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Thought Leader: Vu Thanh Thuy

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Vu Thanh Thuy, a journalist of South Vietnam covering the Vietnam War, was awarded the Silver Star for Valor in War by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in 1971, and the Best War Report by the Vietnam Press Corps in 1972.

After enduring years of turmoil when South Vietnam fell under communism, Thuy, along with her hourhusband, Duong Phuc, and two children, fled her beloved homeland aboard a raft and endured much danger and tragedy at seas. Although grateful to be free at last, she and her husband could not remain silent about the plight of the refugees so they wrote an open letter to the international press which was read at a United Nations News Conference in Thailand in 1980 and broke the story of the "boat people" to the world. Thuy and Phuc became internationally known for their lead role in the Boat People SOS Committee whose missions rescued more than 3,000 freedom seeking refugees in the 1980s and 1990s.

For her humanitarian contributions, Thuy was recognized with featured stories in national media such as Time, Elle, Ms. Magazine, USA Today, The New York Times and television news magazines such as ABC's 20/20, CBS's Nighwatch and CNN's Sonya Live. She has also received numerous national and international awards including an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Marist College in 1989 and the Roger E. Joseph Prize by the Hebrew Union College in 1989, which put her in the company of previous winners such as Rosa Parks.

One of her most humbling moments was when she received the "21st Century Woman Award" by the National Organization for Women in 1987, followed by a 20/20 program on Thuy's harrowing trip at sea and the rescue of others still afloat. Correspondent Stone Phillips (of Dateline NBC) accompanied her on a 2-week rescue mission in the South China Sea in 1988.

With her husband Phuc, Thuy founded Radio Saigon Houston 900 AM in 1999 to create a source of strength in the community that would not only engage and unite the voices of Houston's Vietnamese community, but also provide a channel for the outside community to reach the Vietnamese. They created the Vietnamese Yellow Pages in 2002 and a weekly newspaper in October 2006.

Their determination and vision turned an operation of five employees into a corporation that now employs 35 staff members and 80 contributing programmers, making Radio Saigon Houston 900 AM the leading Asian station in Houston and the Yellow Pages the most sought-after by the Asians in Houston. Listeners passionately believe the station expresses their concerns and issues. The Radio's popular programs are simulcast to Orange County, Sacramento and the San Jose/Bay Area in California. Their second station, Radio Saigon Dallas, and the SBTN-TV came into business November 2007. They are working in opening a 24/7 digital television station in Houston scheduled to broadcast in September 2011 and another in Dallas in November this year.

Thuy has been awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 2006 by the Asian American Journalist Association and named "Entrepreneur of the Year" in 2002 by the Houston Chamber of Commerce, 2005 by Asian Entrepreneur Magazine and 2006 by the U.S. Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce. She was inducted to the Greater Houston Women Chamber of Commerce's Hall of Fame in 2009, which put her in the company of previous winners such as Barbara Bush.

Thuy currently serves on various board of directors, including the Houston American Red Cross, the National New America Media and the Houston's International Business District Management.

 

 

Thuy has written the essay, The Value of Belief as part of the IVOH Voices & Values of Journalism Project - listen to and read the entire collection of essays here.

 

 

Thuy's recent work and related links: