Tran‑Dang Thanh‑Kham OAM

Founding member and long‑serving member of the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association (AVWA)

In Vietnamese we have the phrase ‘lốp ngốp, ráng ráng,’ meaning to try slowly, little by little, to get better, gradually improving.[1]

Tran‑Dang Thanh‑Kham OAM

Thanh‑Kham was born in Saigon, Vietnam. She completed a Bachelor of Arts (Licence‑es‑lettres) at the University of Saigon in 1964, [2]before migrating to Australia as a refugee amidst the post-war displacement of Vietnamese communities.  [3]

Thanh-Kham recalls the journey vividly. On the day she was travelling from Thailand to Perth, NASA’s 77-tonne Sky Lab space station fell from orbit and disintegrated over Western Australia:

“We couldn’t reach Perth, we were taken to an unfamiliar place, an airfield, we didn’t know where and we were told to stay inside the airplane. We were in the plane for a very long time, because they were afraid the Sky Lab would fall on us!” [4]

Officially arriving on 12 July 1979, in the middle of winter, wearing only summer clothes and carrying just a few sentimental items in a makeshift bag made by her husband, Thanh‑Kham was placed in a migrant hostel.

Starting again in a new country, she began learning English and undertook months of physically demanding work as a cleaner. These challenging experiences led her to spend her life helping others settle into a new country. [5]

In 1982, Thanh‑Kham ran orientation sessions for new arrivals as a Bilingual Information Officer. She worked as an interpreter, and volunteered with organisations including fundraising for the Australian Red Cross. For the Springvale Indo-Chinese Mutual Assistance Association she assisted newly arrived and elderly Vietnamese Australians to access health, welfare, and settlement services. [6]

In 1983, Thanh‑Kham was among the founding members of AVWA (at the time called the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Welfare Association). From its earliest days in the heart of the city of Melbourne, she helped shape the organisation’s mission, governance and programs. 

Meeting initially in a small and stuffy room at Melbourne Migrant Resource Centre (MMRC) on Elizabeth Street near the Queen Victoria Market,Thanh-Kham and a handful of women combined Vietnamese Australian community support with cultural celebration.

They raised funds and built understanding by participating in local events, including making thousands of Vietnamese spring rolls for Australia Day at Alexandra Gardens. For many Melburnians, this was their first experience of authentic Vietnamese food, an introduction that helped pave the way for the thriving Vietnamese food culture we enjoy today.

Since its founding, AVWA has grown into a key multicultural service provider, offering settlement services, education, aged-care programs, counselling, and community engagement initiatives.   Within the AVWA Committee of Management, Thanh‑Kham has held multiple leadership positions, including President for 11 years, Vice President, and Secretary from 2002 – 2010, reflecting her decades of sustained commitment.

Reflecting her decades of sustained commitment, Thanh‑Kham’s dedicated community service has been recognised with multiple honours:

• 2020: Inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women for her contributions to community wellbeing and advocacy.
• 2011: Appointed a Census Ambassador, encouraging participation among culturally diverse communities.
• 2011: Received the Woman of the Year Award from the City of Yarra.
• Date unspecified: Received Victoria’s Multicultural Awards for Excellence.
• 2021: Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the Vietnamese community and to multiculturalism in Victoria.

Thanh‑Kham’s work has strengthened the voices and wellbeing of Vietnamese Australians and contributed to broader multicultural inclusion across Victoria. 

Her dedication  helped AVWA grow from a small volunteer group into a vibrant and sustainable community organisation that continues to serve thousands of people from diverse cultural backgrounds.  

Remarkably, more than 43 years later, Thanh‑Kham continues to volunteer with the organisation, demonstrating her enduring dedication to supporting women and families.

On Jan 26 2026, Thanh‑Kham was invited to attend a flag raising ceremony at Government house by Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner.

Thanh‑Kham proudly wore traditional Vietnamese attire, displaying her AVWA name tag on her right side and her OAM medal on her left. [7]

Reflecting on her decades of service, Thanh‑Kham shared a guiding principle she lives by with SBS podcast:

“Ta kêu tiếng cười bằng mười thang thuốc bổ. Không có thể nào mà mình bỏ qua được cái cười. Một khi mà mình cười với người ta, không thể nào  mà người ta làm mặt ngầu lại với mình hết.”

“Laughter is like ten doses of medicine. You cannot overlook it. When you smile at someone, they cannot frown at you.” [8]

Acknowledgement

This Biography was written by Her Place Women’s Museum, in consultation with Tran‑Dang Thanh‑Kham OAM and AVWA using the below resources.

Commemoration 

Communities such as the Vietnamese community, one of Victoria’s largest and most established migrant communities  have made important contributions to local economies, neighbourhood life, and civic engagement, particularly in suburbs such as Abbotsford, Springvale, Richmond, Footscray and St Albans.

Her Place Women’s Museum is working with the Victorian Government and Gender Equity Victoria to increase the number of culturally diverse women recognised in public spaces and through place naming.

Programs such as Remember a Local – Name a Place, the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll, and the Victorian Women’s Public Arts Program provide opportunities for communities to nominate women who have made a difference through leadership, advocacy, and service.

Recognising these achievements ensures that the contributions of women from multicultural backgrounds are visible, celebrated, and remembered for generations to come.

Do you know a woman from a multicultural background whose achievements should be recognised and need assistance with nominating them to be publicly honoured?

Contact the Finding Her team at: herplace@herplacemuseum.com