Spotlight: Huong Dang
Congratulations Dang Thi Huong on winning the 2025 Global Australian Award in the category of Outstanding Alumni.
The social entrepreneur and changemaker’s work bridges Australia and Vietnam through purpose-driven innovation, inclusive leadership and women’s empowerment.
Raised in Vinh Phuc Province, Huong’s journey is defined by resilience, courage and an unwavering commitment to creating opportunity for others.
Through the Australian-founded social enterprise KOTO, she gained vocational training, a scholarship to study in Australia, and the confidence to pursue higher education. After building professional experience in Australia’s technology sector, Huong chose to return to Vietnam to lead and scale social impact initiatives. She has held senior leadership roles across a range of programs, including the DFAT-funded Her Turn initiative, supporting ethnic minority girls to access education, leadership development and economic opportunity.
In 2018, Huong founded HopeBox Vietnam, the country’s first social enterprise dedicated to supporting survivors of gender-based violence. Through strategic partnerships with organisations including Uniqlo, Meta, RMIT and Vietnam Airlines, HopeBox provides women with employment, skills training and a sustainable pathway to independence and dignity.
Beyond HopeBox, Huong 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, strengthening people-to-people ties and leadership collaboration between the two nations.
Dang Thi Huong exemplifies the power of social entrepreneurship to transform lives and strengthen cross-border relationships. By turning lived experience into systemic change, she has created scalable, sustainable solutions that empower women, build opportunity and deepen the Australia–Vietnam partnership.
Her leadership demonstrates how purpose-driven innovation can deliver lasting impact across communities and countries, making her a deeply deserving recipient of this recognition. Congratulations Dang Thi Huong!