From Anti -corruption
to Women Empowerment

How did I get here?

In 2008, I founded Towards Transparency, the first independent non-profit organization dedicated to combating corruption in my native Vietnam. At that time, I could never have imagined that my journey would lead me to Nice, in Southern France, where I now work as a Women’s Leadership Coach.


In 2022, I experienced one of the most traumatic events of my life. I was forced to flee from my country for my own safety after learning about the imprisonment of a third friend working in the non-profit sector. 

   

I had just 48 hours to leave my homeland for France, carrying only a 23kg suitcase and leaving everything I had behind: the non-profit organization I had built, my homeland where my siblings and friends still reside, and my beautiful apartment filled with cherished memories. 

 

Upon arriving in Paris alone, I was overwhelmed with shock. I felt a profound sense of loss. I hit rock bottom, unsure of how to turn my life around.  Transition to a new life in France was incredibly difficult. To compound my grief, few months after my arrival, I lost my mother, whose funeral I was unable to go back to attend. 

This is my story, and it marks the beginning of my personal transformation and growth journey. Facing that struggle, I explored various paths to healing, from Buddhist teachings to Taoism. I drew on my own experiences that taught me resilience after earlier losses. I reached out for professional therapy. However, I still felt a sense of being stuck in life.


It wasn’t until I discovered the Feminine Power training offered by Dr. Claire Zammit that things began to shift. A year of study reignited my purpose: empowering women.  Among the lessons I integrated during this turbulent time was the understanding that we all possess the inner capacity to bounce back and transform our lives—we have the power to choose: a victim of circumstances or a creator of our journey.

 

Today, as a women’s leadership coach, I offer a women-centered coaching method to support entrepreneurs, change-makers and mothers – women who find themselves at crossroads in their personal and professional lives. Together, we work through adversity to rebuild, reinvent, and transform our lives!

I believe in the magical power of women who dance in the rain and rise above life’s storms!

 “Pause, reconnect with your heart, and pursue your dreams!”

My key work in a glance

🇫🇷  2024 – Present

Founder & Women’s
Transformation Coach
RiseWithVien

Guiding women in self-leadership, resilience and personal transformation

Empowering women in transition and women leaders of NGOs 

🇫🇷  2022-2024

Women-Centered
Coach and Facilitator

Under mentorship by Dr. Claire Zammit, The Institute for Woman-Centered Coaching, Training, & Leadership, California

Cultivated skills and methods to ignite women’s power and unleash their potential.

Became a Founding Member of the Institute

 🇻🇳 2008 – 2022

Founder, Executive Director,
and Senior Strategic Advisor,
Towards Transparency

Established Vietnam's pioneering anti-corruption nonprofit

Contributed to national efforts to fight corruption

Advocated for Vietnam's membership in the Open Government Partnership for enhanced accountability and citizens engagement.

Launched the Vietnam Integrity School to empower youth in practicing integrity

 🇻🇳 1998 - 2007

National Programme Director, Senior Governance Advisor, SNV

Led a team of international and local experts to strengthen partners’ capacities

Focused on governance advising and sustainable tourism development for Vietnam.

“I’ve been working on a major project on prevention and treatment of flat head syndrome in babies. It’s far beyond anything I had ever imagined doing. I came to the Feminine Power Course with some false beliefs: I’m a nobody; I’m just a little person and so I couldn’t possibly do this thing... Working with that false assumption has really allowed me to act differently as I start meeting with top executives of companies. The evolution has been very beautiful for me. I’m comfortable now with large meetings with some very important people. And through the work I’ve been able to do, my program has the opportunity to affect hundreds of thousands of babies and their families.” —


Veronica Quarry

Winchester, MA

" Five months ago, I felt powerless and disconnected, overwhelmed by unexpected changes. Vien's coaching program helped me reconnect, rebuild my confidence, and rediscover my purpose. I really appreciated her sharp intuition, compassionate guidance, and adaptable approach. If you're ready to reclaim your confidence and find clarity, I can't recommend Vien enough—her coaching is truly life-changing!"


Elena Damiano

an entrepreneur specializing in brain training, Nice, Southern France

Before coaching, I experienced a significant dip in my self-confidence. Through the coaching and reflection, I have regained my self confidence steadily. My coach, Vien, has been the great source of energy, motivation during the entire coaching sessions. I now approach such moments with calm and clarity, no longer feeling the need to respond in a fight-or-flight mode.


Lan Kim

President & Representative Director of Vital Aire Korea

“I moved out of a ‘stuck’ place of wondering what to do with my life at age 56. Since attending Feminine Power, I have become an entrepreneur, wrote my business plan, and I continue to learn and grow as a self-employed woman.”


Cate Innish

North Vancouver

“I’ve been working on a major project on prevention and treatment of flat head syndrome in babies. It’s far beyond anything I had ever imagined doing. I came to the Feminine Power Course with some false beliefs: I’m a nobody; I’m just a little person and so I couldn’t possibly do this thing... Working with that false assumption has really allowed me to act differently as I start meeting with top executives of companies. The evolution has been very beautiful for me. I’m comfortable now with large meetings with some very important people. And through the work I’ve been able to do, my program has the opportunity to affect hundreds of thousands of babies and their families.” —


Veronica Quarry

Winchester, MA

" Five months ago, I felt powerless and disconnected, overwhelmed by unexpected changes. Vien's coaching program helped me reconnect, rebuild my confidence, and rediscover my purpose. I really appreciated her sharp intuition, compassionate guidance, and adaptable approach. If you're ready to reclaim your confidence and find clarity, I can't recommend Vien enough—her coaching is truly life-changing!"


Elena Damiano

an entrepreneur specializing in brain training, Nice, Southern France