Overseas Vietnamese women: Persistent ambassadors of national unity
President of the 10th-tenure VFF Central Committee Bui Thi Minh Hoai (center) presents certificates of merit to outstanding overseas Vietnamese individuals and organisations in 2025
More than 2.5 million Vietnamese women living across 130 countries are emerging as important "pillars" contributing their intellect and dedication to the nation's prosperity. They have also become enduring bridges carrying Vietnamese values to the international stage while strengthening the great national unity in a new era.
Connecting overseas Vietnamese communy
Over the past 15 years, overseas Vietnamese community has continued to grow in scale and influence. More than 2.5 million Vietnamese women are currently living, studying, and working in over 130 countries and territories, playing important roles in preserving culture, strengthening community ties, and promoting international integration.
Networks of innovation among overseas Vietnamese are also expanding, connecting experts and intellectuals engaged in technology transfer, research, and development. This community is characterised by long-term stability, deep integration into host societies, and considerable resources in terms of expertise, management experience, capital, and international networks.
In 2025, remittances sent to Viet Nam reached approximately US$18 billion, becoming a significant economic resource and a vivid demonstration of the enduring bond between overseas Vietnamese and their homeland.
These foundations have enabled overseas Vietnamese women to make substantial contributions to the country. Many are experts and intellectuals contributing knowledge and expertise, while also connecting domestic organisations with international partners and mobilising overseas support for national development.
Vietnamese women's organisations have now been established in 18 countries, most of them in Europe, including Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Uzbekistan, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Austria, and the United Kingdom, as well as Australia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Overseas Vietnamese women's communities operate through diverse forms of engagement, helping members integrate into local societies while also contributing meaningfully to their host countries.
The “Green Vegetable Garden” project donated to Truong Sa by the Vietnamese community in Poland during a visit to the Truong Sa archipelago and DK1 platform rigs in April 2026.
The Vietnam Women's Forum in Europe, established in June 2023, became the first continent-wide organisation for overseas Vietnamese women. Structured as an open network, it brings together Vietnamese women of different generations and backgrounds from 18 European countries, with a 65-member executive board representing all participating nations.
Dr Phan Bich Thien, President of the Vietnam Women's Forum in Europe and member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, said the forum's effective activities and growing international reputation demonstrate the contributions of overseas Vietnamese women.
"Confidence, dynamism, creativity and connectivity" have become both the organisation's guiding principles and objectives. The forum aims to expand its membership network, strengthen ties with international women's organisations, engage more deeply in high-level forums on gender equality and sustainable development, and promote broader integration in socio-economic fields. According to Dr Thien, such efforts not only amplify Vietnamese voices internationally but also support Vietnamese women in realising their potential in an increasingly globalised environment.
Organisations and individuals within the overseas Vietnamese women's community have also connected domestic institutions with overseas organisations and partners. Many have mobilised international resources and coordinated with the Vietnam Women's Union to implement projects aimed at improving women's quality of life and social standing.
They have supported initiatives directed towards vulnerable women, participated in activities related to Viet Nam's seas and islands, and contributed to programmes such as "Accompanying Women on the Border" and the "Godmother" initiative launched by the Vietnam Women's Union.
Through connections established by member associations in Germany, Hungary, Poland, and France, many overseas Vietnamese women have become long-term sponsors for orphaned children in Viet Nam, supporting education and living expenses while maintaining regular communication through letters and online calls. To date, members of the Vietnam Women's Forum in Europe have collectively supported 126 orphaned children in Viet Nam. Despite geographical distance, these "godmothers" continue to provide emotional support and maintain close relationships with the children.
A spirit of "connection and contribution"
After more than five years of implementation, Conclusion No. 12-KL/TW issued by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam on 2 August 2021 has generated positive changes in overseas Vietnamese affairs. Efforts to engage the diaspora have further raised public awareness of the important role overseas Vietnamese communities play in strengthening national solidarity and mobilising collective national strength for the goal of building a prosperous and happy country.
In recent years, outreach to overseas Vietnamese has remained one of the key priorities of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organisations. Issues concerning overseas Vietnamese women and efforts to engage female overseas Vietnamese have consistently appeared in documents of the National Women's Congress since 2002.
The Vietnam Fatherland Front has also sought to harness the intellectual resources of overseas Vietnamese through forums, seminars, and conferences where scientists and experts can share ideas and proposals for national development. It has repeatedly affirmed that overseas Vietnamese communities are important bridges connecting Viet Nam with the wider world and represent valuable resources in terms of intellect, economics, culture, and politics.
As the country enters a "new era of national advancement", the Front has stressed that mobilising the strength of the great national unity bloc, including overseas Vietnamese, is an inevitable requirement. In its role as a core political organisation, the Vietnam Fatherland Front is expected to continue innovating in its efforts to engage overseas Vietnamese and transform emotional attachment to the homeland into practical contributions to national development.
With the 11th National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, I expect the Congress to provide concrete directions for the cause of uniting and gathering all strata of the people and social organisations in the country as well as Vietnamese people abroad to maximize the potential of the nation for the development of the country in the new era.
Dr Phan Bich Thien, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnamese Association in Hungary
Dr Phan Bich Thien, who has served four terms as a member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and is also Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese in Hungary, said she deeply understands the significance of national unity.
"If every Vietnamese person carries with them a spirit of connection and contribution, then the strength of overseas Vietnamese communities will continue to spread even more powerfully within the broader national unity bloc," she said.
Dr Phan Bich Thien, President of the Vietnam Women’s Forum in Europe and member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front.
Ahead of the 11th National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Dr Thien expressed hope that the organisation would continue serving as a focal point for reflecting overseas Vietnamese concerns, particularly regarding legal frameworks protecting their rights and interests, thereby helping strengthen their ties with the homeland.
She also expressed hopes for more concrete mechanisms encouraging overseas Vietnamese intellectuals and experts to contribute to major national projects through flexible forms of cooperation, while placing greater emphasis on engaging younger generations, including overseas Vietnamese youth, in strengthening national solidarity and contributing to the country's development.
