Vietnamese Businesses Give Back to Community (Asian Fortune)

By: Jackie Bong-Wright

Many Vietnamese American businesses in the Washington area are doing well, and some are doing extremely well. Equally important, and particularly in these tough economic times, they are also continuing to give back to the community.

Pragmatics, a McLean, Virginia Information Technology (IT) services company, will celebrate its 25th anniversary with 25 major contracts. Pragmatics supports a multitude of federal and private companies.

Dr. Long Nguyen, its president, recently received the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 Award for “inspiring others with his vision, leadership, and achievement.” He was the keynote speaker at the Vietnamese National American Chamber of Commerce (VietAmCham) dinner, held in October in Falls Church.

Dr. Long and his wife, Kimmy Duong, are not only making money, but also giving back. In 2008, they established SERVES (Supports, Encourages, Responds, Values, Energizes, and Strengthens) for their employees’ philanthropic activities. They themselves have sponsored many social activities and events, and donated $5 million to George Mason University last year.

VietAmCham Executive Director Hong Pham said that the awards banquet theme was “innovation, leadership, and excellence.” She called Dr. Long an outstanding entrepreneur who is “building a successful, dynamic, and growing business, and a role model for new Vietnamese entrepreneurs who are still novices in the capital region.”

Indeed, Dr. Long is said to have inspired the young Christine Do, CEO of Soft Tech Consulting. Another successful IT firm in Fairfax, Virginia, it delivers hardware, software, and services, mostly to the Department of Labor. Do founded her company in 1996. In 2009, with a staff of 37, her revenue increased to $4.6 million, representing growth of 1,000 percent over three years. She is still far behind Pragmatics, whose current revenue is $100 million, but who is to say she will not catch up?

VietAmCham’s Hong observed that during the first year of operation, her organization focused on building its foundation, with activities ranging from developing a membership benefits package to forming new partnerships with other chambers, businesses and community organizations.

But she is convinced that the Chamber is well positioned to move faster in 2011, including “bi-monthly business mixers and business development workshops on key issues of concern to small business owners, economic development and advocacy efforts on behalf of small businesses affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast, a Small Business Summit, and a student scholarship program.”

At the banquet, the Chamber will also honor six Vietnamese-American business and community leaders in various categories.

Mom and Pop Stores

Another successful group of Vietnamese–store owners at the Eden Center, a large strip mall at Seven Corners in Falls Church City–is making a difference through its civic partnerships.

These mom and pop store owners cater to over 50,000 Vietnamese and Americans in the Washington area.” On week-ends, hordes of people from all over the East coast fill the Eden’s sidewalks, sample the fine cuisine and the “pho” (pronounced fuh) noodle soup, savor French-style sandwiches at delis, and sip strong iced coffees, jelly gumdrop fruit drinks, and smoothies.

Numbers illustrate the Eden Center’s impressive size. Its 120 stores include 32 specialty restaurants, 21 jewelry stores, 15 beauty salons, 12 video and music stores, 12 bakeries, nine cafes, six travel agencies, three clothing stores, two electronics and phone dealerships, a couple of professional services (medical, tailoring, and taxes), and an Asian supermarket. These serve a specific and loyal clientele.

One of the bakeries, Huong Binh, offering over a hundred favorite delicacies and specializing in large orders, was encouraged by VietAmCham to be a vendor for the Fairfax County Meals On Wheels. The bakery secured the contract and delivered two meals a day to hundreds of home-bound seniors in the area.

Alan Frank, General Counsel and Senior Vice-President of Eden Center, Inc., is convinced that the strip mall is “the heart and soul of the Vietnamese-American community. Eden has revived the whole neighborhood at Seven Corners since its inception 16 years ago. It continues to grow and is home away from home for the thousands of Vietnamese who gather there faithfully to celebrate festivities.

“My company has contributed to the cultural well-being of the entire Vietnamese community.” He said that over the years, he had partnered with at least 20 youth and community Vietnamese associations in providing scholarships for college students, holding a Smithsonian exhibition (Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon) and assisting good causes such as voters’ registrations, boy scouts, a soccer team, the census, and students’ activities. “We also initiated the Ms. Teen Saigon Pageant.”

Eden Center has also supported the Tet Lunar New Year each February, the commemoration of the forefathers in April, and the celebration of the joyous Mid-Autumn festival for children in September.

In 2006, representatives of the Vietnamese American community asked the county Board of Supervisors to give the name “Saigon Boulevard” to the portion of Wilson Boulevard between Rte 7 and Roosevelt Blvd. The name change was ceremonial and reflected the area’s diversity.

“The Falls Church City Council also named the streets inside Eden Center for Vietnamese heroes to recognize the brave men who died valiantly for their country. Eden Center continues to assist the Vietnamese community to erect and maintain the South Vietnamese heritage flag and the American flag inside the Eden space as symbols of freedom and democracy,” said Frank.

It’s Not All Roses

But not all Vietnamese businesses are thriving. Toa Do, president of the Business Development Assistance Group (BDAG) and director of the Center for Business Planning and Development in Falls Church, said, “Some Asian American businesses have become very successful at acquiring federal contracts. However, many others face challenges, including cultural and language barriers, lack of American business techniques, and limited or no access to capital.”

Toa continued, “Many are still not familiar with how to market to government agencies, whether federal, state, or local.” So he established BDAG in 1993 to assist small and minority-owned businesses become more viable through educational programs, workshops and training seminars. He urged the state to assist by translating documents into different Asian languages, showing them how to secure state contracts, and training them in business financing and how to negotiate with local banks.

Fairfax County has more Asian-owned firms than any other locality in Virginia, representing 45% of the total payroll. “According to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Asian and Hispanic immigrants pump more than $5 billion annually into the Virginia economy but demand few state services,” Toa declared in 2004. “From July 2009 to June 2010, BDAG served 36 businesses and clients of Asian descent and helped them get certification so they could compete for government contracts.”

Another resource entity, RISE (Road to Independence through Savings and Education), a micro-enterprise program, lends $10,000 to start a new business and career to any independent-minded person who wants “to be my own boss.” The program was initiated by Trang Khanh Tran, a resource developer for BPSOS, a non-profit that has been serving the refugee and immigrant population since the mid-1970s.

“VietAmCham is one of the resources that want to assist Asian businesses with technical training opportunities, business planning services, and help in accessing the pool of business development resources,” Hong said.

Vietnamese American Sylvia Le Torrente, recently appointed by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell to the Board of the Small Business, said, “Being an Asian American small business owner myself, I would very much like to help make Asian Businesses aware of the many business opportunities that are available in the state of Virginia.”

She added: “As for the Vietnamese American businesses in particular, I would like to help the entrepreneurs by informing and educating them about the process and benefits of certification. Certification is necessary in order to do business with the state and the federal government. Currently, there is a serious lack of knowledge about certification in the Vietnamese American community.”

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