Charities and nonprofits in Vietnam
GiveRadar's Vietnam directory currently covers the international NGOs (INGOs) licensed to operate in Vietnam by the Committee for Foreign NGO Affairs (COMINGO) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The dataset is sourced from the authoritative COMINGO register cross-referenced with the (now-archived) VUFO NGO Resource Centre directory. These INGOs work across public health, children and education, disability inclusion (with a continuing focus on the long-tail legacy of unexploded ordnance and dioxin exposure), maternal and reproductive health, ethnic-minority and rural development in the Central Highlands and northern mountainous provinces, climate adaptation in the Mekong Delta, and disaster preparedness. Domestic Vietnamese associations, social funds and VUSTA member organizations are out of scope for now — Vietnam has no consolidated nationwide public register for those — but we expose every INGO with verified registration, contact details, news coverage and an independent integrity score. Read about how GiveRadar works before you give.
How charities and nonprofits are registered in Vietnam
Vietnamese nonprofits register under several frameworks depending on legal form. Domestic associations register with the Ministry of Home Affairs under Decree 126/2024/NĐ-CP (issued October 2024 and replacing Decree 45/2010), with sector-specific approvals from line ministries. Social funds and charity funds register under Decree 93/2019/NĐ-CP (as amended by Decree 136/2024). Science and technology organizations typically operate under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) umbrella under the Law on Science and Technology. International NGOs register with the People's Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM) at the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and operate under Decree 58/2022/NĐ-CP on foreign-NGO management; each receives one of three certificate types — Operation Registration (CNV-HĐ), Representative Office Registration (CNV-VPĐD), or Project Office Registration (CNV-VPDA) — which is the registration number we display on each profile. Use of foreign non-refundable aid is governed by Decree 80/2020/NĐ-CP.
Major INGOs operating in Vietnam
The INGOs registered through COMINGO span the full development-cooperation landscape. A selection of organizations in our directory:
- Children and education: Save the Children International, ChildFund Australia, Operation Smile, Pearl S. Buck International, Worldwide Orphans Foundation, Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, and Plan International.
- Public health and reproductive health: Marie Stopes International, Pathfinder International, Population Services International (PSI), and Pact.
- Disability, landmines and dioxin legacy: Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Humanity & Inclusion, Clear Path International, and the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation network.
- Environment, climate and wildlife: WWF, Fauna & Flora International, BirdLife International in Indochina, and World Animal Protection.
- Poverty, livelihoods and rural development: Oxfam, CARE International in Vietnam, ActionAid Vietnam, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Action on Poverty, and East Meets West Foundation.
- Disaster relief and humanitarian response: ADRA Vietnam, Mennonite Central Committee, Caritas (Australia, Switzerland, Germany), and Catholic Relief Services.
- Faith-based service: World Vision International, Bread for the World (Brot für die Welt), and ChristenUnie chapters.
Compare two organizations side by side with our charity comparison tool, or jump to health, disability, disaster relief, children, or orphans landing pages to narrow by cause across our global directory.
How to evaluate a Vietnamese NGO before donating
Vietnam has a tightly regulated nonprofit sector with substantial state oversight. Things to check before giving to any organization listed here:
- COMINGO certificate: every legitimate INGO holds an Operation, Representative Office, or Project Office certificate. GiveRadar shows the certificate number on every Vietnam INGO profile.
- PACCOM/VUFO standing: active INGO operations are coordinated through PACCOM at the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations.
- International parent or affiliate: most INGOs in Vietnam are country offices of a parent organization registered in the US, Europe, Japan, Korea or Australia — check the parent's regulatory standing too.
- Audited annual reports: reputable INGOs publish them on the parent organization's website even when the country office does not.
- International partnerships: partners of UN agencies, USAID, EU, FCDO, or major foundations have usually passed vendor due-diligence checks.
- Sanctions and watchlists: use our free charity checker tool to cross-reference any nonprofit against OFAC, EU and UN watchlists automatically.
Each Vietnam profile combines COMINGO registration, contact details, programs, news, and third-party signals into a single 0-100 integrity score. Read our integrity score methodology for the full weighting.
Vietnam INGO explorer: browse, filter, compare
This page works as a Vietnam INGO explorer: every COMINGO-registered international NGO we hold data on, ranked and filterable by cause area, financial transparency, website presence, and size. Use the filters on the left to narrow by category (health, children, disability, environment, education, disaster relief, religion, women, and more), and the search bar to find a specific organization by name. State-affiliated mass organisations (Vietnam Women's Union, Vietnam Fatherland Front, Youth Union, Farmers' Union, etc.) are deliberately excluded as party-state structures rather than independent civil society. To compare Vietnamese giving against other markets, browse all countries or jump straight to health charities globally.
Donating to charities in Vietnam
Most INGOs operating in Vietnam route donations through their parent organization's home country: US 501(c)(3) intermediaries (East Meets West Foundation, Blue Dragon Children's Foundation USA, Operation Smile, Pearl S. Buck International), European fiscal sponsors (Caritas, Brot für die Welt, Oxfam Novib), Australian DGRs (ChildFund Australia, Caritas Australia), or platforms like GlobalGiving and Give2Asia. Country offices in Vietnam also accept domestic MoMo, ZaloPay, ViettelPay, credit-card, and bank-transfer donations where they are equipped to issue Vietnamese receipts. Vietnamese tax-resident donors can claim limited deductions for donations to qualifying social and charity funds under Decree 93/2019. GiveRadar links to each nonprofit's official donation channel where available and flags fundraising pages that look unverified. For a structured donor walkthrough, read our donor due-diligence guide.