Dang Thi Huong is an award-winning social entrepreneur and changemaker whose work bridges Australia and Vietnam through purpose-driven innovation and women’s empowerment. From humble beginnings in Vinh Phuc Province, Huong’s journey has been one of extraordinary resilience, leadership, and impact.

Through the Australian-founded social enterprise KOTO, Huong gained vocational training, a scholarship to study in Australia, and the confidence to pursue higher education — completing her studies at Box Hill Institute and Swinburne University of Technology, where she was named 2013 Victorian International Student of the Year (Higher Education) and recipient of the Premier Award of Victoria.

After professional experience in Australia’s tech sector, Huong returned home to lead social impact programs, including the DFAT-funded Her Turn initiative for ethnic minority girls. In 2018, she founded HopeBox Vietnam, the country’s first social enterprise dedicated to supporting survivors of gender-based violence. Through partnerships with Uniqlo, Meta, RMIT, and Vietnam Airlines, HopeBox provides employment, training, and a pathway to independence for women rebuilding their lives.

Huong also co-founded WExchange, connecting international students and young Vietnamese professionals through mentorship and experiential learning, and currently serves as Executive Director of the Australia-Vietnam Leadership Dialogue. In 2023, she was recognised globally as one of 12 Obama Foundation Scholars at Columbia University.