CONTACT:
Pha-Le Le
Communications Director
301.905.2380
vascon.c...@gmail.com
www.vasconlove.org

Vietnamese American Student Conference Plants Seeds in D.C.

Fourth Annual Vietnamese American Student Conference (VASCON) Launches
in East Coast and Unveils Strongest Program Lineup since Inception

WASHINGTON, DC (March 8, 2008) - The national Vietnamese American
Student Conference (VASCON) has unleashed its astounding lineup of
keynote speakers, workshop topics, and performers to take place on the
historic grounds of Georgetown University in Washington, DC from April
4-6th, 2008. As stated on its official website, VASCON seeks to share
and showcase the "beating heart and soul" of Vietnamese America.

With a selection of over twenty workshop topics tied to the theme of
"Planting Seeds", attendees consisting of college undergraduates and
young professionals from around the nation will have the chance to
engage in dialogue about domestic issues such as the recent murder of
four children by their desperate father in Alabama, the US and Vietnam
repatriation act that could potentially result in the deportation of
over 1,500 undocumented persons, to international issues such as the
Hoang Sa and Truong Sa island dispute with China in Vietnam (Spratly
Islands) and understanding the causes of labor exploitation and human
trafficking conditions of Vietnamese migrant workers.

"This looks to be a very impressive conference" says Newton Hoang, a
community worker from the Broadway Youth Resource Center in Vancouver.
"I don't think I've seen a better lineup of workshops."

This year, Duy-Loan Le from Texas instruments (TI) will be one of two
renowned keynote speakers. Mrs. Le is the first woman and Asian
American to hold the Senior Fellow rank at TI and has overcome and
traversed many adversities since her arrival to America in 1975.
Adrian Hong, the other keynote speaker, is the Executive Director of
Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), a non-profit organization founded at
KASCON (Korean American Student Conference). Mr. Hong served as
Executive Director of KASCON18 and helped found VASCON while a student
at Yale University.

In addition to shedding light onto pertinent issues of the Vietnamese
American community, VASCON will host the highly-anticipated VASCON
LIVE, a concert that brings together a multitude of feature artists
from across the nation. There will also be an "open mic" the night
before to serve as a platform for aspiring artists to perform in front
of a national audience.

Bao Phi, a frequent VASCON performer, recalls his past performance at
VASCON LIVE. "[VASCON LIVE] was truly amazing, in terms of the
audience and the fellow artists who hit the stage, you could not
believe the energy and love in that room," he writes in the liner
notes of his album Refugeography. "So many raucous Asians, most of
them Vietnamese, full of spirit and pride and laughter and love - it
was one of those nights that made everything seem perfect."

Seriously, an emerging pop band from Orange County, CA will be kicking
off the start of their "HEART" tour at VASCON. Local favorite Carol
Bui Band is also expected to blow crowds away with her eccentric
flavor with such influences as Madonna, Stevie Nicks and Khanh Ly.
Other acts include Applesauce Tran, Nam Ninja, and Magnetic North,
among other local talents.

VASCON pushes the envelope this year to include the emergence of the
Vietnamese film wave, aka "Viet Film Wave", catching like wildfire
across the globe. While offering exclusive screenings such as "Owl and
the Sparrow", "Dust of Life", and "Oh, Saigon", VASCON will also host
a panel with the films' very own globe-trotting filmmakers, including
Stephane Gauger, Jenni Trang Le, and Ham Tran, to personally dialogue
with attendees about the past, present and future of film within the
Vietnamese American community.

Sponsors of VASCON4 include: Beyond Bouquets, Boat People SOS,
Catholic University of America, Chaos Theory Music, Lee's Sandwiches,
National Congress of Vietnamese Americans, SBTN, Storyline Designs |
Events by Kym Pham, VATV, and the Vietnamese Professional Society,
Wells Fargo, alongside other small businesses, private donors, and
community organizations. VASCON would not be possible without the help
of such generous sponsors and friends.

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VASCON is an annual conference co-founded in 2004 by students at UT
Austin and Yale University, which has since gathered over 1,000
students and young professionals to engage in open dialogue about the
state of Vietnamese America with distinguished guests from a spectrum
of disciplines.

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For further information, or to schedule an interview, please contact
VASCON4 Communications Director Pha-Le Le via phone at 301.905.2380 or
via email at vascon.c...@gmail.com. Visit the website at: www.vasconlove.org
for conference information. Online registration ends March 28th.