1999 was a busy and exciting year for VPA. We reached out and achieved a number of programs that were quite remarkable given the limited resources that we possessed. There were programs that we chose to pursue given the benefits provided over the last year. There were also a number of new directions that we undertook whose success gave us a lot of pride.

VPA supports the Vietnamese Community of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (VNC) on an ongoing basis regarding the daily issues of that organization. VNC supports the Vietnamese American community. VPA's President is on the Board of Directors of VNC.

VPA has consistently been supporting the Vietnamese language training for the Vietnamese American youth. There is the Sunday School Program at the Hoa Nghiem Pagoda - Fort Belvoir, Virginia. VPA provided teaching assistance, administrative support, and financial support.

The main accomplishment consists in assisting the Vietnamese Youth Educational Association (VYEA) to hold a yearly Vietnamese language summer session for the Vietnamese American youth. The summer of 1999 session was attended by 300 youth. Seven different levels of instruction were offered and attended by youth from age 6 up to 17. The teach and support staff consists of more than 30 people during the session. VPA provides teach and administrative support every year for the last 4 years. VPA is essentially tasked to secure the necessary funding to hold the session every summer. VPA's President, Mr. Thuan Truong, is also, VYEA's Vice-President for External Affairs. This year, like any past year, it was a joy seeing a large community coming together to work and provide educational skills that help preserve the cultural heritage of the Vietnamese American community.

A new activity consisted in VPA being a key participant and organizer of the First Vietnamese-American Youth Leadership Conference, July 31 - August 1, 1999, in Arlington, Virginia. Many organizations participated. It was a great success and preparation for the Conference 2000 is under way.

Another new activity consisted in the offering of the MCSE Certification training program for the economically challenged members of the Vietnamese American community. The aim is to assist these individuals to obtain the necessary skills to become certified as Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE). It is in our opinion the most tangible, the shortest and least expensive education program that would enable the trainees to make a rewarding entry into the computer field. This was also a joint effort of a number of organizations and IT professionals. This has become an ongoing effort. VPA is leading the program.

A new activity with an international scope was the organization of the International Conference on Prosperity for the People of Vietnam, September 29 - October 1, 1999, Paris France. VPA led the effort, which was jointly organized with a sister organization in Paris. Vietnam has become one of the poorest countries of the world. Changes are ineluctable. The purpose of the conference was to gather experts in view of discussing and promoting solutions for the current economic quagmire in Vietnam. Speakers at the conference came from leading institutions (Hoover Institution, UCLA, Radio Free Asia, etc.). The conference proceedings are published on VPA's web site at http://www.vpa-inc.org. This is also becoming an ongoing program. Organization of the Conference 2000 in Washington DC is under way.

All in all, 1999 was very rewarding for the many results that VPA did achieve.