Chamber President to Visit Vietnam

Shortly after being named president of the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce this week, Kim-Yen Huynh has her first assignment begins tonight--a low-key business trip to Vietnam.

The 52-year-old executive banker, who fled Vietnam in 1975, said she will represent her employer, California Center Bank in Garden Grove, which also has offices in Vietnam, by promoting international banking services.

In her second trip since 1994, Huynh said she will be meeting with many banking officials but declined to comment when asked whether communist government officials would tag along.

The chamber, located in Westminster, has been criticized for supporting trade with communist Vietnam.

Huynh said her visions are for business prosperity, with no political intentions.

“I respect the suffering of our Vietnamese people,” said Huynh, who replaced Michael Todaro, who was ousted last week after serving five months of his two-year term. “But I’ve always been in the banking business, so I’m looking at this trip from a business point of view.”

Huynh, the first woman to lead the organization, hopes to increase its 250-membership with better marketing, increase participation from business owners and promote banking loans to expand small businesses.