How relevant are the Trung sisters in the 21st century?
Almost 2 years ago, I was on a study tour to the UK & came upon the news that a recent survey of several thousands of British teenage girls revealed that more than 90% of them cited Paris Hilton as their role model no.1. I was shocked that such a choice could occur in a country with famous queens, female MPs, ministers and prime minister, writers and artists, high level academics, public servants and businesswomen. But then, if the same question was asked here, what percentage of Australian Vietnamese girls would vote for Paris Hilton? It might well be an equally high percentage!
Successful rebellion leaders and teen queens in 1st century AD
To promote understanding of the nature and extent of women’s leadership throughout history, it is unlikely that any researcher would think of looking at Asian history in general and Vietnamese history in particular. And yet, in the 1st century AD, two Vietnamese sisters of the Trung family succeeded in not only driving back the armed forces occupying the land which is now the heartland of North Vietnam but also in keeping them at bay for 3 years during which time, they reigned as the “Trung Queens”. The occupying forces belonged to no less than the mighty Chinese Han Empire which spread from Mongolia in the West to Korea in the East, from Siberia in the North to North Vietnam in the South.
Home and Community Care Program (HACC) - Volunteer Coordination Service
What is HACC Volunteer Coordination Service?
- Is to provide trained volunteers to regularly visit frail elderly people at their home, and people have been newly discharged from PAG groups for hospitals and nursing homes admission.
- Is to run a Carer Support Group for carers living in the City of Brimbank
- Is to provides volunteers weekly supporting the organisation’s PAG groups and Senior citizen groups
Services target to:
- Vietnamese frail elderly and disable people
- People exited PAG due to too frail
- Current PAG clients who are isolated and cannot attend PAG groups due to their critical health condition
- PAG clients attending the organisation’s Senior citizen groups
- People are in the PAG waitlist
- Their carers
For further information please contact Volunteer Coordinator on 9428 9078 or email:
Social Support - Group (known as Planned Activity Group, or PAG) & Social Support – Individual Program
Our services, which are components of the CHSP - HACC programs, provide social support and engagement to Vietnamese Victorians who are either frail aged or with a disability. The program aims to enhance the participants’ ability to live independently in their own home and in the community as long as possible. We provide two types of services: Social Support - Group and Social Support - Individual.
1. Social Support – Group: Provides weekly social group gatherings with other clients. Group activities focus on participants’ needs and aspirations in order to enable them to improve their health and wellbeing. The needs may be physical, emotional, intellectual, recreational, cultural, linguistic and spiritual.
Activities include:
- Members meeting and chatting with each other,
- Doing gentle exercises, Tai Chi, …
- Enjoying traditional Vietnamese lunch
- Reading, singing, dancing, listening to music, playing games, doing artwork, ...
- Discussing personal, family, health, social, cultural issues
- Attending community forums/festivals…
- Going on Day excursions.
- Organising in- house events.
- Celebrating members' birthdays.
- Visiting churches and temples.
Currently, we have 7 groups in 4 municipal councils: Yarra, Brimbank, Maribyrnong and Whittlesea. The locations of our PAG groups are:
- Thomastown: 52 Mains St., on Monday
- Sunshine: 82 Phoenix St., on Monday
- Deer Park: 50 Station Rd, on Monday
- Lalor: 47A French St., on Tuesday
- Footscray: Cnr of Essex St. and Market St., on Tuesday.
- St Albans: 69 Grantham Pde., on Wednesday
- Richmond: 30-32 Lennox St., on Thursday
- Maidstone: 21 Yardley St., on Friday
2. Social Support – Individual: Provides social visits by staff or volunteers to frail and isolated elderly who hardly go out due to their poor health, take them out for appointments and shopping and do bill payment. It also provides telephone, web-based monitoring services to connect older people to community, and helps them with letter writing and form-filling, as needed.
- Coordinator: Nam Nguyen
- Coordinator Assistant: Ngat Ho
- Core Staff: Cam-Sau Le, Minh Bui, Nhan Huynh, Ngat Ho, Kieu Nguyen, Thuy Pham, Tien Pham, Le Nguyen
- Care Workers: Xuan Doan, Khanh Tran, Tien Lac, Tien Dang, Thuong Nguyen, Lan Vu
- And 20 volunteers
- For further information please contact Program Coordinator on (03) 94289078 or email:
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Sports and Recreation
Throughout the year, the badminton program has continued to provide opportunities for Vietnamese and other CALD background people to enjoy the sport. The Badminton Project called “Badminton Asian New Arrivals” was conducted in partnership with Badminton Victoria and AVWA Youth Project. The project offered staffing as well as free equipment like nets, racquets and shuttlecocks. The project also provides free training in badminton and free court use, with the aim to promote badminton in Victoria.
The Badminton project has four training groups: two groups from Gilmore Girls College and two new groups from St Albans Meadows Primary School.

The 2011 Gia Long Soccer Tournament comprised 8 teams of Vietnamese and CALD background participants, divided into two categories: four Senior over 35 and four Under 35 years of age. It aims to promote a healthy life style through sports & recreational activities in the community with the support from Western River FC and Burwood VN teams. The Grand Final, ending with BBQ and cup presentation was held at Henry Turner Reserve, Footscray on Sunday November 6th 2011.

Finally, my thanks go to Badminton Victoria, AVWA Youth Project, AVWA Staff and Board of Directors and, last but not least, our team of dedicated volunteers for their assistance and commitment in ensuring the success of the program.
Coordinator: Jimmy Hung Ly