Vietnamese-owned Bank Debut in ‘Little Saigon’
WESTMINSTER, Calif. — A plan to create the only U.S. bank owned and operated by Vietnamese Americans has cleared a regulatory hurdle and is expected to begin operating early next year.
The First Vietnamese American Bank proposes to focus initially on consumer and business services in Orange County’s Little Saigon area, which includes parts of the cities of Westminster and Garden Grove, said CEO Hieu T. Nguyen.
“We’re confident that this concept will appeal to the local community and business owners because it is created by individuals who have a deep understanding of the Vietnamese culture and the way Vietnamese Americans choose to handle financial matters,” he said.
The Little Saigon area is home to the largest concentration of people of Vietnamese descent outside of Vietnam.
There have been at least two previous Vietnamese-owned banks in Little Saigon, but those efforts failed.
AADP Saves Life of 7-year-old Latina
HAYWARD, Calif. — The Asian American Donor Program, a 15-year-old nonprofit that helps find rare bone-marrow types through recruitment and education, has helped save the life of a 7-year-old Latina, Natalie Alonso.
Thanks in part to the program, two potential matches were found. The ultimate donor will remain anonymous for at least a year after the transplant. Natalie has regained about 95% of her white-cell count.
“I want to say thank you to the person that donated,” Marta Alonso told The Argus newspaper. “I hope that somebody does the same thing for someone else.”
Cancer Trends Mostly Good for CA Asians
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training says that matching nationwide trends, the state’s Asian Americans are doing better at fending off cancer than the state’s other three major ethnic groups.
The state Department of Health Services Cancer Surveillance Section found that the cancer incidence among Asian Americans dropped 5.9%, and deaths from cancer dropped 16.3% from 1988 to 2001 — declines that were more rapid than those for any other group.
But variations among the very diverse Asian populations in California told a more complicated story. Koreans saw only a 0.2% drop in their cancer incidence, and Filipinos experienced a 2.5% increase in their cancer death rate.
In addition, Asian Americans have a higher-than-average incidence of cancers caused by infections such as the human papilloma virus, or HPV, which can lead to cervical cancer, and hepatitis B, which can lead to liver cancer. Breast cancer, too, is on the rise among Asian American women in California.
Dr. Moon S. Chen Jr., professor of public-health sciences at the UC Davis School of Medicine and the principal investigator for AANCART, said the cancer picture for Asian Americans is unique.
Hatwalk 2004
EVENT: Asian American Cancer Support Network Hatwalk 2004
BACKGROUND: Using the comfort that hats provide to cancer patients as a theme in this year’s benefit gala, models will showcase hats designed by AACSN volunteers.
INTERESTING: Cancer is the No. 1 cause of death in APA women and the second leading cause of death in APA men.
DETAILS: Nov. 6, 6 p.m., Hyatt Regency, Burlingame, (408) 735-7890 or www.aacsn.org.