TRUONG D. TRAN

TRAN--Truong Dinh. Vietnamese businessman Tran Dinh Truong passed away at his home and business, Hotel Carter, on Sunday, May 6, 2012. He was 80 years old. The son of Mr. Tran Toi Lac and Mrs. Le Thi Tu, Mr. Tran was born and raised in Vietnam and was the principal owner of Vishipco Line, the largest shipping company in South Vietnam during the 1970s. He left Vietnam with his families on April 30, 1975, the day Saigon fell to the Communists, boarding one of his eleven ships with only two gold filled suitcases and an American dream. The journey was long, but the Tran families eventually landed in New York City, where Mr. Tran began his new career in hospitality, first with the Hotel Opera on the Upper West Side, and then Hotel Carter in Midtown Manhattan, a purchase which also included Hotel Lafayette, in Buffalo, New York and Hotel Kenmore in Manhattan. Through the years, there were many other real estate holdings, but his greatest accomplishment was his humanitarian work, which included a personal contribution of $2 million dollars to The American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In May 2004, Mr. Tran was awarded a Golden Torch Award by the Vietnamese American National Gala in Washington, D.C. Mr. Tran was also on the Board of Directors of The United Way of New York City. He is survived by sixteen children: Nam Tran, Bac Tran, Thu Tran, Suzen Tran, Caroline Tran, Stephanie Tran, Teresa Yokoi, Monica Tran, Joseph Tran, Victoria Tran, Trang Tran, Margaret Tran, Christine Tran, Madalena Tran, Anthony Tran, Laura Tran, their mothers, and 15 grandchildren. A mass will be held at Holy Cross Church, 329 West 42nd Street on May 14, 2012 at 10am. The funeral will be at Trinity Cemetery, 770 Riverside Drive on May 16, 2012 at 10am.