Silicon Valley candidates backed by Vietnamese American heavyweights

The FBI probe into a Bay Area recycling hauler — and the showdown between its owner and another influential Vietnamese figure — has sent a ripple through one of Santa Clara County’s hottest elections.

It’s also revealing how two of Silicon Valley’s most powerful Vietnamese figures are backing competing Vietnamese American political candidates in a historic race.

David Duong, CEO and founder of California Waste Solutions, is a longtime supporter of Madison Nguyen, a former San Jose vice mayor running for the District 2 seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The FBI probe into his company’s political activities hasn’t concluded — and no one’s been charged — but it may put Nguyen in a difficult position: Associate with a controversial name, or distance herself from a reliable ally.

“I’m not going to speculate regarding questions about ongoing investigations. It would be inappropriate and we need to respect the process,” Nguyen told San José Spotlight. “The main story is we are in the midst of a historic race — we have two candidates running with very different policy approaches. I’m going to stay focused on the issues.”

When Nguyen left the San Jose Chamber of Commerce — then known as the Silicon Valley Organization — amid a racist ad scandal and being passed up for a promotion, she found employment with the Duong family.

Nguyen began working for AsianNet Media, a company owned by Duong’s son Michael, in 2022. She worked as vice president at the company with a stated mission of raising Asian American visibility in the business and entertainment world.

The Duong family is accused of lining up donations for candidates using straw donors to conceal themselves as the source of the funds. Elected officials across the South Bay have vowed to return the donations. David Duong has denied the claims of wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Nguyen’s opponent in the District 2 supervisor race — Betty Duong (no relation to David Duong) — has garnered support from another Vietnamese entrepreneur, Hai Huynh. A bail bonds businessman, Huynh faced his own legal trouble in 2000 when indicted for loansharking and witness intimidation related to a prior employer, Bay 101 Casino. A judge threw out the case due to a lack of evidence.

David Duong and Huynh are now locked in a defamation suit in which Duong alleges Huynh falsely smeared him as a lackey for the Vietnamese government. Huynh has dismissed the case as baseless.

The high-stakes dispute between David Duong and Huynh has captured a political rift in Silicon Valley’s older Vietnamese community, with accusations ranging from charges of communism to allegations of mob connections.

Betty Duong said she doesn’t want the dispute between her and Nguyen’s backers drowning out real policy conversations.

“Against the backdrop there is this feud, but I really don’t wish to see it overshadowing something that matters: Identifying the best candidate for supervisor based on policy stances and experiences,” Betty Duong told San José Spotlight. “My campaign is focused on public safety, affordable housing. These issues really deserve and have my full attention.”

Huynh said he supports Betty Duong because she leads with kindness. He’s hosted fundraisers for her this year and often appears at community events like the monthly South Vietnamese flag-raising ceremonies.

“Betty is well educated and cares about people,” Huynh told San José Spotlight. “She’s been working for the county for over 10 years and she respects and honors the community she serves.”

The ‘Godfather’ in Vietnamese circles?

Huynh’s feud with David Duong spilled into the public eye after San Jose Councilmember Bien Doan sought a restraining order against Huynh, alleging he feared for his safety. The case called David Duong to the stand — a head-turning courtroom appearance just after the FBI probe went public. David Duong testified that Huynh was a “Godfather” figure in the community. The judge said there was no evidence to the “Godfather” claim and denied Doan’s restraining order request.

“Only two people call me the ‘Godfather’ – Bien Doan and David Duong,” Huynh told San José Spotlight.

The feud also highlighted divides among Little Saigon’s older generation. Duong chairs the Vietnamese American Business Association, a group that some in the community view as sympathetic to the Vietnamese government. Huynh, who lived for six years under communist rule before coming to the U.S. in 1981, is among the business association’s detractors. That’s helped fuel the rift between the two — and others in the community who grew up or fled around the Vietnam War.

David Duong’s family also fled communism. He previously told San José Spotlight that Huynh’s criticism was unfounded and posed a danger to his safety. He said he’s been open about his company’s business activities in Vietnam.

Whether Betty Duong or Madison Nguyen win the open District 2 supervisor race, it will be historic for the community — one will be the first Vietnamese county supervisor in its history.

“We have historical issues and historical experiences that have really created the backdrop for Vietnamese American community engagement in politics — that have defined why we’re here in America,” Betty Duong told San Jose Spotlight. “That is the environment that I recognize is around me.”

Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Editor’s Note: Cal Waste Solutions has donated to San José Spotlight.