Founded by David Duong in Silicon Valley, the Vietnamese American Business Association connects business owners through support, advocacy, investment relationships and community service in the United States and abroad.
OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — David Duong founded the Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA) in 2011 after building a recycling company in California and investing in Vietnam, the country his family had fled as refugees. Those experiences shaped a purpose for the association: to connect entrepreneurs with experienced advisers, business opportunities and a stronger collective voice.
Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA) Marks 15 Years of Uniting Entrepreneurs Under “Speak with One Voice”
“The mission has always been support, advocacy, and networking, not just for one group, but for people who are building something,” said David Duong, VABA’s founder and chairman.
Fifteen years later, VABA brings together entrepreneurs, investors, established businesses and civic leaders across industries and borders. The association reports a network of more than 2,200 professionals and 720 businesses, with connections in 12 U.S. states and eight countries. Its three core values, support, advocacy and networking, are captured in the motto “Speak with One Voice.”
From refugee beginnings to investment in Vietnam
David Duong’s family arrived in the Bay Area in 1979 after leaving Vietnam. They began collecting and selling cardboard and other recyclable materials, work that ultimately led to California Waste Solutions, founded in 1992. The company 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 was among the early Vietnamese American entrepreneurs to make a major investment in Vietnam’s modern waste-treatment industry. The company secured an investment license in 2005 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 Vietnam’s waste-treatment sector. Building businesses in both countries helped shape the vision behind VABA.
In a 2021 interview with Thanh Niên, David Duong explained that he established VABA to unite Vietnamese American business owners, strengthen their standing in the United States and encourage investment and commercial ties with Vietnam. He wanted other entrepreneurs to benefit from the relationships and experience that established businesses had developed over many years.
Support, advocacy and networking: one voice for business
VABA’s three core values address needs that business owners encounter every day. Support provides access to advice and useful introductions. Advocacy brings their concerns to public officials and other decision-makers. Networking connects entrepreneurs across industries and generations. “Speak with One Voice” expresses the shared interest in helping businesses succeed, even when their owners have different backgrounds or goals.
That approach has included engagement with public officials. During the COVID-19 pandemic, David Duong described asking government representatives about financial relief for Vietnamese-owned businesses and discussing safety in Oakland and San Jose commercial districts with police, according to a 2022 Thanh Niên interview. In 2017, he received the Asian American Prosecutors Association’s Outstanding Community Advocate Award, with coverage recognizing his efforts to connect Vietnamese businesses and local leaders.
VABA also strengthens commercial ties between Vietnam and the United States by welcoming Vietnamese government and business delegations. Through executive meetings, business forums and introductions, the association helps visitors connect with American companies, investors and civic leaders. At the U.S.–Vietnam Business Investment Forum in Oakland in April 2026, representatives from Vietnam’s Tay Ninh Province met with U.S. business and civic leaders to discuss investment, industrial development and cross-border partnerships.
VABA brings similar practical support to local entrepreneurs. At a May 2024 workshop with Umpqua Bank, business owners spoke directly with commercial bankers about financing and loan preparation. Its international outreach also extends beyond Vietnam: a June 2024 Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry delegation visited VABA to discuss potential trade and investment partnerships.
Connecting founders with capital and experience
Since its launch in 2024, VABA’s Pitch Perfect competition has connected startup founders with investors and experienced business leaders. Its fourth season in Orange County in September 2025 drew more than 260 founders, investors and business leaders. Ten startups pitched onstage, and another 20 joined the showcase, according to VABA’s event recap. Participants presented their companies, received feedback and explored potential investment and business relationships.
VABA also established VABA Venture Capital in 2024, supported, according to the association, by $50 million in investment capital from the Duong family office. In addition to its own investment initiative, VABA connects founders with venture capital firms, other family offices, angel investors and established business leaders. Pitch Perfect, investor forums, private meetings and direct introductions give entrepreneurs opportunities to discuss funding, receive guidance and build commercial partnerships. Together, these activities help build an investment community in which experienced leaders support emerging companies.
Community support beyond commerce
VABA’s community work includes donations to churches, Buddhist temples, schools and local organizations, supporting families in need and Vietnamese American cultural and religious traditions. Among its education efforts, VABA has contributed to Văn Lang Vietnamese-language school to help sustain classes for younger generations and preserve a connection to their language and heritage.
The association also supports disaster relief, scholarships and other charitable causes in the United States and Vietnam. In a 2021 Thanh Niên interview, David Duong reported that VABA contributed $51,000 to a 2020 flood-relief appeal in central Vietnam. The first two VABA–South Bay Golf Alliance charity tournaments 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,” a celebration commemorating 50 years of Vietnamese American history. The event brought together more than 300 business leaders, elected officials, entrepreneurs and community members to honor the resilience, achievements and contributions of Vietnamese Americans. VABA Founder and Chairman David Duong delivered a keynote address reflecting on his family’s journey and recognizing the generations who helped build a thriving Vietnamese American community in the United States.
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 VABA’s founding, its programs span business financing, investment introductions, international trade and community giving. They reflect David Duong’s original aim: to make experienced leaders more accessible to new entrepreneurs and give business owners a stronger voice together.
Over the past 15 years, VABA has helped countless entrepreneurs and business owners build valuable relationships, establish partnerships and discover new opportunities in the United States and internationally. Through its extensive network of business leaders, venture capital firms, family offices and angel investors, VABA has connected founders with potential investors, with many securing funding and growing their businesses through relationships established within the association. For Founder and Chairman David Duong, these success stories reflect the purpose behind VABA: bringing people together, sharing opportunities and building a business community where members support one another’s success.
About the Vietnamese American Business Association
Founded by David Duong in San Jose in 2011, the Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA) brings entrepreneurs, professionals, investors and civic leaders together through business education, advocacy, networking, startup programs, international partnerships and charitable initiatives. Its three core values are support, advocacy and networking, united under the motto “Speak with One Voice.” VABA is headquartered at 1211 Embarcadero, Suite 202, Oakland, CA 94606.
Media contact:
Lynn Agustin
info@vabaus.com
(510) 570-7079
Website: www.vabaus.com
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SOURCE Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA)
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