Museum Staff

Nguyen Duc Cuong – Chair of Board of Directors:

As the Chair of the Board of Directors, Nguyen Duc Cuong oversees the governance and development of the Việt Museum. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the New York University Stern School of Business.

To the position, Nguyen Duc Cuong brings experience from extensive work in the government and corporate sectors. After a decade of working for the Republic of Vietnam, he became Minister of Trade and Industry in 1973. Upon arriving in the United States in 1975, he progressed through the ranks of the treasury sector of the Exxon Mobil Corporation. After twenty-nine years with the Exxon Mobil Corporation, he retired from corporate work.

Nguyen Duc Cuong now owns a Vietnamese restaurant serving specially made Phở, which is his favorite food.

Hong Cao – Director of the Việt Museum:

Hong Cao is the Director of the Việt Museum—the museum of the Boat People and the Republic of Vietnam—located in History Park San Jose. Since being named Director in February 2022, Hong Cao has worked to maintain and develop the museum.

Before coming to the United States, Hong Cao was born and raised in Vietnam. There, after graduating with a Master's degree in Economics and a Law degree from Saigon University, he worked as Chief Legal Officer for a government bank. Following the end of the war, he was forced to work as a farm laborer in the so-called "New Economic Zone" for three years before escaping by boat. In 1980, Hong Cao came to San Jose from a refugee camp in Malaysia. He later earned a Bachelor's and a Master's in Civil Engineering from San Jose State University.

Anhthu Vu Le – Director of Museum Collections:

Anhthu Vu Le, a professional photographer and the daughter of Vũ Văn Lộc. She is a graduate of San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Communications and Photography. Anhthu has been central to the development of the Việt Museum's online platform. She was integral to the creation of the partnership with Stanford University's Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis which produced the Vietnamese Refugee Archive Exhibit.

To see more of Anhthu Vu Le's work: https://anhthuvulephotography.wordpress.com/