Joseph Cao

In December of 2008, Anh “Joseph” Cao became the first Vietnamese-American to be elected to the U.S. Congress, representing the 2nd Congressional District of Louisiana. His dual commitment to building a strong America and to defending the rights of millions of Vietnamese left behind under the Communist regime exemplifies the bridging roles of Vietnamese Americans. 

As the Communist troops advanced towards Saigon in April of 1975, Joseph, age eight, his brother, age four, and his sister, age fourteen, were placed by their mother with his relatives onto a U.S-bound plane. She stayed behind with her five other daughters to be her husband, a military officer for the South Vietnamese Army, who was imprisoned and tortured in the Communist “re-education” camps for almost seven years.

In the US, Joseph was separated from his siblings and was raised by an uncle. After completing his B.S. in Physics from Baylor University in 1990, Joseph entered the Society of Jesus hoping to bring social justice to the less fortunate. During his time with the Jesuits he experienced the suffering of Vietnamese refugees in the camps of Hong Kong in the summer of 1994. He was also sent to live and work with the less fortunate in Mexico where he learned the importance of social and political activism.  

After completing his M.A. in Philosophy from Fordham University in 1995, Joseph taught Moral Philosophy at Loyola University in New Orleans for one year. In the summer of 1996 Joseph left the Society of Jesus and returned to secular life. He left New Orleans and moved to Falls Church, Virginia, where he volunteered with BPSOS, working to protect the last boat people stranded in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong and to secure the resettlement of “re-education” camp survivors. In the fall of 1997, Joseph returned to New Orleans to attend law school and joined the Board of Directors of BPSOS. In New Orleans, he met and married Hieu Phuong Hoang, a doctor of pharmacy, with whom he had two daughters and a son.  

His election to the U.S. Congress in 2008 continues to inspire many young Vietnamese Americans to seek public office. Joseph continues to travel the country, encouraging Vietnamese refugees and immigrants to participate in the American mainstream politics and community activism.