Sen Truong Tran

SEN TRUONG TRAN

Sen Truong Tran was born and raised in Bac Lieu, Vietnam, in an agricultural family. He was the eldest son of Mr. Luong Tran and Mrs. Lieng Thi Khuu, who owned the famous Longan orchard in Bac Lieu, Vietnam. His parents originated from Chaozhou, Guangdong, China. During his youth, his family being farmers, endured many financial hardships and challenging times. As the eldest son, he had to work hard to help share the burden of providing for the family with his father. His hope was to contribute to their livelihood and further the education of his younger siblings.

In 1978, he took a chance and left Vietnam in search of a better future for his family and settled in San Diego, California. When he first set foot on American soil, a country which he considered to be the most economically developed in the world, he was fascinated and inspired by the magnificent streets and the bustling businesses. He started to think about how he can improve the quality of life for both his family and his siblings. He began his vision to fulfill his American Dream - To build an economically sustainable foundation for his family based on his life experience, perseverance and sheer will to succeed.

In 1980, he founded the first Vien Dong Market in San Diego. Thanks to the reputation and quality of the goods and products provided, Vien Dong Market promptly met the many daily needs of the local Asian families. With lower pricing and excellent customer service, the Market received immense support from the local Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laos communities.

Following the overwhelming success of the first Vien Dong Market, Mr. Tran and his siblings went on to strengthen and developed the Vien Dong Supermarket Brand. They opened four Markets - Vien Dong Supermarket I, II, III and IV in Southern California. This was a flourishing time for his career and family life. And eventually in 2004, he opened Vien Dong Supermarket V aka World Foods Supermarket. Today, the success of the Vien Dong Supermarket brand is still a tribute to his life time achievement.

Although he was a busy businessman, he was first and foremost, a devoted son and spent a lot of his time caring for his elderly parents. He was also a responsible brother, a good husband, and a caring father. He always led by example and was a role model for his children. He was considered a loyal friend amongst his peers and will always be remembered as a faithful friend to society. In addition to his family responsibilities, he also devoted much of his time to the betterment of the Vietnamese immigrant community. He endeavored to help those in difficult circumstances and organized care institutions for the elderly. As the direct result of his many community efforts, he was well respected and admired by both the Chinese and Vietnamese people in the community.

Since the early days of his arrival to America, he along with other fellow community leaders, established various local and international organizations to help Asian immigrants rise above their circumstances and overcome difficulties as they start their new lives in a foreign land.

Amongst his many community contributions and titles included:

• In 1982, Mr. Sen Truong Tran and Mr. Ha Khuu Ngo established the first Vietnam - Cambodia - Laos Association in San Diego; he served as Chairman for the 2nd and 3rd term.

• In 1991, Mr. Sen Truong Tran and Mr. Xuong Hang Truong established Teo-Chew Association; he served as Chairman.

• In 2000, Mr. Sen Truong Tran and Mr. Ba Tat Truong established The Global Unified Chinese Organizations From Vietnam - Cambodia – Laos; he served as Permanent Advisor.

• Commissioner of the Taiwan Overseas Association

• Chief Secretary of the North American-Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos Association

• Founder of the Ba Thien Hau Temple in San Diego.

In 2005 as part of his duties as Commissioner, Mr. Tran was invited by the Republic of China authorities to an official visit of Mainland China. During his visit to Fujian Province, Mr. Tran unfortunately suffered an accidental fall and since the local hospital was not well equipped to treat his ailment, his wife Mrs. Oanh Thu Le hired a private agency to bring him back to America. After a few long months of treatments, he was considered fully recovered but his overall health had diminished and he therefore handed over the management of his businesses to his wife and children. For the next 11 years, he was always surrounded and well cared for by his loving children and devoted wife. Recently he had fallen ill once again and was treated at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego by a team of dedicated doctors and caring medical assistants.

Mr. Tran passed away at 5:09 am on July 13, 2016 in San Diego at the age of 75. His legacy is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren; as well as his extended family. Mr. Sen Truong Tran will always be remembered by the tremendously important contributions that he made to the Vietnamese and Chinese communities of Southern California during his life. He will be greatly missed by all those who love him – his family, his friends, his fellow community leaders and many in the Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laos communities.