VOICE began operations in 1997 as a representative office of the Vietnamese Australian community in Manila, Philippines, providing legal advice and assistance to 2,500 stateless Vietnamese refugees residing in the country. Since then, VOICE has partnered with other NGOs and community groups, helping approximately 2,000 individuals resettle in the U.S. in 2005, and about 1,000 others resettle in Australia, Canada, and Norway, including those married to or having children with Filipinos, between 2000 and 2009.

VOICE officially registered and obtained 501(c)(3) legal status from the State of California, USA, in 2007.

Summary of our refugee assistance work:

  • 2000–2002: Advocated for Australia’s Special Humanitarian Program, enabling 230 refugees to reunite with family members in Australia.

  • 2004–2007: The Vietnamese Refugee Resettlement Project in the Philippines (VRPP) helped 1,573 individuals resettle in the United States.

  • 2005–2007: 49 cases (188 individuals) received residency permits in Norway to reunite with relatives.

  • 2005–2009: Canada’s policy on Vietnamese refugees in the Philippines enabled about 200 individuals, including spouses and children of Filipinos, to resettle in Canada with support from community groups.

  • 2007–present: Continued advocacy for remaining refugee cases in the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia.

  • 2007–present: Initiated a training program for young social activists in Vietnam.

  • 2013–present: Successfully lobbied the Canadian government to accept Vietnamese refugees under humanitarian grounds with two conditions: (1) a private sponsor must support them for the first year, and (2) VOICE must cover all travel and immigration costs.

At the end of 2013, VOICE raised nearly $500,000 USD to aid victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and to rebuild two schools in Ormoc and Coron. Starting January 12, 2014, VOICE representatives joined a human rights advocacy delegation for Vietnam, alongside NGOs such as the Vietnamese Bloggers Network, Dân Làm Báo, The Path of Vietnam, Traditional Hòa Hảo Buddhism, No-U Vietnam, the Association of Political and Religious Prisoners of Vietnam, and international organizations like ISHR, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and CIVICUS. This campaign coincided with Vietnam’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2014.

On June 22, 2014, VOICE member delivered a statement before the UN Human Rights Council on behalf of 10 Vietnamese civil society organizations. He highlighted government retaliation against UPR 2014 participants, arrests and detentions of human rights activists, and violations of national and international law by the Vietnamese government.

On March 27, 2015, VOICE co-hosted the Vietnam-Philippines Civil Society Conference on South China Sea disputes, bringing together Vietnamese democracy activists, the University of the Philippines’ Maritime and Law of the Sea Institute, and Philippine civil society groups to seek non-governmental solutions.

In April–May 2016, VOICE partnered with Đông Yên parish to deliver 35 tons of rice to fishermen’s families affected by the Formosa environmental disaster in Kỳ Anh district, Hà Tĩnh province.

On October 27, 2016, VOICE held the “Thương Về Miền Trung II” fundraising night, raising about $80,000 USD to aid victims of historic floods in Central Vietnam. The funds helped build 9 flood-resistant floating houses in Quảng Bình, 8 in Hà Tĩnh, and 6 in Thừa Thiên Huế.

On July 12, 2017, prior to the 14th Australia–Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue, VOICE, invited by the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organized a human rights advocacy trip with Nguyễn Thị Kim Liên, mother of political prisoner Đinh Nguyên Kha, and other civil society groups.

On September 2, 2017, the “Tibet and Vietnam Human Rights Conference” was held at Dieu Ngu Temple in Westminster, with participation from VOICE, Tibetan government-in-exile members, and other guests.

At 5 PM Geneva time (10 PM Vietnam time) on September 19, 2017, VOICE Europe Program Coordinator delivered a speech before the UN Human Rights Council, closing VOICE’s UPR 2017 international advocacy campaign. The delegation met with officials in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and the Czech Republic, offering proposals to help Vietnam improve its human rights practices.

On June 27, 2018, VOICE premiered the documentary “When Mother’s Away” at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) in Bangkok. The film had 50 screenings in 14 countries (including Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, the U.S., Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, Norway, Denmark, and the Czech Republic) and was translated into five subtitle languages (English, French, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Czech).

“When Mother’s Away” is VOICE’s first documentary, co-produced with Vietnamese director Clay Phạm. It portrays the life of blogger Mother Mushroom (Nguyễn Ngọc Như Quỳnh)’s family after she was sentenced to 10 years in prison under Article 88(1) for “propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” Featured in the film are her mother Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Lan and her two young children, Nấm and Gấu. The film aims to highlight her story as a representative voice for all prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. It is also the first documentary about a Vietnamese prisoner of conscience.