COMINGO, VUFO & PACCOM

Committee for Foreign NGO Affairs (COMINGO)

105A Quan Thanh, Ha Noi, Viet Nam

The Committee for Foreign NGO Affairs (COMINGO) brings together key government ministries and other bodies to assist the Prime Minister in guiding and addressing issues relating to foreign NGOs in Vietnam. COMINGO was established on 24 April 2001 under Decision 59/2001/QQ-TTg of the Prime Minister.

COMINGO has the following key tasks:

  1. Proposing guidelines and policies relating to foreign NGOs in Vietnam; coordinating with relevant agencies to provide guidance, monitoring, and oversight for the implementation of laws and policies relating to the operations of foreign NGOs.
  2. Considering the issuance, amendment, or withdrawal of INGO Permits (for Operation, for establishing a Project Office, or for establishing a Representative Office) according to the regulations on the operation of foreign NGOs in Vietnam promulgated in conjunction with Decision 340/TTg of the Prime Minister dated 24 May 1996.
  3. Periodically reporting to the Prime Minister on the operations of foreign NGOs in Vietnam.
  4. Carrying out tasks related to foreign NGOs in Vietnam as assigned by the Prime Minister.

Chairperson
H.E. Mr. Le Van Bang, Deputy Minister / Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Executive Member
H.E. Mr. Vu Xuan Hong, President / Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO)

Members
Vice Minister / Ministry of Public Security
Vice Minister / Ministry of Planning and Investment
Chairperson / Government Commission for Religious Affairs
Deputy Chief / Government Office
Deputy Chairperson / Commission for External Relations of the Party Central Committee
Vice Minister / Ministry of Finance

COMINGO has its own legal stamp and takes the headquarters of VUFO as its office.

Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO)

105A Quan Thanh, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Tel: 84-4-8 233 481
Fax: 84-4-7 330 201
vufothongtin@fpt.vn
www.vietpeace.org.vn

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) is a nation-wide socio-political organisation whose main function is to establish and promote friendly and co-operative people-to-people relations between Vietnam and other countries in the world.

VUFO is a member organisation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front. VUFO comprises many peace, solidarity and friendship member organisations - both bilateral and multilateral - and provincial and municipal friendship unions in the whole country. These member organisations carry out their activities in accordance with the objectives and statutes of VUFO.

VUFO operates within the law of Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It has a permanent office, juridical person, its own budget and bank accounts.

VUFO has the following main tasks:

  1. To carry out activities in its own name and guide and co-ordinate related activities of its member organisation with a view to: consolidating and developing the ties of solidarity and friendship, advocating and supporting economic, technical-scientific and cultural co-operation between the Vietnamese people and peoples of other countries; enlisting broad sympathy and support of the peoples in the world to the Vietnamese people's cause of national construction and defence; and supporting the just cause of the peoples of other countries, contributing to the common struggle for peace, national independence, democracy, economic development and social progress and for the solution of global problems.
  2. To act as the standing agency of the Committee for Foreign Non-Governmental Organization Affairs; to co-ordinate in mobilising and enlisting material aid from peace, solidarity and friendship organisations, humanitarian, non-governmental organisations, corporations and individuals in other countries with a view to contributing to socio-economic development of the Vietnamese people.
  3. To do research on the activities of peace, solidarity and friendship organisations in different countries and foreign non-governmental organisations of the above-mentioned tasks and for the making of appropriate recommendations to the State and related organisations of Vietnam in this regard.

In order to realise these tasks, VUFO carries out diversified activities of friendship and co-operation, such as exchange of information and visits, holding of friendship meetings, seminars and workshops, organising of study tours, cultural groups' tours, exhibitions, short-term training courses, consultations, etc.

VUFO publishes a monthly magazine, the Friendship Review.

The People's Aid Co-ordinating Committee (PACCOM)

105A Quan Thanh, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Tel.: (84 4) 8436 936/7
Fax: (84 4) 8452 007
info@paccom.org.vn

Background, Functions, and Tasks
Presently, there are about 500 foreign NGOs operating in Viet Nam, majority of which come from Western Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region. The Regulations on the Operation of Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations in Viet Nam (herein referred to as the Regulations) promulgated in accordance with Decision No.340/QD-TTg dated 24 May 1996 of the Prime Minister, have created a favourable legal environment for foreign NGOs to work in Viet Nam. In order to assist the Prime Minister in addressing questions relating to foreign NGOs, the Prime Minister established the Committee for Foreign Non-Governmental Organization Affairs (herein referred to as the Committee). The President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) has been assigned as Executive Member of the Committee. VUFO bears the principal responsibility for aid mobilisation and for relations with foreign NGOs.

The People's Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM), the specialized and functional body of VUFO, was established on 10 June 1989. The organisational structure of PACCOM includes Director, Deputy Directors and Programme Coordinators, working in four desks (Administration, Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific). PACCOM's headquarters are at 105A Quan Thanh, Ha Noi, and its Southern Representative Office is at 9 Le Duan, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (Tel.: 84 8 8250 372; fax: 84 8 8333 436). To facilitate foreign NGOs' activities in Viet Nam, PACCOM has its network with close and effective collaboration of focal points for foreign NGO affairs at the central level and in all 64 provinces and centrally administered cities.

PACCOM is entitled to perform the following tasks:

  1. To reinforce the partnership between foreign NGOs and Vietnamese institutions and localities
  2. To facilitate foreign NGOs' activities in Viet Nam, and assist local partners in their relationship with foreign NGOs
  3. To gather and disseminate information concerning the activities of foreign NGOs in Viet Nam; conduct studies and reviews on the activities of foreign NGOs, and assess the needs of different localities
  4. To participate, with concerned agencies, in guiding and monitoring the implementation of the Regulations, laws and policies relating to the operations of foreign NGOs; and recommend to the Government proper policies for the operation of foreign NGOs in Viet Nam.

Principal Activities

Technical Activities