Vietnam Relief Effort is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that seeks to bring aid -- through education, healthcare, microfinance and disaster relief projects -- to impoverished regions of Vietnam.

It started in late 1999. After a crippling flood surged through central Vietnam, killing 736 people and displacing more than 1,600,000 others, we decided to take action. A group of Vietnamese-Americans took to the phones to raise enough money to go back to Vietnam to buy rice, blankets and other supplies, and personally distribute it to the villagers. It was a chance for us to help the country we came from.

The overwhelming support we received heartened us. After reaching out to family, friends and acquaintances, the donations began pouring in. Within a month, we had raised $20,000 to bring back to Vietnam.

Since then, VRE has grown in size and expanded in reach. By working with volunteers, we keep our costs unusually low, with 81 cents of every dollar donated reaching the neediest in Vietnam. We have built scores of classrooms, providing thousands of children with a place to study, and awarded scholarships to children from the poorest families. We have brought doctors and nurses to remote villages, providing much-needed medical check-ups, medicine and provisions. Currently, we are embarking on our first self-sustaining projects. The goal of our projects is to give people in Vietnam better prospects over the long-term.

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