David Duong’s VABA Marks 15 Years of Uniting Entrepreneurs, Strengthening Communities and Expanding Business Opportunities Send2Press

News Source: Vietnamese American Business Association

DAVID DUONG’S VABA MARKS 15 YEARS OF UNITING ENTREPRENEURS, STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES AND EXPANDING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Founded by David Duong in San Jose in 2011, the Vietnamese American Business Association has grown into a network connecting entrepreneurs, investors and civic leaders across the United States and abroad through business advocacy, partnerships and community service

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 14, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA) marks its 15th anniversary this year, celebrating its growth from a Silicon Valley business organization founded in 2011 into an international network connecting more than 2,200 professionals and 720 businesses across 12 U.S. states and eight countries. Under the leadership of founder and chairman David Duong, VABA has expanded its work in business advocacy, international trade, startup investment and community service, helping entrepreneurs build relationships and pursue opportunities in the United States and abroad.

Image caption: David Duong, founder and chairman of the Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA), delivers a keynote address at Pitch Perfect Season 4 in Orange County, California, in September 2025. The event brought together more than 260 entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders, highlighting VABA’s commitment to supporting startups, fostering innovation and connecting emerging businesses with investment opportunities.

David Duong founded VABA after building businesses in California and Vietnam. His experience as a Vietnamese refugee, American business owner and investor in Vietnam influenced the association’s purpose: helping entrepreneurs gain access to experienced business leaders, share knowledge and develop relationships that would otherwise be difficult to establish.

VABA’s work is built around three core values: Support, Advocacy and Networking. The association connects business owners with advisers, investors and government representatives, helps members raise shared concerns and encourages cooperation across industries and generations. Its motto, “Speak with One Voice,” reflects the importance of a united business community.

FROM REFUGEE BEGINNINGS TO BUSINESS LEADERSHIP IN TWO COUNTRIES

David Duong and his family arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1979 after fleeing Vietnam. They began collecting and selling cardboard and other recyclable materials, laying the groundwork for California Waste Solutions, which was established in 1992. The company later expanded into municipal recycling services in Oakland and San Jose. CBS Bay Area documented the family’s early years and David Duong’s subsequent investment in Vietnam.

David Duong later became one of the early Vietnamese American entrepreneurs to make a major investment in Vietnam’s modern waste-treatment industry. In 2005, his company secured an investment license for the Da Phuoc Integrated Solid Waste Facility near Ho Chi Minh City, which began operating in 2007. VietNamNet later described David Duong as a pioneer in the country’s waste-treatment sector. His business experience in both countries helped shape VABA’s approach to international trade and investment.

In a 2021 interview with Thanh Niên, David Duong explained that he established VABA to unite Vietnamese American business owners, strengthen their representation in the United States and promote commercial ties with Vietnam. He also wanted other entrepreneurs to benefit from the business relationships, experience and knowledge that established companies had developed over the years.

STRENGTHENING U.S.–VIETNAM TRADE AND BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS

VABA works with businesses and government representatives in the United States and Vietnam to develop trade, investment and commercial partnerships. The association regularly welcomes delegations of Vietnamese business and government leaders, arranging meetings with U.S. companies, investors and civic officials. In April 2026, VABA helped host the U.S.–Vietnam Business Investment Forum in Oakland, where representatives from Vietnam’s Tay Ninh Province met with American business and civic leaders to discuss investment opportunities, industrial development and economic cooperation.

VABA also provides business education and opportunities for local entrepreneurs to meet with financial institutions and industry professionals. At a May 2024 workshop with Umpqua Bank, business owners met directly with commercial bankers to discuss financing options and loan preparation. VABA’s international relationships extend beyond Vietnam. In June 2024, a delegation from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry visited the association to discuss potential trade and investment partnerships.

Advocacy has been equally important to VABA’s mission. During the COVID-19 pandemic, David Duong engaged government representatives on financial assistance for Vietnamese-owned businesses and discussed commercial-district safety with police in Oakland and San Jose, as described in a 2022 Thanh Niên interview. His community leadership was recognized in 2017 with the Asian American Prosecutors Association’s Outstanding Community Advocate Award, including recognition of his efforts to connect Vietnamese businesses with local leaders.

These efforts give meaning to VABA’s three core values of Support, Advocacy and Networking. Through its business relationships and community partnerships, VABA helps members share resources, reach decision-makers and pursue opportunities together. Its motto, “Speak with One Voice,” reflects the belief that a united business community can better represent its interests while helping individual members succeed.

EXPANDING INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGING ENTREPRENEURS

Since launching its Pitch Perfect competition in 2024, VABA has provided startup founders with opportunities to present their businesses directly to investors, experienced entrepreneurs and industry executives. Participants receive feedback, meet potential advisers and explore funding and commercial partnerships. Pitch Perfect Season 4, held in Orange County in September 2025, attracted more than 260 founders, investors and business leaders. Ten startups competed onstage, while another 20 companies participated in the showcase.

VABA also established VABA Venture Capital in 2024, supported by $50 million in investment capital from the Duong family office. In addition to this investment initiative, VABA maintains relationships with venture capital firms, other family offices, angel investors and established business leaders. Through Pitch Perfect, private investor meetings and direct business introductions, the association helps entrepreneurs discuss funding opportunities, receive experienced guidance and develop partnerships that can support their companies’ growth.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT BEYOND COMMERCE

VABA’s community involvement includes financial contributions to churches, Buddhist temples, schools and nonprofit organizations serving families and preserving Vietnamese American cultural and religious traditions. The association has also supported Văn Lang Vietnamese-language school, helping younger generations learn Vietnamese and maintain ties to their cultural heritage.

VABA has contributed to disaster relief, scholarships and charitable programs in both the United States and Vietnam. In a 2021 Thanh Niên interview, David Duong reported that VABA donated $51,000 toward relief efforts following the 2020 floods in central Vietnam. The first two VABA–South Bay Golf Alliance charity golf tournaments also raised and donated more than $36,000 for Vietnamese-language education and cancer-related causes, according to the organizers.

In Oakland, VABA and California Waste Solutions have supported the LoveLife Foundation’s college scholarship drive. “California Waste Solutions and VABA have been great partners with the LoveLife Foundation, providing tremendous support for our annual College Scholarship Drive that has helped us send dozens of deserving youths to 4-year universities. We are really grateful for the continuous support, and all that they have done for the city of Oakland, too,” said Donald E. Lacy, Jr., executive director of the LoveLife Foundation.

In May 2025, VABA hosted “Gratitude to America,” commemorating 50 years of Vietnamese American history following the events of 1975. More than 300 business leaders, elected officials, entrepreneurs and community members attended the celebration, which recognized the contributions of Vietnamese Americans to their adopted country. VABA founder and chairman David Duong delivered a keynote address about his family’s journey from Vietnam to the United States and the generations of Vietnamese Americans who have built businesses, raised families and contributed to their communities.

The Duong family’s journey is chronicled in The King of Trash, a documentary about their refugee experience and the recycling businesses they built in the United States and Vietnam. VABA has brought entrepreneurs, public officials and community members together for screenings and discussions. The film’s U.S. tour expanded to 12 screening events, with more than 5,000 tickets sold, according to the production team. The screenings introduced the family’s story to audiences beyond the business community, including younger generations of Vietnamese Americans.

FIFTEEN YEARS OF SPEAKING WITH ONE VOICE

Fifteen years after its founding, VABA’s work extends from business financing and investment introductions to international trade, public advocacy and charitable giving. These activities continue the purpose David Duong established in 2011: to make business experience and professional relationships more accessible to entrepreneurs while giving business owners a stronger collective voice.

Over the years, VABA has connected entrepreneurs with business leaders, venture capital firms, family offices and angel investors. Many founders have secured funding and expanded their businesses through relationships developed within the association. VABA will continue building these connections, supporting entrepreneurs at different stages of growth and strengthening cooperation between business communities in the United States, Vietnam and other international markets.

ABOUT THE VIETNAMESE AMERICAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Founded by David Duong in San Jose in 2011, the Founded by David Duong in San Jose, California, in 2011, the Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA) connects entrepreneurs, business professionals, investors and civic leaders through education, advocacy, networking, startup investment programs, international partnerships and community service. Its three core values are Support, Advocacy and Networking, united under the motto “Speak with One Voice.” More information: https://www.vabaus.com/.

VABA is headquartered at 1211 Embarcadero, Suite 202, Oakland, CA 94606.

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