VPA continues its supports of the Vietnamese Community of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (VNC). VNC supports the Vietnamese American community. VPA's President is on the Board of Directors of VNC.

With VPA's assistance, the Vietnamese Youth Educational Association (VYEA) is now a beneficiary of the Combined Federal Campaign program of the Washington DC area. VYEA holds a yearly Vietnamese language summer session for the Vietnamese American youth. VPA continues its support of educational activities of the Vietnamese Youth Educational Association (VYEA). In preparation for the summer session 2000 (VYEA's 24th session), activities consisted in the recruiting and training of new teaching teach staff, review of curriculum, review of last year session, proposed changes, etc. The summer session began on June 26, 2000. 320 Vietnamese American youth attended the Vietnamese Language Summer 2000 Session. This year like every other year, it was sheer joy to see these students getting together and spending many summer evenings together learning the Vietnamese language and culture. The closing ceremony, organized on August 3, was also attended by our guest of honor, Ms. Kate Hanley, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Fairfax. Mr. Thuan Truong, VPA's President, presented two plaques of appreciation to IBM, and to Mr. Doug Bui, President of East-West Mortgage, for their continuing support of the summer program.

The offering of the MCSE Certification training program for the economically challenged members of the Vietnamese American community is continuing. VPA is currently partnering with Linkages to Learning (affiliated with Montgomery County, Maryland) to offer the same training that was provided last year in the County of Fairfax, Virginia. The first session held in Montgomery County, Maryland started on February 27, 2000 with 12 enrolled students. VPA is partnering with Linkages to Learning (affiliated with Montgomery County, Maryland) to offer the same training that was provided last year in the County of Fairfax, Virginia. The 3rd MCSE training session will start on July 17, 2000. The offering of the MCSE Certification training program is continuing and includes other ethnic groups and individuals who are seeking a non-traditional and inexpensive way to make an entry into the information technology field. To date, four successes have already been recorded regarding the exams taken by the students on various core skills of the MCSE certification process. The partnership with Linkages to Learning is continuing stronger with additional projects being planned. The 3rd MCSE session was completed on October 1.

The organization of the Second International Conference on Prosperity for the People of Vietnam, September 29 - October 1, 2000 was a resounding success. Professor Emeritus Robert Scalapino was its Program Chairman. The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, (SAIS), John Hopkins, also joined forces to co-organize the conference, which was held on SAIS premises. Speakers came from France, Australia, etc. It drew a very strong interest from the intelligentsia on Vietnam. It was also the first time that SAIS/Johns Hopkins co-organized such an event with a small organization such as VPA. The support of key personalities, such as Prof. Robert Scalapino, Program Chairman of the Conference, made the event possible. Papers presented at the conference were published on VPA's web site. The conference activities are a very meaningful effort since it provides a forum where practical alternatives for the future of Vietnam are being discussed. It is the only known forum and educational program that focuses on central issues with the aim of providing broad-based social and economic development for the people of Vietnam.