Mr. Vo Ta Han & his wife Mrs. Kim Chau Vo-Ta (front row, far right) at the VN2020 Christmas Gathering in Dec 2007
An Association of Professionals for Vietnam's Future
Connecting overseas Vietnamese professionals and students worldwide — through mentorship, education, scholarships and community development — to nurture a new generation of world-class Vietnamese talent.
Vietnam 2020 Global was founded in Singapore in 2007 by a group of passionate Vietnamese professionals who believed that overseas talent could be a powerful force for Vietnam's development. Through years of quiet contribution — mentoring students, donating books, connecting communities — the organisation proved that a diaspora can serve with grace, even when the winds shift. In 2025, after more than a decade of patient resilience, Vietnam 2020 found its way home — reborn as a global association rooted in Vietnam itself.
What began as a Student Advisory Network at the National University of Singapore has grown into a global association with advisors and members spanning the USA, Canada, Europe, Singapore, and Vietnam — united by a shared vision for a better Vietnam.
A global team of dedicated professionals committed to Vietnam's future.
From a small pre-founding circle in 1991 to a full-scale global association — a journey of purpose, patience, and an unbreakable bond with Vietnam.
Watch on YouTubeScroll down to the Highlights section for a year-by-year summary of key activities.
A curated look at what defined each era — the breakthroughs, the people, the moments that shaped Vietnam 2020's identity.
The organisation's roots trace to 1991–1995 with the earliest Books4VN book donation drives — a grassroots act predating any formal structure by over a decade. The pivotal catalyst came on 17 Sep 2005: a talk to Vietnamese students at NUS that seeded everything which followed.
Three pro-tem committee meetings formalised the organisation's structure, followed immediately by action — the first Mentor–Mentee pairings launched across BizAd, Science & Engineering, and Investment "Families." The entire model that would define Vietnam 2020 for nearly two decades was established in a single semester at NUS.
Vietnam 2020's most active year, proving the concept at full scale. National press coverage in TuoiTre newspaper, career workshops at NUS & NTU, a charity drive for the Go Vap Children's Centre, the first major Books4VN shipment to Vietnam, and the landmark 1st Anniversary Celebration. Culture thrived alongside — Guitar Club, Cooking Club, and the Amazing Race at Botanic Garden.
The most significant year for physical impact in Vietnam. The VN2020 Library at International University, HCMC was officially opened (Oct), and Books4VN earned coverage in Thanh Nien magazine. The "One Coin One Brick" initiative launched to build houses for Vietnamese villages — the earliest humanitarian project on home soil, foreshadowing Bridges of Friendship.
The year of highest-profile engagements. Dr. Tran Duc Vi, VN2020 vice-chairman, presented cutting-edge laser research to Singapore government ministers — showcasing Vietnamese scientific excellence on the world stage. A landmark Mekong Delta conference on environment & higher education, the Vice-Chairman accompanying the USS John McCain in Da Nang, and a Youth Summit at NUS drawing leaders from NUS, NTU & SMU. The year closed with a Pham Duy music evening at the prestigious Tanglin Club.
Vietnam 2020 elevated its discourse — networking with World Bank conference delegates, hosting distinguished economists at the Singapore Art Museum, and staging the signature forum "Vietnam Amid Rising Asia — Great Challenge or Golden Opportunity?" The Mekong Group was launched, extending the network into one of Vietnam's most vital regions.
These were years of deliberate restraint — not defeat. As Singapore's public conversation turned toward a preference for local talent, Vietnam 2020 chose to step back from the spotlight rather than inflame tensions. The decision was quiet, but principled: serve without seeking recognition. Vietnamese professionals continued contributing to Singapore's growth — in finance, technology, research, and entrepreneurship — as individuals, not as an association demanding visibility.
This long silence was not inertia — it was preparation. The network remained alive. Friendships deepened. The diaspora spread further: to the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and beyond. And across the sea, Vietnam itself was rising. The question was no longer whether to return home — but how.
After more than a decade of patient, quiet contribution, Vietnam 2020 found its way home. On 31 January 2025, it was formally reconstituted as Vietnam 2020 – Global — no longer anchored to a single city, but rooted in the country it had always served. The organisation that began in a Singapore lecture hall now spans Vietnam, the USA, Canada, Europe, and beyond. And it returned not with nostalgia, but with ambition: the flagship Bridges of Friendship initiative was announced — 250 bridges across the Mekong Delta, each 22–30 m long, timed to America's 250th Independence Anniversary. Vietnam was always the destination. 2025 was the arrival.
From 2007 to 2011, our Singapore chapter ran over 80 documented events — mentorship, careers, charity, community, and culture — that shaped a generation of overseas Vietnamese professionals. After a period of quiet contribution through 2012–2024, Vietnam 2020 returned home in 2025.
Knowledge is the greatest gift. Vietnam 2020 – Global proudly supports Book4VN, a dedicated platform connecting generous donors with underprivileged schools and libraries across Vietnam — one book at a time.
Every book donated opens a door for a Vietnamese child — a window to science, language, history, and the world beyond their village.
Visit book4vn.com →On the occasion of America's 250th Independence Anniversary, we are building 250 bridges to connect isolated villages across Vietnam's Mekong Delta.
Each bridge costs $15,000–$25,000 — a small price for what it delivers: children reaching school safely, families accessing healthcare, and entire communities reconnecting with the world.
Sponsor a bridge and your name — or the name of someone you love — will be inscribed on a marble plaque alongside the bridge, a permanent legacy visible to all who cross.
Vietnamese professionals and students united across eight regions of the world.
Join our network of Vietnamese professionals. Mentor a student. Sponsor a bridge.
Help build the Vietnam of tomorrow — today.
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