Vietnam Talking Points

Contributing Columnist

Brian Luong
Chief Editor

Brian currently is enrolled in the DMD-MBA joint degree program at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to Harvard, Brian attended UC Irvine. At UCI, he conducted research in toxicology, specifically the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on human granulosa cells, the results of which were published in a journal. These collective experiences have been the foundation for his drive and passion. [contact]

Isabella Nga Lai
Assistant Editor

Isabella is currently a research assistant at Jules Stein Eye Institute of UCLA and will be matriculating at Stanford School of Medicine in Fall of 2010.  She completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, obtaining a degree in neurobiology, a certificate in Health Policy, and a citation in Spanish language and literature.  During her undergraduate years, Isabella has been heavily involved with the Vietnamese community, serving as the President of the Intercollegiate VIetnamese Student Association of New England and the Vice-Chairman of the Boston Tet Festival Committee.  Through OneVietnam, Isabella hopes that she can continue her passion to work with the Vietnamese Community and share her academic interests. [contact]

Vinh Dang
Assistant Editor – Vietnamese

Vinh is a senior actuarial analyst at Rael & Letson, an actuarial consulting firm that specializes in health and welfare consulting services in the West region of America, serving more than 200 clients that include government agencies, labor unions, school districts, and various corporations. Before accepting the senior role at Rael & Letson, Vinh worked as an actuarial analyst for Milliman Inc, a premier actuarial consulting firm providing a wide spectrum of global consulting services from healthcare management to financial investment. Vinh’s work experience includes his past employment at Kaiser Permanente, a giant health maintenance organization (HMO).  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 Bachelor of Arts in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley.

James H. Bao
Business and Social Initiatives

James is a financial analyst and Co-Founder of OneVietnam.  He sees economic development as a critical lever for improving the quality of life of the 80 million people living in Vietnam today.  Through OneVietnam, James hopes to encourage and facilitate business investment in Vietnam.   As a Regents’ and Chancellor Scholar, James was awarded a full scholarship to UC Berkeley and graduated from Haas School of Business with a B.S. in Business Administration.  [Contact]  [Portfolio]

Uyen Nguyen
Economics, Foreign Affairs, and Entertainment

Uyen is an economic and litigation consultant and Co-Founder of OneVietnam. She lives in San Francisco and enjoy every minute in the beautiful city. Development economics is Uyen’s life passion, and through OneVietnam she advocates future economic development and corporate social responsibility in Vietnam.  Aside from economics, Uyen has also starred in and directed several Vietnamese culture shows, drawing audiences over 2000 in number and generating north of $20,000 in revenue for VSA.  Uyen graduated Cum Laude from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Economics. [Contact]

Neil Nguyen
Economics & Business Editorials

Neil is a mechanical engineer who aspires to make his own robot so he no longer needs to do house chores. Neil was born and raised in Vietnam for 14 years. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.  During his time at Berkeley, Neil studied abroad in South Korea and Japan, researching post-war development in Japan. Through his research, Neil hopes to use Japan as a model to develop an efficient infrastructure in Vietnam, especially a subway system. Through OneVietnam, Neil looks forward to work with other Vietnam enthusiasts to build up a better country. [contact]

Le-Quyen Le

Quyen is currently 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. Quyen graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Economics. [contact]

Phong Quan

Phong is currently a J.D. Candidate at the UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. In 2007, Phong moved to Vietnam where he lived and worked for the next two years. For most of that time, he was a paralegal at Baker & McKenzie, LLP in Saigon, working in a variety of areas from WTO law to Banking & Finance. While in Vietnam he also volunteer-taught English and organized events for local charities and non-profits. [contact]

Jennie Le

Jennie is a student enrolled 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. Contact Jennie.

Anh Ton

Anh is currently a student at UC Berkeley, pursuing a degree in English and a minor in Southeast Asian studies. She was born in Vietnam, but 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 comes to OneVietnam with a firm belief 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. Contact Anh.

Amanda Owyoung

Amanda is a third year student enrolled at UC Berkeley. She is a third generation Chinese-American, but has a heart for social justice and ethnic equality. As OVN’s Creative Media Intern, she writes and directs the series “Something Something with Jennie Le.”