The Vietnamese Ambassador to the US, Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, witnessed the New Shepard spacecraft’s successful flight carrying a crew of six women, including Amanda Nguyễn, founder and CEO of the non-profit RISE organization, according to TTXVN.
Ambassador Dũng delivered a letter from President Lương Cường to Ms. Amanda Nguyễn.
The New Shepard flight successfully reached an altitude of 100km in space and returned safely. This marks Amanda Nguyễn’s achievement as the first Vietnamese-American woman to fly into space.
Vietnamese Ambassador presenting a letter from the President to Amanda Nguyễn
In the letter, President Lương Cường expressed his joy and pride at the first Vietnamese woman reaching space, highlighting the talent and intellect of Vietnamese Americans worldwide.
The letter also noted that Vietnam and the US will commemorate 30 years of diplomatic relations in 2025. Vietnam highly values the significant contributions of the Vietnamese American community to US development and progress, as well as the strengthening of bilateral relations.
The President also commended the collaboration between Ms. Amanda Nguyễn and the Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC), which is fostering cooperation between the US and Vietnam.
Born on October 10, 1991, Ms. Amanda Nguyễn graduated from Harvard University and interned at NASA in 2013. She subsequently worked at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and served as a White House Liaison to the US Department of State.
In November 2014, she founded RISE, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of sexual assault survivors.
In 2019, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in advocating for the rights of sexual assault victims.
