoism to make their ideology more open, closer to the people and more harmonious with nature.

Vietnamese highly appreciated “Benevolence” which was viewed in close association with “Righteousness” and “Virtues” such that life without benevolence and righteousness was tantamount to one without virtues. Nguyen Trai, a foremost scholar in the 15th century, once described the Vietnamese concept of Benevolence and Righteousness as the opposition to fierce violence, which became an integral part of the foundation for the policy of fighting foreign invaders as well as ruling the country. Vietnamese understood that loyalty meant being loyal to the nation as opposed to loyalty to a ruler, and respected piety without being so bound with the framework of family. Happiness was also among the top social values; people often make compliments on the happiness of a family rather than wealth and social position.

The policy that facilitated agriculture and restrained trade, popular in the Nguyen Dynasty, perhaps blocked the development of city-dweller’s consciousness according to some historians. In the past, Vietnamese generally ranked agriculture and education as their first and second priorities of occupations, while having a low opinion of the business class. Other trades including cultural activities were regarded with rather low priorities.

The agricultural society was characterized by a village community with many primitive vestiges that formed the specific characteristics of the Vietnamese.

Those were the thoughts of dualism, a concrete way of thinking that was tilted to emotional experiences rather than rationalism, and images rather than concepts. However, it was also a flexible, adaptable, and conciliatory way of thinking. This way of thinking highly valued emotional ties to relatives and the community (because “there would be no home in a lost country” and “the whole village rather than a sole roof would be engulfed by flood”). This was also a way of behaving toward conciliatory, equilibrium and relations-based settlement of conflicts and disputes.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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6.02 FIVE THOUSAND YEARS OF VIETNAMESE CULTURE : 2. Customs and Practices

service is also proceeded very thoroughly to express the grief and see off the relative into the other world.

In the old days, the Vietnamese eating habit tends In time of grievances, the family of the deceased is oftowards vegetarianism; rice and vegetables are the ten provided help by its neighbors rather than having center of the meal that may be diversified by aquatic to manage it by themselves. products. They preferred boiling as a cooking method and synthetic food processing style that involves Vietnam is a country of festivities which take place many materials and ingredients. Today, although all year round, especially in spring when there is little meat and fish have become a larger part of a typical farm work. The major festivities are Tet Nguyen Dan meal, Vietnamese do not forget pickled egg-plant.

(Lunar New Year), Mid-First month, Han Thuc (cold food), Doan Ngo (double five), Mid-Seventh month, In the past, Vietnamese preferred to wear light, thin, Mid-Autumn Festival, Ong Tao (the God of the kitchwell-ventilated kind of clothing that originated from en.) Each region has its own ritual holidays, the most plants and was suitable for such a tropical country important of which are agricultural rituals (praying as Vietnam, with gray, indigo and black colors. Men’s for rain, getting down to the rice field, and new rice...) clothing changed from loin-cloth with bare upper and trade’s rituals (copper casting, forging, making half of the body to short jackets and Vietnamese tra- fire crackers, and boat racing...) Besides, there are also ditional trousers (re-designed from Chinese trousers). rituals dedicated to national heroes and religious and Women often wore brassieres, skirts and four-piece cultural services. Ritual holidays are usually divided long dresses that were later modified to the modern into two parts: a spiritual part consisting of blessings áo dài. In general, Vietnamese women adorned them- or thanksgivings, and cultural part involving the comselves subtly and secretively in a society where “virtue munity with many folk games and contests. is more important than appearance.” They generally enjoyed hankerchiefs, hats and belts.

The old-style Vietnamese house was related to the watery environment (stilted house with curved roof ).

Also popular were thatch-roofed houses with clay walls, which were built mostly from wood and bamboo. This kind of house did not stand too high to avoid high winds and storms, and more importantly, the house should face to the South direction to be free from hot and cold weathers. The interior of the hous was also not so spacious to leave room for the courtyard, pond, and garden. Also, Vietnamese thought that “spacious home was no better than sufficient food.” Sizable ancient architectures were often built shrouded and in harmony with natural environment.

The traditional means of transport is waterways. Ship of all types together with the river and the wharf are familiar images.

Vietnamese customs of weddings, funerals, holidays and rituals all are attached to village community. Marriages not only reflect the lovers’ desire but also had to meet the interests of the family lines, the village; thus, the choice for future bride or bridegroom was done very carefully, which had to go through many formalities from the plighting ceremony, the official proposal to the bride’s family, the wedding to the marriage tie, the ritual of sharing bridal cup of wine, the newly-weds’ first visit to the bride’s family. To be accepted as a new member of the village, the bride sometimes had to pay a fine to the village. Funeral PG 73

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3. Languages

4. Arts

There are many theories regarding the origin of the Vietnamese language. The most persuasive one argues that the Vietnamese language previously belonged to the Mon-Khmer group of the Southeast Asian linguistic system. It was later transformed into Viet-Muong language (or old Vietnamese language) and then separated to form the modern Vietnamese language. In the modern Vietnamese language, many words have been proven to contain Mon-Khmer roots and to be phonetically and semantically relevant to the Muong language.

Vietnam has some 50 national music instruments, of which the set of percussion instruments is the most popular, diverse and long-lasting such as đàn đáy, đàn tranh, đàn nhị, đàn bầu... The set of wind instruments is represented by flutes and pan-pipes, while the set of string instruments is specified by dan bau and dan day.

The Vietnamese folksongs are rich in forms and melodies of regions across the country, ranging from ngâm thơ (reciting poems), hát ru (lullaby), hò (chanty) to hát quan họ, trong quan, xoan, dum, ví giặm, ca Huế, Throughout a millennium of Chinese occupation and bài chòi, ly. Apart from this, there are also other forms under the Vietnamese feudal dynasties, the official like hát xẩm, chầu văn, and ca trù. language was the Han, but the Vietnamese always demonstrated its strength for self-preservation and Traditional performing arts include Chèo and Hát development. The Han language was pronounced in tuồng. Water-puppet opera, the most unique form of the Vietnamese way, called the Han-Viet way of pro- Vietnamese artistry was popularized in the Ly Dynunciation, and Vietnamized in various ways to create nasty. At the start of the 20th century, Cải lương (remany commonly used Vietnamese words. In the 13th formed theatre) appeared in Cochinchina with melocentury, the diverse development of the Vietnamese dies of Vọng cổ. language popularized a system of unique writing of the Vietnamese language on the basis of the Han The Vietnamese acoustic arts generally have symbolic, characters, called the Nôm character. expressive and emotional features. Traditional stage relates closely to the audience and is a combination In the 17th century, for the purpose of evangelism of music and dance forms. The Vietnamese dance and possible political motivations, some Western mis- has few strong and tough actions, but contains many sionaries including Alexandre de Rhodes in collabo- smooth and curling features with closed feet and a lot ration with some Vietnamese created a new national of arm-dancing actions. language which was a combination of the native Vietnamese spoken language and Latin alphabets. This In Vietnam, the arts of sculpturing on stone, copper new national language offered the advantages of and baked clay came into existence very early, datsimple figure, composition, spelling and pronuncia- ing back to the 10,000 B.C. Later, enameled ceramics, tion facilitating the development of the modern Viet- wooden statues, shell-encrusted pictures, lacquers, namese prose, which could then be a conduit of influ- silk- made pictures and paper-made pictures all atence from the West. In late 19th century, publications tained high degree of artistic sophistication. The Vietwere published in the National language characters. namese plastic arts focus on expressing innermost feelings with simplified forms using many methods of The Vietnamese language is characterized by mo- stylization and emphases. no-phonology with a concrete, abundant, acoustic vocabulary and a proportionate, rhythmical, lively, flexible, symbolic and emotional way of expression, which tremendously facilitates artistic and literary creation. The Vietnamese dictionary published by the Center of Lexicography in 1997 consists of 38,410 entries.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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6.04 VIETNAM MAP

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7.0 CAMP SONGS & ABOUT VCSA

7.01 CAMP SONGS 7.02 VCSA INTRODUCTION 7.03 GIOI THIEU HOI VHKHVN

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7.01 CAMP SONGS : VIỆT NAM VIỆT NAM Việt Nam, Việt Nam nghe từ vào đời.

Việt Nam hai câu nói trên vành nôi.

Việt Nam nước tôi.

Việt Nam, Việt Nam tên gọi là người.

Việt Nam hai câu nói sau cùng khi lìa đời.

Việt Nam đây miền xinh tươi.

Việt Nam đem vào sông núi.

Tự Do Công Bình Bác Ái muôn đời.

Việt Nam không đòi xương máu.

Việt Nam kêu gọi thương nhau.

Việt Nam đi xây đắp yên vui dài lâu.

Việt Nam trên đường tương lai, Lửa thiêng soi tòan thế giới.

Việt Nam ta nguyền tranh đấu cho đời.

Tình yêu đây là khí giới.

Tình thương đem về muôn nơi.

Việt Nam đây tiếng nói đi xây tình người.

Việt Nam! (Muôn năm! Muôn năm!)

Việt Nam! (Muôn năm! Muôn năm!)

Việt Nam! Quê hương đất nước sáng ngời.

Việt Nam! (Muôn năm! Muôn năm!)

Việt Nam! (Muôn năm! Muôn năm!)

Việt Nam! Muôn đời!

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VIỆT NAM QUÊ HƯƠNG NGẠO NGHỄ Ta như nước dâng, dâng chẳng có bao giờ tàn. Đường dài ngút ngàn chỉ một trận cười vang vang.

Lê sâu bàn chân gông cùm một thời xa xăm. Đôi mắt ta rực sáng theo nhịp xích kêu loàng xoàng.

Ta khua xích kêu vang dậy trước mặt mọi người.

Nụ cười muôn đời là một nụ cười không tươi.

Nụ cười xa vời, nụ cười của lòng hờn sôi.

Bước tiến ta tràn tới tung xiềng vào mặt nhân gian. ĐK: Máu ta từ thành Văn Lang dồn lại.

Xương da thịt này cha ôngmiệt mài.

Từng giờ qua, cười ngạo nghễ đi trong đau nhức khôn nguôi.

Chúng ta thành một đoàn người hiên ngang, Trên bàn chông hát cười đùa vang vang.

Còn Việt Nam, triệu con tim này còn triệu khối kiêu hùng.

Ta như giống dân đi tràn trên lò lửa hồng.

Mặt lạnh như đồng cùng nhìn về một xa xăm.

Da chan mồ hôi nhễ nhại cuộn vòng gân tươi. Ôm vết thương rỉ máu ta cười dưới ánh mặt trời.

Ta khuyên cháu con ta còn tiếp tục làm người.

Làm người huy hoàng phải chọn làm người dân Nam. Làm người ngang tàng điểm mặt mày của trần gian.

Hỡi những ai gục xuống ngoi dậy hùng cường đi lên.

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7.01 CAMP SONGS : LÀM GIÓ TUNG CỜ Đừng làm áng mây trời một đời bay mãi chơi vơi. Đừng làm áng mây trời một đời theo gió ngàn nơi.

Thà làm áng mây trời một ngày che mát quê tôi.

Thà làm áng mây trời một ngày mưa xuống ơn đời.

Thà làm áng mây trời, làm áng mây trời về đến bên người.

Thà làm áng mây trời, làm áng mây trời dịu mát môi cười. Đừng làm cánh chim ngàn lạc rừng muôn kiếp lang thang. Đừng làm cánh chim ngàn muộn màng rung tiếng thở than.

Thà làm cánh chim ngàn dọc ngang trên đất Việt nam.

Thà làm cánh chim ngàn nhịp nhàng ca hát chung đoàn.

Thà làm cánh chim ngàn, làm cánh chim ngàn bay khắp giang san.

Thà làm cánh chim ngàn, làm cánh chim ngàn nhập bóng chung đoàn. Đừng làm nước ao tù, một đời rêu bám thâm u. Đừng làm nước ao tù, một đời soi bóng sầu tư.

Thà làm nước xuôi giòng nhịp nhàng đưa sóng trào dâng.

Thà làm nước xuôi giòng nhịp nhàng đơm lúa thơm nồng.

Thà làm nước xuôi giòng, làm nước xuôi giòng vùng vẫy oai hùng.

Thà làm nước xuôi giòng, làm nước xuôi giòng ngọt lúa thơm nồng. Đừng làm kiếp con người một đời như đám rong trôi. Đừng làm kiếp con người một đời ôm bóng sầu khơi.

Thà làm kiếp con người một ngày tranh đấu mê say.

Thà làm kiếp con người một ngày nhưng sống muôn ngày.

Thà làm kiếp con người dù sống một ngày nhưng sống mê say.

Thà làm kiếp con người dù sống một giờ làm gió tung cờ.

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CHIA TAY Gặp nhau đây rồi chia tay.

Ngày vàng như đã vụt qua trong phút giây.

Niềm hăng say còn chưa phai. Đường trường sông núi hẹn mai ta sum vầy.

Còn trong ta tình bao la.

Cuộc tình chinh chiến bùng lên muôn ước mơ.

Lời suy tư, lời đêm qua.

Dặn lòng hãy nhớ lời yêu thương nhắn về.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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7.01 CAMP SONGS : TUỔI TRẺ VIỆT NAM LÊN ĐƯỜNG Tuổi trẻ Việt Nam lên đường!

Tuổi trẻ Việt Nam lên đường!

Tuổi trẻ Việt Nam lên đường!

Lên Đường!

Vì yêu thương quê nhà, vì yêu thương sơn hà, Vì đau xót cha mẹ già và đàn em thơ.

Vì yêu thương muôn người, vì yêu thương giống nòi, Toàn dân đứng lên đáp lời gọi của non sông.

Tuổi trẻ Việt Nam, minh châu trời đông!

Tuổi trẻ Việt Nam, sáng danh Lạc Hồng.

Một lòng vì nước đấng anh hùng, Một đời son sắt khách má hồng Toàn dân chung lòng, đuốc Nhân Quyền thắp sáng non sông.

Tuổi trẻ Việt Nam quyết vùng lên Độc tài phi nhân phải vùi thân Bạo quyền gian ác phải phơi xác dươi gươm anh hùng.

Hàng triệu bàn tay châm lửa thiêng Hòa cùng nhịp tim, quên niềm riêng Đồng lòng tranh đấu, đường quê với năm châu nối liền Ngọn lửa Mê Linh bập bùng, rừng già Lam Sơn chập chùng Này Bạch Đằng Giang, kia Vân Đồn sóng vỗ rền vang Là người Việt Nam kiên cường Là giòng Tiên Long can trường Tuổi trẻ Việt Nam - LÊN ĐƯỜNG! (Nhạc & Lời Nguyệt Ánh) PG 81

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QUỐC CA VIỆT NAM Này công dân ơi! Quốc gia đến ngày giải phóng Đồng lòng cùng đi hy sinh tiếc gì thân sống.

Vì tương lai Quốc dân cùng xông pha khói tên, Làm sao cho núi sông từ nay luôn vững bền.

Dù cho thây phơi trên gươm giáo.

Thù nước lấy máu đào đem báo.

Nòi giống lúc biến phải cần giải nguy, Người thanh niên luôn vững bền tâm trí, Hùng tráng quyết chiến đấu, làm cho khắp nơi Vang tiếng người nước nam cho đến muôn đời.

Công dân ơi! Mau hiến thân dưới cờ.

Công dân ơi! Mau làm cho cõi bờ, Thoát cơn tàn phá, vẻ vang nòi giống.

Xứng danh nghìn năm nòi giống Lạc Hồng.

CÙNG QUÂY QUẦN Cùng quây quần ta vui vui vui.

Ta hát với nhau chơi chơi chơi.

Rồi lên tiếng reo cười cười cười.

Làm vui thú bao người người người.

Nhìn lên trời đầy sao sao sao.

Nhưng không biết phương nao nao nao.

Chợt trông thấy ông thần thần thần.

Cài gươm báu bên mình mình mình.

Nào ai từng trông thấy thấy thấy.

Nào ai dám reo vui vui vui Được trông thấy con chuột chuột chuột.

Thò đuôi ngoáy tai mèo mèo mèo.

Nào ta cùng đánh răng răng răng.

Lau mặt mũi tay chân chân chân.

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7.01 CAMP SONGS :

BỐN PHƯƠNG HỌP MẶT Bốn phương trời ta về đây chung vui.

Không phân chia giọng nói tiếng cười.

Cùng nắm tay ta kết tình thân ái.

Trao cho nhau những gì mến thương.

Trao cho nhau những gì mến thương.

TÔI YÊU QUÊ TÔI Tôi yêu quê tôi, yêu lũy tre dài đẹp xinh.

Yêu con sông xanh, yêu cát hoe vàng bên đình.

Yêu trăng buông lơi trên má cô hàng đẹp xinh, Và yêu mấy nhịp cầu tre là đây đang dựng mùa hoa.

Tôi yêu đơn sơ qua mái tranh nghèo mẹ quê.

Yêu duyên nên thơ trong tiếng khoan hò ước thề.

Yêu con đê xinh đưa lối qua chợ làng xưa, Và yêu mấy nhịp cầu tre là đây anh chờ em về.

Kìa cùng đùa chơi, trẻ thơ ca hát say đời.

Dù nghèo mà vui, hỏi ai không hé môi cười.

Mưa nắng ơn trời, luống cày thắm đẹp lúa ngời.

Xóm làng đón mùa chiêm mới, ấm no ấp ủ làng tôi.

Tôi yêu quê tôi, yêu mãi bay giờ còn yêu.

Yêu chim bay qua mang đến tin mừng thái hòa.

Yêu anh, yêu em, yêu nước, yêu trời gần xa, Và yêu cánh đồng vời xa là đây anh chờ em về.

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TRỐNG CƠM Tình bằng có cái trống cơm, Khen ai khéo vỗ (ố mấy) bông nên bông - Ố mấy bông nên bông.

Một đàn tang tình con nít - Một đàn tang tình con nít. Ố mấy lội, lội, lội sông, ố mấy đi tìm.

Em nhớ thương ai, Đôi con mắt ố mấy lim dim Đôi con mắt ố mấy lim dim Một bầy tang tình con nhện ố ố ố ố mấy giăng tơ.

Giăng tơ ố mấy đi tìm -Em nhớ thương ai Duyên nợ khách tang bồng - duyên nợ khách tang bồng.

VỀ VỚI MẸ CHA Từ Nam Quan Cà Mau, từ non cao rừng sâu, gặp nhau cho non nước xây cầu Người thanh niên Việt Nam quay về với xóm làng tiếng reo vui rộn trong lòng ĐK: Cùng đi xây Trường Sơn cùng đi xây Hoành Sơn, cùng đi biến ruộng hoang ra lúa thơm.

Vượt khơi ra đảo xa, lướt ngàn núi sông nhà, ta đắp bồi cho mẹ cha.

Nhìn non sông tả tơi, tình quê hương đầy vơi, người thanh niên Việt Nam ngậm ngùi Chờ chi không vùng lên, thiết tha với dân lành cứ co ro ngồi sao đành? ĐK: Cùng đi xây Trường Sơn cùng đi xây Hoành Sơn, cùng đi biến ruộng hoang ra lúa thơm Vượt khơi ra đảo xa, lướt ngàn núi sông nhà, ta đắp bồi cho mẹ cha.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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7.01 CAMP SONGS : ĐẾN VỚI QUÊ HƯƠNG TÔI Đến với quê hương tôi, nói với quê hương tôi, dù hờn căm còn đầy. Đến với quê hương tôi, nói với quê hương tôi, dù còn bao khổ đau. Đến với quê hương tôi, tương lai lo đền bồi, ruộng vườn cho lúa thêm mới. Đến với quê hương tôi, yêu thương như rạng ngời, nhà Việt Nam sướng vui. ĐK. Ánh sáng đã lan tới, sức sống đã vun xới, trên bao nỗi vui mừng.

Quê hương tăm tối, quê hương sẽ đổi mới, quê hương sẽ yên vui. Đến với quê hương tôi, nói với quê hương tôi, dù gian nan còn nhiều. Đến với quê hương tôi, nói với quê hương tôi, miệt mài không hề nguôi. Đến với quê hương tôi, sông sâu không ngại ngùng, còn niềm tin sáng chói. Đến với quê hương tôi, đêm thâu không bão bùng, nụ cười luôn thắm trên môi.

(Trở lại ĐK) Đến với quê hương tôi, nói với quê hương tôi, lời yêu thương đậm đà.

Sống với quê hương tôi, chết với quê hương tôi, một ngày cho đời vui. Đến với quê hương tôi, vinh quang đang chờ người, nhọc nhằn ta quyết vươn tới.

Sống với quê hương tôi, yêu thương như rạng ngời, hận thù mai sẽ vơi.

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GẦN NHAU ĐK: Gần nhau trao cho nhau yêu thương tình loài người.

Gần nhau trao cho nhau tin yêu đừng gian dối.

Gần nhau trao cho nhau ánh mắt nhân loại này.

Tình yêu thương trao nhau xây đắp trên tình người.

1. Cho dù rừng thay lá xanh đi, cho dù biển cả có phân ly.

Ta vẫn yêu thương nhau mãi mãi. (ĐK) 2. Cho dù đồi hay núi di đi, cho dù bầu trời thiếu mây bay.

Ta vẫn yêu thương nhau mãi mãi. (ĐK) 3. Cho dù mùa xuân thiếu hoa tươi, cho dù rừng già thiếu muông chim.

Ta vẫn yêu thương nhau mãi mãi. (ĐK) NHẢY LỬA Anh em ta mau cố chất cây khô vào đây đốt chung. Đêm khuya nghe tiếng tí tách cây khô nổ vang giữa rừng.

Giang tay nhau đứng vòng quanh lửa hồng, trông khói xanh gió đưa bốc cao.

Cùng cầm tay hát vang lừng, ta chúc lửa thiêng sáng tươi xua tan bóng đêm.

Anh em ta đùa vui hăng hái. Hát cho đời vui vui thật là vui.

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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7.02 VCSA INTRODUCTION : Introduction The Vietnamese Culture and Science Association is a 501-c(3) non-profit Vietnamese American organization founded in 1990. It has over 600 members which consists primarily of young Vietnamese American professionals in Houston and in other citites and states of the US and Canada. The VCSA is based in Houston, Texas.

Besides the Headquarter office in Houston, VCSA has nine other chapters located in Dallas, Austin, Texas; San Diego, California; Washington DC, Maryland, Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Mission Statement Vietnamese Culture and Science Association promotes excellence in education, leadership and skills development through culture and science. Our organization encourages multi-generational and cross-cultural collaborations. We foster civic participation in the mainstream and Vietnamese America.

Objectives •

•

•

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Preserve and develop Vietnamese heritage and culture for the Vietnamese American young adults and Vietnamese descendants by establishing various programs and activities.

Promote cooperation among Vietnamese American professionals in exchanging their skills, participating in the programs and activities to build a strong Vietnamese community in North America in general, and in Texas and other states of U.S. in particular.

Encourage participation in community programs and activities and build a strong sense of civic responsibility among Vietnamese Americans.

Collaborate with other Asian communities and the mainstream society.

Activities and Programs:

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•

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Organize quarterly general meeting to obtain inputs and ideas from members regarding programs and activities of the VCSA. Organize regular Vietnamese Literature, History classes for young Vietnamese Americans to learn more about the heritage language and Computer classes for the Vietnamese community.

Organize monthly Toastmaster program to improve communication skills for members.

Organize regular cultural events and participate in annual cultural events such as the American Asian Festival and the Mardi Gras Festival.

Organize regular professional development workshops to discuss on Science and Technology topics and to share ideas and skills among the professionals.

Organize Annual National Youth Leadership Development Camp “Len Duong”.

Organize Annual Youth Excellence Recognition Luncheon.

Participate in all community related activities such as charitable fund raising events, the Vietnamese New Year Festival, the Asian American Festival and other Asian communities’ events.

Contact Information

Vietnamese Culture and Science Association

13080 Bellaire Blvd., Suite G - Houston, Texas 77072 –

(281) 933-8118 (phone) – (281) 933-8187 (fax) Email: contact@vcsa.org - Web page: http://www.vcsa.org Phone: (972) 539-3394 (Dallas-FW)

(703) 598-9676 (Washington DC) (512) 288-7931 (Austin)

(619) 293-3273 (San Diego)

(416) 697-1472 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) (763) 843-4472 (Minnesota)

(778) 840-8743 (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) PG 87

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7.03 GIOI THIEU HOI VHKHVN : GIỚI THIỆU VỀ HỘI VĂN HÓA KHOA HỌC VIỆT NAM Hội Văn Hóa Khoa Học Việt Nam (VHKHVN) là một tổ chức bất vụ lợi được thành lập từ năm 1990 tại Houston. Hiện nay HVHKHVN có hơn 600 hội viên, đa số là các chuyên viên trẻ cư ngụ tại thành phố Houston, Texas và tại các tiểu bang khác trên toàn Hoa Kỳ. Ngoài trung tâm sinh hoạt tại thành phố Houston, Hội còn có phân hội tại các thành phố Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Diego, Washington DC, Minnesota, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Hội VHKHVN được thành lập nhằm các mục đích sau: • Tạo sự thông cảm và hợp tác trong cộng đồng người Mỹ gốc Việt, đặc biệt trong hai phương diện văn

hóa và khoa học.

• Cung cấp một môi trường đa diện nơi các chuyên viên trẻ trao đổi ý kiến, chia sẻ kinh nghiệm, và tham

dự vào việc xây dựng một cộng đồng Việt Nam vững mạnh tại hải ngoại.

• Góp phần vào công cuộc tái thiết xứ sở sau khi các cơ chế dân chủ, tự do đã được bảo đảm và thực thi

tại Việt Nam. Để đạt được các mục đích nêu trên, Hội VHKHVN đề ra các mục tiêu sau: • Khuyến khích sự hợp tác và trao đổi khả năng, kinh nghiệm giữa các chuyên viên Mỹ gốc Việt, qua sự

tham gia vào các chương trình và sinh hoạt xây dựng cộng đồng VN vững mạnh tại Hoa Kỳ nói chung

và tại Houston nói riêng.

• Bảo tồn và phát huy văn hóa Việt Nam trong các chương trình và sinh hoạt định kỳ.

• Khuyến khích sự tham gia vào các chương trình sinh hoạt cộng đồng, phát huy tinh thần trách nhiệm

của giới trẻ đối với xã hội, cộng đồng và tổ quốc.

• Tham dự hoặc hỗ trợ những sinh hoạt nhằm đòi hỏi một nền tự do và dân chủ chân chính cho Việt Nam. • Tham dự vào các sinh hoạt chung với cộng đồng bản xứ hoặc với các cộng đồng Á Châu hay sắc tộc khác.

• Những mục tiêu trên đã và đang được thực hiện qua các chương trình sinh hoạt sau: • Tổ chức các phiên họp khoáng đại định kỳ mỗi tam cá nguyệt để các hội viên đóng góp ý kiến, hoặc đề

nghị về các chương trình hay sinh hoạt của Hội.

• Tham dự các chương trình, sinh hoạt về văn hóa thường niên như Asian American Festival và Mardi

Gras Festival, hội chợ Tết Việt Nam. • Tổ chức các buổi hội thảo về các đề tài khoa học, kỹ thuật để chia sẻ kinh nghiệm giữa các hội viên • Tham dự vào các sinh hoạt cộng đồng khác như các chương trình gây quỹ từ thiện, hội chợ Tết Việt

Nam, và các chương trình khác, như các lớp điện toán và văn chương, lịch sử.

• Tổ chức các sinh hoạt nhằm phát triển khả năng sinh hoạt và tổ chức của hội viên như các chương trình

của Nhóm Hùng Biện Việt Nam (Toastmaster group), chương trình Đêm Cà Phê, chương trình tổ chức

trại hè phát triển kỹ năng về lãnh đạo toàn Bắc Mỹ “trại Lên Đường”.

• Tổ chức Buổi tiệc tuyên dương học sinh xuất sắc mỗi năm qua chương trình Ngày Truyền Thống Hội VHKHVN. Muốn biết thêm chi tiết xin vui lòng liên lạc: Hội Văn Hóa Khoa Học Việt Nam

13080 Bellaire Blvd., Suite G - Houston, Texas 77072 –

(281) 933-8118 (phone) – (281) 933-8187 (fax) Email: contact@vcsa.org - Web page: http://www.vcsa.org Phone: (972) 539-3394 (Dallas-FW)

(703) 598-9676 (Washington DC) (512) 288-7931 (Austin)

(619) 293-3273 (San Diego)

(416) 697-1472 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) (763) 843-4472 (Minnesota)

(778) 840-8743 (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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8.0 SPONSORS

8.01 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8.02 LEN DUONG CIRCLE 100 8.03 EDMONTON VIETNAMESE ASSOCIATION 8.04 VCSA TORONTO 8.05 BEHIND THE SCENES 8.06 SPONSORS PAGES

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8.01 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS : The Vietnamese Culture and Science Association would like to recognize the contribution of the following corporations, businesses, and individuals for their generous sponsorship of the Youth Leadership Development Camp Len Duong 2016

TITLE SPONSOR

SPONSORS

Thoi Bao Inc.

Dr. Rick Ngô Dr. Danh Quang Le Dr. David Nguyen Le Hoang Nguyen & Winning Agency Nguyen-Hoang Charity Foundation (NHCF) Mr. Hoa D. Nguyen Mr. & Mrs. Ho, Cong Khanh Ms. Thuy Khanh Nguyen & Chevron Matching Program Saigon Eggroll Tony Toàn Nguyễn Memorial Scholarship Fund Windor Dental Clinic

UNDERWRITERS Alfalfa Nail Supply & Regal Nail Salon Inc. Shell Oil Company VIETV Canada WinMagic BENEFACTORS CenterPoint Energy Mr. & Mrs. Do, Ky Anh Texas Instruments & VNTI Rock Revival Inc. PATRONS Catherine Tran Humanitarian Relief Dr. Anh Tat Nguyen Leadership Education for Asian Pacific (LEAP) Kim Son Restaurant Mr. & Mrs. Nguyen, Van Truong Quang & TMC Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Le & Greatland Investment

FRIENDS Dr. Mai Tram Nguyen Dr. Robert Quang Le Mr. Kevin Nguyen & Absolute Realty VietFest SUPPORTERS 22 Tech Inc. Lac Viet Radio (Vancouver) Ms. Tammy Dao Theresa Truong Professional Corporation Saigon Houston Radio 900AM STBN Toronto Canada Thoi Bao US and Canada BYN Television Zenith Holding Inc.

and the support of the following Len Duong camp fund raising teams: - VCSA Toronto Chapter Fundraising Event on May 14, 2016 - The Edmonton Vietnamese Association Fund Raising Event, Miss Vietnam, Co-Chaired by TC Mai and Amy Duong, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - Leadership Development Bonfire Passion Team in Houston, Texas - The Len Duong Circle 100 Campaign from Camp Len Duong Alumni

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8.02 SPONSORS PAGES :

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8.03 EDMONTON VIETNAMESE ASSOCIATION : Len Duong Camp Fundraising Team in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - Acknowledgement Miss Vietnam 2016 Event Organizing Team would like to acknowledge the following donors and sponsors for your generosity

Edmonton Vietnamese Association Fifth Avenue Collection Ampersannd Designs Knotty & Nice Azia Spa Biotop Professional Boba Island Confetti Sweets Coppertop Truck Repair Nailed Beauty Bar Central Social Hall Direct Workwear Ltd. Famoso Sherwood Park Fargo’s Keylime Athleticwear Ponytails + Horseshoes Prism Support Solutions Proactive Therapeutic Massage Revolution Boutique Social Grounds Coffehouse Syphay Restaurant Vietbest TV Warrior Bootcamp Who Cares N2 Makeup Co Corliss Chi Makeup Mai Makeup Alberta Wholesale Fireplaces Tram Le Phan Photo Downtown Auto

PG 92

Student Auto Kiet Truong Luan Ban Duc Lan Anh Tuy Quoc Pham Hoang Duong Mary Tran Sunlight Lightscaping Studio Nails Cleo Nails Pho Song Huong Rosslyn Vision Centre Vo’s Nails Miki Sushi Vtech Auto Repair KBH Michael Nguyen Helen Nguyen Holly Le Sam Pham Anthony Chim Tina Tran Thi Duong Tham Duong Angela Pham Victoria Pham Britney Pham David Duong Alex Duong

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8.04 VCSA TORONTO : VCSA Toronto Chapter - Acknowledgement

Our Fundraising Event on May 14 was a success, and would not have been possible without the generous contribution of the following corporations, businesses, and individuals:

Mr. Nguyễn Đạt – Thời Báo Inc. (LD Camp 2016 Title Sponsor) Mr. & Mrs. Nguyễn Hữu, Châu Thy (LD Camp 2016 Underwriter) Dr. Nguyễn Tường Vân Dr. and Mrs. Nguyễn Nam Anh Dr. and Mrs. Nguyễn Hoành Khôi Mr. and Mrs. Duong Quoc & Alex Goals Business Solutions

SPONSORS

Dr. Hồ Văn Thừa & Mrs. Hồ Thúy Hồng Mrs. Vuong Thi Thi Ms. Virginia Hứa (Spring Rolls) Thầy Tâm Hòa Mrs. Nguyễn P. Thùy Hương & Mr. Trần Sĩ Minh

Bác sĩ Huy Mr. David Pham Mr. Doug Dac Dam Mr. & Mrs. Gerardo Noriega Mr. Jack Fan Mr. John Nguyen Mr. John Pham Mr. Khoa Huynh Mr. Louis Quang Changivy Mr. Nam Truong & Mrs. Lan Huong Nguyen Mr. Phieu Le & Mrs. Hoa Nguyen Mr. Phu Ly Van & Mrs. Lien Ly Van Mr. Tin Nhan & Mrs. Nga Vo Mr. Tom Tsang Mr. Trần Lương Ngọc Mr. & Mrs. Dương Văn Hóa

FRIENDS

Mr. Tuan Anh Le & Mrs. Thu Le Mr. Van Can Ngo & Ms. Thi Kim-Nguyen Mr. & Mrs. Vĩnh Lân Nguyen Mrs. Anh Tran & Mr. Michael Surkout Mrs. Dieu Linh Duong & Mr. Minh Tuan Nguyen Mrs. Mai Nguyen-Lim & Mr. Jonathan Lim Ms. Ann Nguyen Ms. Anna Tran Ms. Jenny Giang Ms. Lan Phuong Pham Ms. Linh Duong Ms. Quynh Giao Le & Grandma Ms. Vicky Tan Pharmacist Võ Thành Tân (Saigon Pharmacy)

SUPPORTERS

Dessert Trends Flora All Occasions Flowers and Gifts Làng Dưỡng Lão Tuổi Hạc Spring Rolls Restaurant

Terra Estate Winery Inc. VIETV Vo Media - SBTN Canada

A Special Thank You To Our Hosting Committee Members: Mr. and Mrs. Đỗ Kỳ Anh Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhã & Mr. Gerardo Noriega Mr. and Mrs. Nguyễn James Ms. Lương Lê Hoa Dr. Nông Duy Trường and Dr. Nguyễn Phúc Anh Lan

A final thank you to all of our volunteers for your dedication!

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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8.05 BEHIND THE SCENES :

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8.06 SPONSORS :

Viet AUGUST 13th 2016

2455 Fraser St, Vancouver 12:00PM - 5:00PM

Cultural Performances Youth Talent Show Ao Dai Fashion Show Activities for Children Food and Vendors

SPONSORS

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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INVESTING IN EDUCATION AND SAFETY TO MAKE LIFE BETTER

INVESTMENTS IN EDUCATION

At CenterPoint Energy, we put safety first in everything we do. Not only do we use safe work practices, but we also educate students and adults about electric and natural gas safety to help our neighbors avoid hazards. The company’s investment in education is just one of the ways we’re working to transfer knowledge to all generations and make people’s lives better.

Safety Through education outreach initiatives, CenterPoint Energy teaches valuable natural gas and electric safety lessons for children and adults.

• Elementary school clasroom visits • Safety and education websites like Energy Underground and Electric Universe • Annual Hurricane Workshop • Speakers’ Bureau • National Night Out • Safety fairs Career awareness Education helps advance the communities where our employees live and work. By reinforcing the importance of education, CenterPoint Energy helps give students a head start in determining their career paths.

• Career Day presentations • Junior Achievement • College student internships Literacy By supporting initiatives to strengthen literacy, CenterPoint Energy helps empower adults and children to make choices for a better future.

• Read Across America • United Way Reading Together program • Donations to nonprofits that support literacy initiatives For more information, including our education websites, visit CenterPoint Energy.com/ Community

©2014 CenterPoint Energy 140328

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8.06 SPONSORS PAGES :

Lên Đường 2011 - 98

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2016

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LÊNĐường ĐƯỜNG 2010 - 98 Lên 2011 - 100

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Vietnamese Culture and Science Association Hội Văn Hóa Khoa Học Việt Nam c

VIETNAMESE CULTURE & SCIENCE ASSOCIATION'S 25 ANNIVERSARY GALA

Celebrating 25 years of community service and leadership development

SAVE-THE-DATE September 24, 2016 Chateau de L’Armour 3330 S. Dairy Ashford Dr. Suite C Houston, Texas 77082

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8.06 SPONSORS PAGES :

Vietnamese Culture and Science Association

Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Gala September 24, 2016

Executive Summary Established in Houston, Texas in 1990, VCSA has expanded to eight other chapters across North America and Canada attracting membership starting of 650 members by 2016.

For the past twenty-five years, VCSA has committed to the mission to promote excellence in education, leadership, and skills development through culture and science.

VCSA encourages multi-generational and cross-cultural collaborations. VCSA fosters civic participation in the mainstream and Vietnamese communities in America.

VCSA has had an excellent track record of delivering community service, cultural programs, and leadership development programs. VCSA was recognized as the Runnerup of the National Independent Sector Leadership Award in October 2002. In July 2007, VCSA received the Golden Wave Award from Little Saigon Radio and Viet Tide Magazine as the Most Outstanding Community Organization voted by 10,000 Vietnamese Americans in Texas.

In 2016, VCSA has reached another significant milestone that is worthy of celebration — its 25th anniversary. The gala will be held on September 24, 2016 at Chateau de L’Armour in Houston, Texas. We would like to invite you to come and join us in this special celebration for a wonderful milestone. For more information please contact vcsa@vcsa.org

CULTURE – LEADERSHIP – EDUCATION – EXCELLENCE – VOLUNTEERISM Vietnamese Culture and Science Association 13080 Bellaire Blvd – Suite G – Houston, TX 77072 - USA 2

APPRECIATE . ASPIRE . ACHIEVE

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8.06 SPONSORS PAGES :

Our Mission:

Free a nation, Freedisadvantaged children of nation Vietnam from A LIFE OF poverty We provided FREEbasic education in English, in Computer knowledge, and in Entrepreneurship training .

Since 2011 with 8 classes now with more than 2,000 students MICHAEL DAO,CPA 2505 E Arkansas Ln Ste # 110 Arlington Tx 76010 Tel (817) 501-8345 email: Gop1bantay@yahoo.com

ChươngtrìnhlớphọctìnhthươngBênEmĐangCó Ta Cho cácemnghèobênViệt Nam Join us to open additional Classes for poor children in Vietnam One dollar can change one life . If you can not help a whole world, help one kid now .

Free Financial Literacy class .

Know how to invest for your children’s college and your own retirements .

Return of 7% or more , tax free, Govtguaranted .

95% world population failed testing on financial knowledge .

How about you ?

Contact Michael Dao,CPA for more information 817.501.8345

You can own an oil well, return up to 40% per year .Call 817.501.8345for more information .Change your life, change the way you invest your time &money .

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