Cô VN - Creating Opportunities in Vietnam

Cô VN Staff

Behind Cô VN is a group of devoted professionals of Vietnamese American heritage in the fields of law, engineering, education, and business. We share the simple concept of wanting to help disadvantaged women in Vietnam by providing them with the tools and the opportunities to improve their living conditions and achieve and sustain economic self-sufficiency.

• Hanna Bui-Eve, Chair and President
• Duy Thai, Secretary and Vice President of Corporate Communications
• Nikky Chau, Director of Marketing
• Mimi Diem-My Dao, Vice President of Marketing
• Hon Lien, Chief Financial Officer
• Huy Do, Advisor
• Jenny Do, Advisor
• Linh Do, Advisor
• Rosalyn Huynh, Advisor
• Chinh Le, Advisor
• Lynh Y. Nguyen, Vice President, Corporate Infrastructure
• Hai-Ho Tran, Vice President of Field Operation

Hanna Bui-Eve, Chair and President
Hanna is an attorney with her own practice specializing in technology transactions. Prior to establishing her law practice, Hanna served as Senior Director and Legal Counsel of BeVocal, Inc. and spent four years as an associate at two major Silicon Valley law firms, Cooley Godward LLP, and Fenwick & West LLP. Hanna received her law degree, with honors, from the University of California, Hastings College of Law, in 1997, and her bachelor of science degree in Economics from the University of California at Davis in 1988. Hanna was born in My Tho, Vietnam in 1966. Hanna's family settled in San Francisco in 1980 after leaving Vietnam by boat in 1979.

"Visiting Vietnam is always a humbling experience for me. The women, they look just like me, they speak my language . . . and yet, they lead such hard lives. The only difference between us is that I was given an opportunity. Just imagine if they're provided with the same . . ."

Duy Thai, Secretary and Vice President of Corporate Communications
Duy Thai has a private law practice in San Francisco specializing in intellectual property and litigation. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Trinity University (with high honors) and law degree from the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall), he practiced for several years at the Bingham McCutchen law firm. Duy's community involvement has included pro bono representation of women seeking child support enforcement and other indigent clients. He is active in the Vietnamese-American Bar Association, the Asian-American Bar Association, and California Lawyers for the Arts.

Nikky Chau, Director of Marketing

Mimi Diem-My Dao, Vice President of Marketing
Believing in helping others to succeed through opportunities creation, Mimi joined CO VN in January 2004. Mimi graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2000 and is admitted to practice law in the State of California, the Federal Circuit Court, and the Appellate Court of California, as well as the U.S. Patent Office. Mimi is currently working at Blakely Sokoloff Taylor and Zafman, Sunnyvale, specializing in patent and intellectual property law.

Hon Lien, Chief Financial Officer
Hon Lien is an entrepreneur and businesswoman who is currently running for San Jose City Council, District 4.

Huy Do, Advisor
Q. Huy Do is an attorney practicing at the international law firm of Clifford Chance, specializing in intellectual property and complex commercial litigation and arbitration. He advises a broad spectrum of technology companies in domestic and international disputes around the world. Huy enjoys spending time with his family. He also likes to read fiction, play tennis, basketball and watch action movies with plenty of martial arts scenes/stunts.

Jenny Do, Advisor
It was for the love of arts and the compassion for Vietnamese women that Jenny joined COVN. She is an attorney by day and an artist by night. She attended Lincoln and Golden Gate Law Schools and currently is pursuing an art history degree at San Francisco State University. Jenny has always been a community activist and an advocate for the underdogs. Prior to becoming an attorney, she worked many years for the Santa Clara County Social Services Agency as Counselor for Amerasians. She also worked as a Crime Prevention Specialist for the San Jose Police Department and an Activity Coordinator at De Anza College. Her work and her life story have been featured on the Oprah Winfrey show, the Christian Science Mornitor, the German International TV program, the TV special program segment produced by Time-Warner, various local news channels, and the San Jose Mercury News.

For her art, Jenny states that: "Women are the backbone of the Vietnamese society. They hold families and communities together, yet they have not been properly recognized for what they do or can do. The Vietnamese society confines the woman within the boundaries of family life: she is expected and encouraged to endure and to sacrifice for the benefits of others, and never for her own benefits. I want my paintings, photographs and needlework to reflect her enduring spirit, and I will encourage her to assume new roles for herself, especially roles that are outside of what the society has long prescribed for her."

Linh Do, Advisor
Linh Do is an MBA Candidate at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Recently, Linh conducted financial services and microfinance research in Vietnam for East Meets West Foundation. Prior to business school, Linh advised Fortune 500 clients as a management consultant with Deloitte Consulting, performed marketing with a startup software company, founded and managed a recruiting business, and led a nonprofit in service-leadership for high school students. A graduate of Stanford University with a BA in Anthropology, Linh's cultural curiosity and love for the outdoors, heights, and speed, has led her to adventures in over 20 countries. Linh and her family emigrated from Vietnam by boat in 1979, settling in St. Louis in 1980.

Rosalyn Huynh, Advisor
Rosalyn is currently at Google, Inc. in Online Sales and Operations. Rosalyn has also worked for various media technology firms, including NTT DoCoMo in Osaka, Japan, and the Information Technology Industry Council in Washington, DC. She is a recent graduate of Stanford University, where she majored in Communication. At Stanford, she served as the Community Service chair for the Asian American Activities Center. She also taught a course on Asian American Issues and led an immersion trip exploring these issues in Los Angeles. She enjoys indie films, cooking, and intense web-surfing.

Chinh Le, Advisor
Chinh Le is the Founder and Chief Executive Office of LeWiz Communications. Prior to LeWiz Communications, Chinh was the Director of Engineering for a Silicon Valley startup company where he successfully led multiple teams to develop complex, deep sub-micron network processors and classification engines. Chinh also served as Operations Manager for Motorola Semiconductor and was one of the original architects of the embedded PowerPC™ processor chips for Motorola. Chinh currently holds nine patents. He has a MSEE and a BSEE degrees from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Lynh Y. Nguyen, Vice President, Corporate Infrastructure
After working in the high tech field as a Senior Technical Writer and Project Manager, Lynh returned to her passion, teaching. Lynh is currently an ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor at various community colleges within Northern California. Lynh graduated with high honors from San Jose State University with an MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and a BA in Liberal Studies. Lynh's family escaped from Vietnam by boat in 1980 and made Northern California their home.

"I learned the true meaning of hard work when I returned to Vietnam. So it is great to have an opportunity to help others to improve their quality of life."

Hai-Ho Tran, Vice President of Field Operation
Hai-Ho received his BSEE from the University of California at Davis. After 9 years in semiconductor, database and online training, Hai-Ho now owns his own business working as a Realtor and Loan Consultant. When not working on his client's behalf, Hai-Ho often find time to volunteer for different non-profit organizations that benefit local communities as well as the Children in Vietnam. This past Christmas Hai-Ho went to Vietnam on a medical relief mission with Project Vietnam to help American Doctors and Nurses with translation and facility coordination. In his spare time, Hai-Ho enjoys Argentine Tango, Photography, and outdoor sports.