Campaign Letter No.3: Transparency on Vietnamese Museum Policy
CAMPAIGN LETTER No. 3
Transparency on Vietnamese Museum Policy
Dear community members,
Shortly after we circulated Campaign Letter No. 2, “What Do We Want to Build? And How Do We Want to Grow?” , Mr. Bui Hai published a lengthy letter containing numerous inaccuracies that must be addressed.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Bui Hai claimed that during the previous election, the Building and Development team, of which I, Nguyen Quang Duy, am the lead candidate, had promised to “reclaim” the Museum project for the Community. This is simply not true.
Our Position: The Facts
The record speaks for itself. In a radio interview on SBS Vietnamese, I stated our Museum policy clearly and on the record, a policy we have consistently upheld over the past three years, and one we believe reflects the view of the majority of the Vietnamese Community in Victoria:
“My family were among the first donors to the Museum project and we still have our receipts. We donated to the Community, not to a Museum company. So within our own family there was considerable debate when we learned that a previous Executive Committee had established a Museum company and transferred the Museum project from the Community to that company.
Our team supports building the Museum, but with conditions: first, it must be clarified whether the Museum company belongs to the Community or operates independently; second, all matters relating to the Museum company must be reported transparently to the community; and third, the project must be financially viable.
We believe that if these three conditions are met, community members will feel confident contributing, and the Executive Committee will find it much easier to call on people to do so.”
(Source: SBS Vietnamese — Building and Development team interview)
Bầu cử VCA-Vic: Liên danh Xây dựng và Phát triển hướng đến các sinh hoạt xã hội | SBS Vietnamese
What We Have Delivered
In January 2023, the Executive Committee established a Review Panel comprising Dr Dinh Hieu (Dentist) and Mr Nguyen Tan Hai (Solicitor). After two months of thorough work, the Panel submitted a confidential report of 679 pages, which confirmed the following: previous Executive Committees had established the Museum company and transferred the entire Community Centre development project, including the Museum, to that company, which has since operated entirely independently of the Community. The Vietnamese Community of Victoria was left with nothing.
The Review Panel also found that previous Executive Committees had committed serious breaches of the 2012 Constitution. We will address this matter in detail in Letter No. 4, so please stay tuned.
We promptly sought independent legal advice on the prospects of litigation to recover the project. The advice was clear: the chances of success were low, and even in the event of a win, there was no guarantee the state government would return the project to our Community.
Faced with this reality, the majority of the Executive Committee chose the path of stability over confrontation, to spare the Community further division and hurt, and to allow community life to continue in a spirit of mutual support and solidarity. This has been, and remains, the policy of our Executive Committee.
In December 2023, a Special General Meeting attended by nearly 200 members voted with 96% in favour to repeal Chapter VI of the 2019 Constitution, restore the 2012 Constitution, and formally withdraw the Community’s membership from the Vietnamese Museum Australia company. This was the decision of the community as a whole, not of the Executive Committee, nor of any individual or faction.
Our Executive Committee has been transparent in policy and democratic in decision making.
Who Actually Wants to “Reclaim at Any Cost”?
It was the small group and those who call themselves “Civil Society” who twice convened extraordinary general meetings attempting to remove the legitimately elected Executive Committee, causing confusion and turmoil within our Community for months. They are the ones who have championed the push to “reclaim the Museum at any cost.” And now, those same individuals are openly rallying behind the “United for Our Community” team in a bid to take back control of the Executive Committees by whatever means necessary.
We ask our fellow community members to reflect on this: if the “United for Our Community” team wins government but fails to do the bidding of these divisive elements, can anyone honestly expect them to accept that outcome quietly? History has already given us a very clear answer.
Our Commitment for the 2026 to 2030 Term
Our Museum policy has been shaped through a process that is both transparent and democratic. We will maintain this policy in the 2026-30 term. If the “United for Our Community” team has a better policy, we invite them to put it forward and let the voters decide.
Our team solemnly commits to governing with transparency and democratic accountability in the true spirit of the 2024 Constitution, placing the interests of the Community above all factional considerations, and continuing to build a Vietnamese Community in Victoria that is strong, united, and worthy of the name.
We also invite you to follow our official page: Liên Danh Xây Dựng Và Phát Triển Cộng Đồng | Facebook where you can keep up with all updates relating to the 2026-30 Executive Committee election.
| Liên Danh Xây Dựng Và Phát Triển Cộng Đồng Liên Danh Xây Dựng Và Phát Triển Cộng Đồng. 39 likes · 430 talking about this. Trang thông tin chính thức của Li… |
On 28 June 2026, we respectfully ask for your vote for Liên Danh Số 1: Xây Dựng và Phát Triển Cộng Đồng, a vote for stability, transparency, and unity.
We have also prepared an English translation of this letter and kindly ask that you share it with your children and grandchildren so that the younger generation can stay informed and take part in the election.
Yours sincerely,
Nguyen Quang Duy
Head of Team and incumbent President of the Vietnamese Community of Victoria
