Our Founder
Oanh Thi Thu Bui came to the US in 2006 as a Ford Scholar to pursue advanced education at Brandeis University. In 2008, her daughter Tiny, who has multiple disabilities, joined her, leading Oanh to become a LEND fellow at the Shriver Center, where she learned about the US healthcare system and disability services. Despite multiple challenges, Oanh was committed to ensuring her daughter received the best care possible.
As a mother new to the US, Oanh sought a support group for Vietnamese parents but found none. Along with other parents in similar situations, she co-founded The Circle of Vietnamese Parents in 2017. Together, they now work as a Dream Team, supporting over 400 Vietnamese families with children with disabilities. The group offers emotional support, education, and advocacy. The group also guides families to navigate the US healthcare and education systems, understand their rights and be empowered to advocate for their loved ones.
In addition, VTCMV hosts many events for Vietnamese families with children who have autism and other disabilities in Boston, such as Halloween and Christmas celebrations, outdoor recreational activities throughout the summer, and the Lunar New Year (Tet Nguyen Dan) celebration. These events not only bring joy to families but also foster a sense of community and help build social inclusion for children and youth with disabilities.
Oanh is passionate about promoting Vietnamese culture and fostering culturally responsive healthcare, education, and social services practices. By collaborating with students, state agencies, and community organizations, she aims to support Vietnamese families and other underserved communities and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable future for all.
View more: The personal story of a cultural broker
Our Dream Team
Ha Nguyen
After 30 years learning to be my son’s mother, myself now had changed
From reject to accept
From fighting alone to working together.
I am grateful to the love from my family.
To the friendship and support from you, VTCMV
To all the staffs who help my son.
And to my son who helps me to be his best mother
❤️❤️❤️
After 30 years learning to be my son’s mother,
I am grateful to the love and help from my family.
To the friendship and support from you, VTCMV
To all the staffs who help my son.
And to my special son who helps me to be his special mother ❤️❤️❤️
Diem Ngo
Caring for and raising children with disabilities is not easy, and it is even more difficult when encountering language barriers. My name is Diem Ngo, mother of 2 autistic children and other needs. With the warm open arms of parents in the same situation, I was comforted, and supported. I was also connected with many different organizations to help make my children’s lives a little easier. VTCMV has done that, and for that I am thankful.
I thank my children for coming to this world with me even though it’s not perfect, together we will walk hand in hand until the end of our lives.
AnhQuan Nguyen
Hello all ! I am the father of a young man with autistic. What I once had wished for my children has changed since my son was born, and because of him I have become a completely different person, more patient, tolerant, facing difficulties and challenges together with him. Although it is not easy at all, it makes father and son bond closer than ever. Traveling with my son, taking photos, enjoying delicious food… and participating in activities with all parents in VTCM Viet has helped me gain more mental strength , learning and improve my knowledge so I can walk along with him on his life journey ahead. And I also hope to support all parents who are in the same situation to have more motivation to care for their beloved children to have the best and most meaningful future. As a member of VTCM, I believe that we will achieve our expectations. Our child’s future is our own.
Truc Phuong
I arrived in the United States alone as a teenager and was fortunate to be supported by compassionate individuals whose kindness was admirable. I also received assistance from my foster family, social services, educational institutions, and churches. As I grew older, I developed a passion for social work, aspiring to demonstrate love and share in the struggles of those around me, particularly those unable to care for themselves.
In my early years in America, not knowing English made me feel lost, disoriented, and disabled. Wherever I went, I needed guidance and explanations, and I often felt comforted by others. I had a voice but couldn’t express my thoughts, and I could hear but not understand. School was a lonely and frustrating experience because I couldn’t participate in academic programs or activities.
Through my social work, I was connected to the VTCMV Group, where parents tirelessly seek ways to help their children, showing patience and resilience like my foster parents. Each student in the VTCMV Group reminded me of myself—helpless, dependent, frustrated by the inability to communicate, and saddened by the lack of peer interaction. This experience bonded me with the group and made me a supportive member.
A phrase that deeply resonates with me is, “Love others as you love yourself.”
KimChi Nguyen
I have gone through ups and downs in my life. I have also blamed myself for not knowing how to care for my two children on the autism spectrum. But fortunately, I found friends who walk the same journey as I do from the Circle of Vietnamese Parents. The brothers and sisters in the group have given me great motivation to overcome my own difficulties. Now I have almost rediscovered joy and hope not only for myself but also for my two children. I hope in the future we will do the meaningful things we have been doing today.
Mai Dao
She has two children with Autism diagnosis. When her first son was younger, she always thought of him as a difficult child to care for. Then, her second son was born and with a full-time job, it has been a struggle mentally. When she first learned about Autism through her first son, she felt so lonely in this Autism route. However, her belief is that “where there’s a will there’s a way.” So she started to educate herself about Autism, attend parent training, and learn more about the resources and services for special-needs children. Especially, she has learned that there are many other families of children with special-needs who are walking on this similar journey. This has motivated her more and she becomes more passionate on continue to enhance her knowledge about special-needs related services in hoping to help her own children as well as other children with special needs.
Then she met Vong Tay Cha Me Viet through a referral from the local resource center in November 2021, they share the same vision of working in partnership with and assisting the families with special-needs children to better understand their unique circumstances and to support them in building a network of informal or community resources that help them to make better decisions for their child(ren). Since their path has crossed, therefore, she has been involved with VTCMV until present.
Duyen Trieu
Name: Duyen Trieu
Title: Interpreter and DreamTeam Member (2015- Present)
Duyen Trieu, grew up in Mekong Delta, South of Vietnam where she had great childhood memories. She is a former physician in Vietnam and since moving to Boston, has continued her studies at UMass Boston and Early Relation Health Fellowship program at UMass Chan Medical School.
She has worked as an interpreter for Vietnamese patients and families of children with special health needs in clinical and academic settings. She was a strong family advocate at Boston Medical Center for the last 5 years, supporting and educating families in the healthcare process, behavioral health support and self-advocacy for a study through Boston Medical Center called Multiphase Optimization Strategy Study of Family Navigation (MOST) integrated with the Transforming and Expanding Access to Mental Health Care in Urban Pediatrics (TEAM UP) for Children from 3-12 years old. She received extensive training utilizing an evidence-based approach to helping multicultural families develop and work towards a vision for their children and family.
She currently lives in Revere, the first Public Beach in America where she loves to walk along the beach almost every day with her husband and teenage daughter.
“Children with special needs or complex health conditions, actually carry noble and evolved
souls in those small bodies. These advanced souls live this life to help parents learn their
lessons.” By Dr Brian Weiss.
“An imperfection is a lesson. A pain, a hurt is a lesson. Lessons are drawn from the foundation of
love. It is very humane, helping people know how to be patient, know how to love, know
enough, know how to sympathize, know how to value every moment and hope for a brighter
future…” Quoted from “The only need is love” by Trieu Duyen and her beloved sister Trieu Ve.
NhuBao Le
I, a mother, have an autistic daughter, Thaomi. When I learned this, I felt that this world was no longer fun or meaningful to me. The dreams that I have made for my child was completely gone. I only thought about what I can now to take care of my child and live this life to the end… But when I learned about VTCMV and met other families whose situation is similar to mine, I felt the sympathy, the passion, the support, and the guidance from brothers and sisters of VTCMV and I gained necessary knowledge to educate my child. Since then, I feel like my life is easier and happier, the door has opened for my family and, my husband no longer has back pain (there was a time when my husband had back pain due to stress when he didn’t know how to find appropriate support services for his child).
My family would like to sned our gratitude to VTCMV. I don’t know what to say to sufficiently express our thoughts but we want to send VTCMV much love ❤️❤️❤️. Now I feel like my daughter is like a rose that God has given us to care for, embrace and love in this life.
VTCMV organizes many events for children every year, which she likes a lot.
We will try our best to use what we know to guide and help other families of children with disabilities and let them know about VTCMV.❤️❤️❤️
Excerpted from “Thamomi’s Mother”
Hoa Nguyen
Being a mother is one of the most difficult jobs, but being a mother of an autistic child is even more difficult from caring for his schooling to behavior management, or dealing with mody changes of his puberty. I met other parents from the Circle of Vietnamese Parents, who walk the same journey as I do. We help one another by sharing our experiences raising children with autism or disabilities and how to be the best advocate for our children at school and to allow my child to have friends of the same age, to be included in the community and to have the opportunity to develop better. My family and I don’t know what to say other than I want to thank the Circle of Vietnamese parents for their supports. You are the best.”
T. Nghi Nguyen
Nghi Nguyen was introduced to The Circle of Vietnamese Parents by a fellow team member. Having learned about the missions and fabulous works and effort that the group have achieved for the greater Vietnamese community, she was determined to participate to also make a difference. She currently works as a registered nurse.
