As a proud American, originally from Vietnam and now an entrepreneur in Louisville, Kentucky, Di Tran sees his life’s work as more than building businesses. His calling is to elevate the city and the state onto the global stage — to ensure that Louisville is not just known locally, but recognized internationally as a hub of innovation, culture, and trade.
This week, Tran had the privilege of listening to Colin Bird, Consul General of Canada in Detroit, at the Rotary Club of Louisville. Bird’s presence and insights reminded him just how deeply interconnected Kentucky already is with the global marketplace — and how much more the region can achieve if positioned strategically.
Colin Bird: A Life in Global Trade
Colin Bird’s career reflects the very heart of international cooperation. A graduate of Harvard University (A.B. in Government Studies, 1994) and the University of Ottawa (LL.B., 2003), he has dedicated his professional life to advancing Canada’s trade relationships. From his time at the NAFTA Secretariat to serving as a trade lawyer on aerospace and softwood lumber disputes, to representing Canada before the World Trade Organization, Bird has stood at the center of some of the most important trade debates in modern history.
His leadership extended even further when he became Canada’s senior trade official at the OECD, where he chaired the Trade Committee, and at the G7 and G20, the most influential gatherings of the world’s economic powers.
The G7 brings together the world’s leading advanced democracies — the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy — with the European Union also at the table. It is where pressing issues like global security, economic stability, and climate policy are coordinated.
The G20 goes even broader, adding the voices of emerging powers such as China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and others. Together, G20 members account for nearly 85% of global GDP and two-thirds of the world’s population.
To hear from a man who has sat in these rooms, where world-shaping decisions are made, reminded Tran that Louisville must always think beyond its borders if it wants to thrive in the decades ahead.
From Vietnam to Louisville: A Global Perspective
Having come from the countryside of Vietnam, Tran understands trade not just as theory but as lived reality. He grew up seeing how decisions made in Washington, Beijing, or Brussels ripple down into the smallest villages in Asia. Now, as an American entrepreneur, he sees the same forces shaping Kentucky.
That perspective drives his commitment to create win-win pathways between Asia and the United States, with Louisville as a vital bridge. Louisville is uniquely positioned to leverage heritage industries — such as Kentucky Bourbon — and bring them to fast-growing Asian markets, including Vietnam, a country deeply connected to the U.S. and rapidly rising as an economic player.
This is why Tran founded Di Tran Bourbon — not simply as a brand, but as a mission to make Kentucky’s finest spirit a symbol of craftsmanship, heritage, and global friendship. He envisions Bourbon, crafted in Kentucky’s limestone-rich waters, being celebrated in Saigon’s rooftop bars, in Hanoi’s business lounges, and across Asia as a symbol of American pride.
Building Louisville’s Global Ecosystem
But Bourbon is only one part of a much larger vision. The future of Louisville’s place in the global market will also be shaped by technology and human connection. This is the purpose of the Di Tran AI Head — a digital presence that represents Tran’s philosophy, writings, and vision across multiple languages and cultures. For him, AI is not just a tool, but a bridge: it helps Louisville communicate, educate, and engage globally, at scale.
Alongside Bourbon and AI, Tran’s work in education through the Louisville Beauty Academy, in housing, and in community nonprofits all flow into one mission: to show that Louisville is not just a city that consumes global culture, but one that creates it and exports it.
Louisville’s Role in the Global Market
Louisville has always been a city of bridges — across rivers, across industries, across communities. Now, it is time to build bridges across continents. By learning from global leaders like Colin Bird, Tran sees clearly:
- Trade is not zero-sum; done right, it creates shared prosperity.
- Local economies are global economies; what happens at the G7 or G20 tables impacts workers, families, and entrepreneurs in Kentucky.
- Louisville must step forward; the city cannot wait for opportunity but must position itself as an exporter, innovator, and collaborator.
Tran’s vision is simple: elevate Louisville, Kentucky by connecting it to the international marketplace, not only as a city that produces great goods but as a city that shapes global conversations.
A Call to Action
As an immigrant-turned-American, Tran knows firsthand the power of possibility. From Vietnam’s countryside to Harvard’s classrooms, from the WTO chambers to Louisville’s Rotary halls, the common thread is clear: the world is interconnected, and those who embrace that truth will lead.
For Tran, that means continuing to build businesses, education models, and partnerships that push Kentucky outward — to Asia, to Europe, to everywhere opportunity lies. It means sharing Bourbon with the world, not just as a drink but as a story of resilience and craftsmanship. It means leveraging AI to ensure Kentucky’s voice is heard everywhere, every day.
And it means ensuring that Louisville is not only present but thriving in the era of global trade.
Hearing Colin Bird reaffirmed for Di Tran that Louisville belongs at the global table — and he is committed to doing everything he can, through Bourbon, AI, education, and entrepreneurship, to make that vision a reality for his children, for the community, and for the future of Kentucky.
