The former major of Rosemead, CA, John Tran, 36, pled guilty to accepting more that $10,000 in bribes from a real estate developer. His guilty plead helped Tran avoid federal charges of extortion and obstruction of justice. Tran faces up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines when sentenced. As a member of Rosemead's city council in 2005 and mayor from 2007 to 2009, … [Read more...] about Shamed: John Tran, Former Mayor, Pleads Guilty to Bribery
Video Mondays: Children of the Tsunami
Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the triple catastrophes that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. While we often read about how quickly Japan has been able to clear out the debris, how some of the destroyed roads have already been repaved, and how some ports are even opening up for businesses again, the reality is that thousands of people are still missing or … [Read more...] about Video Mondays: Children of the Tsunami
Coming Now to a Theater Near You: Touch by Minh Duc Nguyen
Not too long ago, VTP shared with you a first person style interview with Minh Duc Nguyen, a Vietnamese American director who was making his feature directorial debut with the movie Touch. At that time, Touch, which tells the story of an interracial romance between a manicurist and a mechanic, was being screened at the Vietnamese International Film festival. We were worried … [Read more...] about Coming Now to a Theater Near You: Touch by Minh Duc Nguyen
Mr. Cao goes to Washington: Story of the First Vietnamese Congressman
Every community has a first: Kennedy is the first Catholic President, Ed Lee is the first Chinese Mayor in San Francisco, and Joseph Cao is the first Vietnamese congressman. These firsts signify social shifts of minorities into mainstream society. If there was ever a minority, Joseph Cao is it. Mr. Cao is a Catholic Vietnamese American that ran for Congress in New Orleans on … [Read more...] about Mr. Cao goes to Washington: Story of the First Vietnamese Congressman
CIVETS and E-Commerce in Vietnam
Last week, I had the good fortune of attending the first meeting of the Kauffman Global Partners Network, a new initiative by the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship. If you’re not familiar with the org, please take a look at their website, they’ve done some great work recently in both research and expansion of entrepreneurship programs. At the conference, fellow … [Read more...] about CIVETS and E-Commerce in Vietnam