The 13th class is made up of 39 leaders under the age of 40 from 31 countries across the Asia Pacific region. This year’s list includes activists, artists, educators, journalists, scientists and social entrepreneurs.

At the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, Van has worked to secure the freedom of victims of human trafficking and provide them with legal advocacy.

Ta Ngoc Van.

He was honoured by the Ministry of Public Security as “Hero of the Year” in 2015 for his contributions to rescuing more than 400 trafficked children and women in police operations across northern provinces.

Van was also the first to win the Trust Women Anti Trafficking Hero Award from the Thomson Reuters Foundation the same year.

The 2019 class will meet on November 15-17 in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, at the annual Asia 39 Young Leaders Summit. The summit – the first to be held in the US – will carry the theme “Technology & Humanity: Roadmaps for the Future.” Since the first Asia summit, held in Seoul in 2006, the initiative has connected people from the region and facilitated collaboration in tackling common challenges.

Besides Van, this year’s Asia 39 Young Leaders include Megha Rajagopalan, a 2018 Human Rights Press Awardee and an international correspondent for BuzzFeed News; Farhad Wajdi, who helped build a school in a refugee camp in Pakistan at the age of 14 and later founded a non-profit organization that challenges gender inequality in Afghanistan; and Shahab Shabibi, an Iranian based in the Philippines, who provides financial and management support to new enterprises.

Founded in 1956, Asia Society is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation that works to address a range of challenges facing Asia and the world.

Across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, it provides insight, generates ideas and promotes collaboration between Asia and the world.

Provincial leader Le Thi Thu Hong visits, presents gifts to national contributors

(BGO) - On the occasion of War Invalid and Martyrs' Day 27 July, Le Thi Thu Hong, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee (PPC), Head of the  National Assembly deputies delegation in Bac Giang province visited and presented gifts to the national contributors in Hiep Hoa district on 19 July. 

HCMC leader hosts French Communist Party Secretary

Politburo member, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan received visiting National Secretary of the French Communist Party (PCF) Fabien Roussel on July 21.

Party, State leader meets outstanding trade union leaders, officials

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen PhuTrong met with 90 outstanding leaders of local trade unions in 2019 and 10 trade union officials receiving Nguyen Van Linh Awards in Hanoi on July 20.

Vietnamese NA leader wraps up official visit to China

Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and her entourage arrived in Hanoi on July 12 evening, concluding their official visit to China at the invitation of Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Li Zhanshu.

Vietnamese NA Chairwoman receives leader of Suzhou city

Businesses from Suzhou city in the Chinese province of Jiangsu want to step up cooperation with Vietnam - a fast growing economy, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Zhou Naixiang said at a meeting with Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on July 9.

Source: VNA