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onevietnam
Photo: Seb Joquet at Flickr
Connecting Vietnamese worldwide with Web 2.0 technology In recent decades, Vietnamese communities across the globe have grown increasingly fragmented. Community ties continually weaken, Vietnamese youths grow disinterested in community and motherland matters, and the fate of a unified, worldwide Vietnamese community appears to be in decline. To mend the widening rifts in our community, a group of young Vietnamese American professionals came together last year to build an online platform that cuts through age, opinion, and geographic barriers. Using the latest in Web 2.0 technology, OneVietnam Network is the first online network that connects millions of Vietnamese spread out in over 30 countries to rejuvenate community
Main Contact: Uyen Nguyen P.O. Box 60522 Palo Alto, CA 94306 E: unguyen@onevietnam.org D: (415) 640-3459
involvement and philanthropy. OneVietnam allows users to discover and take part in their community through a one-click, search find- and-contribute system. It also instantly matches users with philanthropic projects that matter to them most, like the construction of a new library in their hometown. Connected on OneVietnam, our community can achieve feats like opening up dialogue/opportunities between Vietnamese worldwide, helping younger generations reinvest in their motherland, and filling in communication gaps between individuals and nonprofits. OneVietnam has gained an incredible amount of momentum in a short amount of time. Our Facebook Page has nearly 6,000 fans and continues to increase daily. Our blog site, Vietnam Talking
Points (VTP), has received over 50k hits in 2009 alone. We hope you can support us by spreading the word to help make OneVietnam the next important nexus for Vietnamese communities across the globe.
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Table of Content: About Us & FAQs
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Sneak Preview
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Our Team
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Our Advisors
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talk.onevietnam.org
facebook.com/onevietnam
youtube.com/onevietnamnetwork
twitter.com/onevietnam 1
FAQs 1. What is OneVietnam? OneVietnam is the first online network that connects millions of Vietnamese around the world to rejuvenate community involvement and philanthropy. 2. Who is OneVietnam for? OneVietnam welcomes everyone who is passionate about Vietnam, Vietnamese culture and community, and philanthropic organizations serving Vietnamese living inside and outside of Vietnam.
Our story: We are the generation that will be defined by our potential, not our past. It all started when a light-hearted conversation between friends over pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) morphed into a serious endeavor among young, dedicated Vietnamese- American professionals, including graduates from UC Berkeley and Harvard University. As 1st and 2nd generation VietnameseAmericans, we wanted to reconnect our fragmented community and redefine what it means to be “Vietnamese.” We wanted to prove to ourselves and to the world that we are no longer the victims of war, or children of victims of war. We are the people who thrived in spite of it. We came together in 2009 to bring our dreams to reality through OneVietnam. Our tasks were clear. First, we seamlessly connect people with Web 2.0 technology. Then, we make it easier for them to help each other with our one-click, search find-and-contribute system. With the support of our advisory board of academic, philanthropy and IT business leaders, OneVietnam has gained serious momentum since 2009. We’ve been able to ignite conversations between young and old across existing social platforms, and our blog posts are reaching new readers each day.
We are not stopping there. Our long term vision is to share the OneVietnam platform with other ethnic communities that are similarly dispersed throughout the world and have a desire to reconnect. We believe that regardless of where you are located, you too can connect to your motherland and collaborate with your community for the benefit of family, friends, and philanthropy. We look forward to the possibility of a OneIreland, OnePakistan, and more in the near future. Until then, we’ll continue to code, campaign, and connect.
3. Is OneVietnam political? No, our core focus is to assist philanthropic work within the Vietnamese community. We do not engage in political advocacy for any faction or cause and ask users to do the same. 4. Is OneVietnam for profit? No, OneVietnam is a fiscal project of East Meets West Foundation, a leading 501(c)3 organization in Southeast Asia. All donations will be tax-deductible. 5. How can I help? Your donations will be greatly appreciated since we’re operating as a startup nonprofit group. We are looking for volunteers in graphic designs, social media marketing and web development. 6. How do I sign up? OneVietnam is easy and free to use! Sign up using your existing social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, or Google.
Early Strides Original articles on VTP
Visits to VTP (2009)
Facebook fans
200+
50,000+ 6,000 2
OneVietnam Features Connect with millions of Vietnamese people across the globe. Meet friends, learn about the people and groups building your community, and become a leader for a cause. Not all of these features will be available on our public launch. We plan to release them at a later date so that we are able to cater them to your specific needs.
Connect using existing accounts Connect with Facebook, Twitter or Google accounts so there is no need for a new login.
All your online personas in one place Pull and publish content on your most important web services: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Flickr Photos, Kiva, and more. Learn what’s happening in your community, now! Receive instant updates, videos, pictures, events and blogs from the people and groups building your community, anywhere in the world.
Champion a cause Have a brilliant idea worth spreading? Publish your idea, gain the support from peers, and become a champion of a cause. 1-click philanthropist Donate time or money to a cause in just a click. Track the projects you’ve donated to and see the results of your contributions through videos, photos, and first person accounts.
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Our Team We look at what is and imagine what could be. Then, we go make it happen.
Directors James Bao
Uyen Nguyen
Paul Pham
Co-Founder & Executive Director James is responsible for the strategic direction of OneVietnam and manages the development of our platform. Before OneVietnam, James was a corporate financial analyst at FTI Consulting. James’s work and interest are focused in technology, media, and telecommunications; his past engagements include Pay by Touch, T-Mobile, AT&T, Google, and General Motors. James graduated as a Regents Scholar from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration.
Co-Founder & Business Development Director Uyen is an economic consultant at LECG, LLC. She is passionate about empowering Vietnamese youths and has starred and directed several Vietnamese culture shows, each drawing audiences over 2000 and revenue north of $20k. Uyen travelled to Vietnam to conduct primary research on CSR conditions in Vietnamese factories and wrote an honors thesis that was later published. Uyen graduated Magna Cum Laude from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Economics.
Engineering Director Paul is a freelance programmer who was part of the team that created the first web-based email service called Hotmail. After the company was acquired by Microsoft Corporation, he went on to work as a server architect for several years, developing the main revenue generating engine for Hotmail called WebCourier. Paul then left Hotmail to work as a program manager for a mobile device software company and for a biotechnology company, where he designed and built the hardware and software data infrastructure.
Brian Luong
Neil Nguyen
Phong Quan
Vietnam Talking Points Editor Brian is currently enrolled in the DMD-MA joint degree program at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Harvard Business School. Prior to Harvard, Brian attended UC Irvine, where he conducted research in toxicology, specifically the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on human granulosa cells, the results of which were published in a science journal. These collective experiences have been the foundation for his drive and passion.
Operations Director Neil is a mechanical engineer from Convergent Laser Technologies. While attending UC Berkeley, Neil spent two summers working with the Good Samaritans Medical Ministry on missions to provide healthcare for more than 10,000 underprivileged Vietnamese. He also founded JVC, a free tutoring center where he and 10 other volunteers tutor students in the San Jose, CA region.
PR & Legal Director Phong is currently a J.D. candidate at the UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. In 2007, Phong moved to Vietnam for two years and worked as a paralegal at Baker & McKenzie, LLP in HCMC. His experience includes WTO law to banking and finance. Phong also taught English and organized events for local charities and non-profits while in Vietnam.
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Our Team We are entrepreneurs, engineers, economists, bankers, doctors*, lawyers*, and students.
Staff Le-Quyen Le
Isabella Lai
Vinh Dang
Accounting & Finance Le-Quyen is an investment analyst at CIM Group, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles. She previously worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch as an analyst in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group and was involved in a variety of transactions, including equity, debt and M&A. Le-Quyen graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Economics.
Vietnam Talking Points Isabella is currently a research assistant at the Jules Stein Eye Institute of UCLA. She completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, obtaining a B.A. in Neurobiology. During her time at Harvard, Isabella served as the President of the Intercollegiate Vietnamese Student Association of New England. This fall, Isabella will begin her first year at the Stanford School of Medicine.
Vietnam Talking Points Vinh is a senior actuarial analyst at Rael & Letson, an actuarial consulting firm that specializes in health and welfare consulting services. With years of experience in actuarial work and expertise in finance, economics, healthcare, and risk management, Vinh wishes to build an affordable healthcare system in Vietnam. He received a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from UC Berkeley.
Jennie Le
Anh Ton
Spring Intern Jennie is a student at UC Berkeley pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Economics and Policy and a B.A. in Theater and Performance Studies. She holds a variety of interests ranging from economic development to theater in the Vietnamese community. Her broad interests have led her to work on several Vietnamese culture shows as director and assistant producer, in addition to various theatre companies in development and technology.
Spring Intern Anh is a student at UC Berkeley, pursuing a degree in English and minor in Southeast Asian studies. She immigrated to the states while still an infant, and thus has not even the faintest memory of her short-lived time there. Nevertheless, Anh has high hopes for the progress of her motherland. She firmly believes that Vietnamese youth of today need to reorient their views of Vietnam, seeing Vietnam as part of their future and not merely as a thing of the past.
Amanda Owyoung CAM Intern Amanda is a student enrolled at UC Berkeley, pursuing a B.S. in Integrative Biology and a B.A. in Sociology. She is a third generation ChineseAmerican, but has a heart for social justice and ethnic equality. She is part of Theatre Rice, a modern AsianAmerican performance group that strives to defy stereotypes of Asians in the media, for which she is a dedicated actor, writer, directer, and committee member.
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Our Advisors “With energy and enthusiasm and a deep appreciation for the way young Vietnamese Americans communicate, OneVietnam has the opportunity to redefine the landscape of philanthropy as we know it today.” John Anner, President of EMW
Dien Yuen
John Anner
Ms. Yuen is the Director of Philanthropy of Give2Asia, a U.S. based organization providing philanthropic services to individuals, foundations and corporations interested in supporting charitable projects in Asia. Dien was born in Saigon, Vietnam and grew up in the U.S. She has worked in the philanthropic field for more than a decade, both in for-profit and non-profit capacities. Dien is the founder of Asian American Giving, an online journal promoting philanthropy in the Asian American community. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including AAPIP (Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy) and is currently the Vice President of NCPGC (Northern California Planned Giving Council). Dien is an attorney and has a LL.M. in International Law
East Meets West Foundation President John Anner has been with the East Meets West Foundation since February 2003. Prior to EMW, John was the founder and executive director of the Independent Press Association, a membership organization that provided technical assistance and business services to hundreds of independent and ethnic periodicals. He started the organization with a $5,000 grant in 1996, and grew it to an operating budget of $3.5 million in 2002. John was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mauritania, West Africa during 1983-1985. He also worked in Central America. He received a B.A. with Special Honors in Political Science from Tufts University in 1982, and an M.S. in International Agricultural Development from the University of California at Davis in 1989.
David Teece
Bruce Donoff
Dr. Teece is one of the most renowned economists of our time. He is one of the founding fathers of the field of strategic management as we know it today. He is recognized by Accenture as one of the world's top 50 business minds. Dr. Teece is the Thomas W. Tusher Professor in Global Business at the University of California, Berkeley, where he directs the Institute of Management, Innovation and Organization. He has a PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and has held teaching and research positions at Stanford University and Oxford University. Professor Teece has received numerous prizes and three honorary doctorates in recognition of his scholarly research and institution building contributions. He is a co-founder of LECG, a publicly traded expert services firm. He is also co-founder of of Kea New Zealand, New Zealand’s global network since 2001.
Bruce Donoff, DMD, MD, is the Dean of Harvard School of Dental Medicine and the Walter C. Guralnick Distinguished Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Donoff has made major research contributions in oral and maxillofacial surgery and has published more than 90 papers and authored many textbooks. He has received numerous awards including the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Research Recognition Award, the William J. Gies Foundation Award for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the Distinguished Alumni and Faculty Awards from Harvard School of Dental Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Associaton for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Donoff received his DMD from Harvard School of Dental Medicine and his MD from Harvard Medical School.
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Our Advisors cont.
Khai Duong
Michael Dang
Chef Khai Duong, executive chef and owner of Ana Mandara in San Francisco, is considered one for the world’s leading Asian chefs, and one of the pioneers of modern Vietnamese cuisine. He has been featured in Gourmet Magazine, Bon Appetit, InStyle Magazine, USA Today, The San Francisco Chronicle, and many others. Duong is the founder of Chefs Without Borders and the Asian Chefs Association in response to the December 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in September 2005. Duong is also active with the Viet Heritage Society. Chef Khai has hosted several tours to Vietnam for students and acquaintances eager to learn about Vietnam, and who want to embark on Vietnamese culinary expeditions.
Michael has over 26 years of experience in international business development, product marketing, software R&D, and technology consulting. Following a highly successful 22year career at Hewlett-Packard, Michael founded two start-ups. Michael received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Applied Linguistics from the University of Washington and UCLA respectively. He also earned an MBA with special emphasis in Management Information Systems (MIS) from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. In 2007, Michael was awarded a patent by the U.S Patent Office for his work on cross-border ecommerce transactions.
Hoang Bao
Robert Cunningham
Mr. Bao is a data governance manager at Yahoo!. In his role, he leads global data governance initiatives to engender user trust through consumer facing policies and practices. Before Yahoo, Hoang was a senior consultant at KPMG, focusing on financial forensics and risk management. Hoang's experience and work in data policy at one of Silicon Valley's biggest names will be crucial as we build our network.
Mr. Cunningham is an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, a global law firm with more than 1000 lawyers in 16 offices across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. Robert received his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. Robert and the team at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher have generously donated their time to help OneVietnam Network with our incorporation process and our application for 501(c)(3) status.
Photo: Son Marki at Flickr 7