"DallasCowboys.com
April 23, 2004, 7:00 p.m. (CDT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Vietnamese American National Gala will be presenting the "Golden Torch Award," awarded to Vietnamese Americans for distinguished achievements in their profession or in their service to the community. Six (6) Vietnamese Americans will be recognized. They are as follow:

Mr. Dat Nguyen, #59, Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys - Mr. Nguyen is the first Vietnamese American professional football player. He is a defensive star for America's Team after a distinguished career at Texas A&M University, where he was named the national collegiate Defensive Player of the Year. At 5 feet 11 and 243 pounds, he is considered "small" by NFL player standards, but Mr. Nguyen more than make up for his lack of size with his hard-hitting style and a knack for finding the ball.

Mr. Yen Ngoc Do, Founder and Publisher, Nguoi Viet Daily News - Based in Westminster, CA, it is the largest Vietnamese-language daily newspaper in the U.S. The newspaper literally was founded in the garage of his home. The paper grew over the years, helping to chronicle the triumphs and trials of Vietnamese immigrants in Little Saigon. In March, 2004, Nguoi Viet celebrated its 25th Anniversary.

Mr. Trung Dung, Founder & CEO, Fogbreak Software - Based in San Ramon, CA, Mr. Dung (pronounced "Dzung") is a pioneer in the development of business-to-business application integration technology. Mr. Dung also founded and grew OnDisplay from a product concept to an enterprise software company that was one of the 10 most successful IPOs of 1999. The company was acquired by Vignette Corp. in 2000 for $1.8 billion.

Ms. Ngoan Le, Special Assistant to the Mayor of Chicago - Ms. Le currently serves on Chicago's Committee on Homelessness, Chicago Department of Human Services. Previously, she served as the member of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She was the first Vietnamese American woman appointed to that position.

Mr. Truong Dinh Tran, Proprietor of Hotel Carter (New York, NY) & Hotel Lafayette (Buffalo, NY) and Philanthropist - Mr. Tran donated $2 million of his personal funds to the American Red Cross 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund. His generous donation is a testament to his deep commitment to America.

Dr. Eugene Trinh, Director, Physical Sciences Research Division, NASA Headquarters - Dr. Trinh is the first Vietnamese American astronaut. He was a member of the crew on Space Shuttle Columbia for STS-50 on June 25, 1992.

In addition to the Golden Torch Award, VANG will also recognize an organization and an "Honorary Vietnamese American" for their leadership and achievements. They are as follow: National Leadership Award: An award presented to an organization that, through its ground-breaking efforts, has allowed Vietnamese-Americans to realize and expand their opportunities in the United States. Catholic Charities is being honored for its work in the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese refugees in America.

Honorary Vietnamese American: A recognition presented to a non-Vietnamese individual who has made a significant contribution to the lives of Vietnamese-Americans. Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, U.S. Department of Transportation, and former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce under President William J. Clinton. Secretary Mineta is being recognized for his work with civil rights and advocacy of the Asian Pacific Americans community. Secretary Mineta was also a Congressman and Mayor for San Jose, the city with the largest Vietnamese population outside of Viet Nam.

The Vietnamese American National Gala (VANG) is a national celebration of Vietnamese Heritage and pride, in conjunction with the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which honors the achievements of Asian Pacific Americans and recognizes their contribution to America. The black-tie dinner gala will take place on May 10, 2004 in the Presidential Ballroom at the Capitol Hilton. The gala is hosted by Viet Heritage Society, a non-profit organization based in California. VANG will celebrate three decades of progress and achievements made by Vietnamese Americans and honor the accomplishments of distinguished individuals and organizations through out the United States.


Dat Nguyen"

Beside some bad apples. Viets also have some bright, good and decent people

i guess i'm in the bad apple ones


gratz 2 them!!.. Vietnamese rox!!

Nah, not you... just work and pay taxes and law abiding and then we are cool

i'd do all that.. but about abiding the laws.. erm, there are laws that's okay to break, like have to be 18 to enter a club, or to buy drinks.. as long as we can take care of ourselves and know our limit then i think it's good.. but breaking the laws n hurting ppl that's wayy wrong!!.. anyway, we got ppl 2 look up 2

It's okay Hy, everyone makes mistakes.

I don't like the paying tax part.

kool !

is dat nguyen the first asian football player?

^ in the nfl.

I heard he opened a restaurant called "Who's Dat" (Who's That)...

they shouldve had the Best and then the Brightest awards separately because how can a football player be brightest. thats just wrong in so many ways.

Weird. We have had a Rhodes Scholar in 2005, and she is not on the list of honorees. What does it say about this "Gala"?

I am focused on the future, because that's all we have that we can change. I see in that "Gala" no Viet outstanding students, no up and coming professionals, no successful business people (If the best we can do is the owner of the Cartel hotel, then we are in bad shape). Maybe it's a bunch of good old boys giving awards to each other.

At any rate, it's what each of us does in our daily lives that is relevant. And if we do it in the hope of getting some award down the road, then we are doing it for the wrong motivation.