Photo: Office of Representative Joseph Cao / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Joseph Cao's story moves me before I weigh any of his politics. Born in Ho Chi Minh City, he became the first Vietnamese American and first native of Vietnam to serve in the United States Congress, representing Louisiana from 2009 to 2011. To leave a war-torn country, master a new language and culture, train as a lawyer, and reach the center of American power is no small thing; the 2009 Great Immigrants Award barely captures it. That he did it as a Republican only underlines how little he fit any easy mold. I have a real soft spot for people who survive the unsurvivable, and I simply respect him.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Joseph Cao
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョゼフ・カオ
- Reading
- じょぜふ・かお
- Born
- March 13, 1967 (age 59)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Goat
- Origin
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Occupation
- politician / lawyer / teacher / advocate
2. Background
- High school
- Jersey Village High School
- University
- Fordham University
Awards & achievements
- 2009 Great Immigrants Award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://josephcaoforcongress.com/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7%E3%82%BC%E3%83%95%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AB%E3%82%AA
Frequently asked questions
When was Joseph Cao born?
Born March 13, 1967 (age 59).
Where is Joseph Cao from?
Joseph Cao is from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
What does Joseph Cao do?
Joseph Cao works as politician, lawyer, teacher, advocate.
Politician — see all → · Lawyer — see all → · More people from Vietnam →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.