About ICS

ICS was formed when the community recognised the importance of connection, and small groups came together to become a larger community.

ICS community photos with a rainbow flag and event snapshots

history of activities

Our 15-year journey...

before 2008

Collage illustration: a computer screen showing a rainbow flag and colourful artistic portraits

Community context in the 2000s

Before 2008, LGBTI+ people were almost "invisible" in Vietnamese society and media. The LGBTI+ community in Vietnam at that time faced many challenges: discrimination from people who are not LGBTI+; same-sex couples and the families of LGBTI+ people were not legally recognised or protected in the same way as opposite-sex couples; homosexuality was seen as "abnormal" or contrary to Vietnamese traditions, etc. Raising social awareness, meeting the community's service needs and increasing the visibility of LGBTI+ people therefore became extremely urgent.

11/2008

Group of young friends taking a group photo in a room, beside a crowd holding flags at an event

Early beginnings

Recognising the importance of a community-led organisation working for the rights of LGBTI+ people in Vietnam, representatives from the main LGBTI+ forums of the time, with the support of the Institute for Social, Economic and Environmental Studies (iSEE; Institute for Social, Economic and Environmental Studies (iSEE)), came together to build capacity, provide training and connect. The Information Connecting and Sharing (ICS) group was formally established. From the start, ICS was a project aiming to build a positive image of lesbian and gay people, bisexual people and transgender people (LGBTI+) in Vietnam, under iSEE. After more than one year of activity and positive results, ICS grew from a volunteer project group into an independent organisation.

11/2010

Members posing for a group photo in front of a building with a Swedish flag above

Formally established as an organisation

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) formally approved the project to establish ICS Center (Information Connecting and Sharing) as an independent, stable organisation founded by LGBTI+ people themselves, working for LGBTI+ rights.

2013

Members working together at a whiteboard, one person using a laptop

Community activities

ICS and iSEE can be seen as pioneering organisations that made LGBTI+ rights their core area of work. To date, ICS's strength is its close connection with the community: it is led by LGBTI+ people and uses LGBTI+ people's lived experience as its guiding principle for activities.

3/2023

Young people holding rainbow and transgender pride flags at a public event

Continuous development

After the ICS strategic planning programme in 2023 and the Center's policy update, ICS was officially re-defined as the Center for Inclusion, Connecting and Sharing.

ICS people

Advisory board

ICS's advisory board includes experts from several fields: legal, community development and human resources management. They bring a multi-dimensional view, from legal support to building an inclusive working environment for LGBTI+ people. Members are wholeheartedly committed to the LGBTI+ rights movement in Vietnam, sharing direction so that ICS can grow strongly and achieve meaningful results.

Đinh Hồng Hạnh (Ms.)

Lawyer

Information will be updated.

Nguyễn Thùy Linh (Ms.)

Director, Community Capacity Enhancement Centre (CECEM)

Information will be updated.

ICS team

The ICS team works for the rights and wellbeing of the LGBTI+ community in Vietnam. They connect with the community in many ways: as friends, family, or chosen family. Everyone commits to working closely, staying close to the needs and experiences of LGBTI+ people and putting them at the centre of the work.