[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 160 (Tuesday, December 7, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING THE LIFE OF
                               BA VAN LE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2010

  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of Ba 
Van Le, a pioneer in the Vietnamese American community and a prominent 
entrepreneur, beloved by family and friends.
  Born on December 26, 1932, Ba Van Le was raised in the An Giang 
Province of Southern Vietnam. In Vietnam, he was a successful 
businessman who owned a thriving sugar cane refinery in Saigon that 
earned him the nickname ``The Sugar King.''
  Following the Vietnam War, Ba, his wife Hanh and their three oldest 
children fled Vietnam in search of new beginnings. Like many 
Vietnamese, Ba and his family settled at a refugee camp in Malaysia. 
Over a year later, Ba and the rest of the Le family arrived in the 
United States, staying briefly in Clovis, New Mexico and Monterey, 
California before settling in San Jose, California.
  In 1981, Ba, along with his sons Chieu and Henry, began operating a 
mobile lunch truck in downtown San Jose. With newfound success, the 
business expanded to a permanent Vietnamese sandwich shop, becoming the 
very first store location of what would evolve into the family's chain 
restaurant, Lee's Sandwiches.
  Ba was a prime example of the American entrepreneurial spirit. With 
the suggestion of his grandson to incorporate business ideas from 
American fast food chains, Ba and his family expanded their food menu 
and opened 30 locations in Northern and Southern California, Texas, 
Arizona, and Oklahoma. With hard work and perseverance, both he and his 
family have played a major role in popularizing the Vietnamese 
sandwich, banh mi, and other Vietnamese food in mainstream American 
food consciousness.
  Not only did Ba establish a thriving restaurant specializing in 
Vietnamese cuisine, he and his family's small business became the first 
chain restaurant to serve the needs of the Vietnamese American 
community.
  Madam Speaker, Ba Van Le's innovative spirit and cross-cultural 
achievements will be remembered for years to come. It is my hope that 
his legacy will inspire fixture generations to find creative ways to 
serve the needs of the diverse Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) 
communities. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the Le Family during 
this time of remembrance.

                          ____________________