Vfossa

What Vfossa does

VFOSSA (Vietnam Free and Open Source Software Association, legally "CLB Phần mềm Tự do Nguồn mở Việt Nam") is a Vietnamese nonprofit community organization founded on January 14, 2011 in Hanoi, operating as a chi hội (sub-association) of the Vietnam Information Technology Association (VAIP). Its core purpose is to coordinate and represent Vietnam's free and open source software community, advocate for FOSS adoption in government and education, and provide a formal channel for the community to engage with national IT policy. The organization is led by Chairman Nguyễn Hồng Quang (also appointed Vice Rector of Phenikaa IT Faculty in September 2025) and Vice Chairmen Trương Anh Tuấn (CEO of iWay) and Nguyễn Quang Toán.

The organization's principal "products" are community infrastructure and recurring programs rather than commercial software. Its website (vfossa.vn) is built on NukeViet — Vietnam's homegrown open source CMS — and serves as the primary hub for news, member management, event registration, and discussion. Supporting infrastructure includes a DokuWiki-based documentation repository (wiki.vfossa.vn), a mailing list server, a Telegram chat room, and Facebook pages and groups. Since 2012, VFOSSA has run the Open Source Software track of the national Olympic IT contest for students (OLP), the Summer Creativity Contest (MHST), the annual Software Freedom Day celebration, and its own yearly birthday event. The cumulative website footprint is 38.1 million page views since inception, with monthly visits averaging around 65,688 and daily visits of approximately 10,929.

VFOSSA does not sell software or charge fees; it is sustained through member contributions and event sponsorships from companies including NetNam, LINAGORA Vietnam, iWay, i3 Network Systems, VINADES, and DauThau.info. Its institutional value lies in its formal advisory role to Vietnamese government bodies — most prominently the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and the Institute of Digital Technology and National Transformation — on FOSS policy, the National Digital Architecture Framework, and Vietnam's digital government strategy. Revenue is not disclosed and there are no external investors or funding rounds.

Name

Vfossa

Legal name

CLB Phần mềm Tự do Nguồn mở Việt Nam

Website

https://vfossa.vn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Short description

VFOSSA is a Vietnamese nonprofit community organization that acts as the official national representative of Vietnam's free and open source software community within VAIP, serving IT students, universities, and government bodies through policy advocacy, competitions, and knowledge-sharing events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open Source Software Community Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Open Courseware & Course Modules (OCW) (EDAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

OER Licensing, Rights & Open Policy Support (Creative Commons) (EDAGAJAO)

Keywords

• Open source advocacy
• Community building
• Software development events
• Policy consultation services
• Knowledge sharing platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanoi

HQ country

Vietnam

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VFOSSA (Vietnam Free & Open Source Association / CLB Phần mềm Tự do Nguồn mở Việt Nam) is a non-profit community organization that advocates for free and open source software (FOSS) adoption in Vietnam. It operates a community portal website (vfossa.vn) built on NukeViet CMS, a DokuWiki-based documentation wiki, mailing lists, and social channels. It also organizes annual flagship events including Software Freedom Day (SFD) and the Open Source Software track of the Olympic IT Contest (OLP) for university students.

Product overview

VFOSSA (Vietnam FOSS Association) operates primarily as a community organization rather than a commercial product company. Its core offerings consist of the VFOSSA website/community platform built on NukeViet CMS, which serves as the central hub for open source software advocacy, member management, news dissemination, and community engagement in Vietnam. Additionally, it maintains a VFOSSA Wiki powered by DokuWiki for organizational documentation. The organization does not develop or sell proprietary software products; instead, it promotes open source software adoption through events, competitions, policy advocacy, and community building activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VFOSSA Community Portal (vfossa.vn) Official website and member-facing community platform for VFOSSA, providing news publishing, member registration and authentication (including Zalo OAuth login), event announcements, and community discussion forums for the Vietnamese FOSS community.
• VFOSSA Wiki (wiki.vfossa.vn) DokuWiki-based documentation wiki containing VFOSSA's organizational records, congress and meeting minutes, action plans, event archives (SFD, MHST), and technical documentation for members and the public.
• Software Freedom Day Vietnam (SFD) Annual flagship community event celebrating Software Freedom Day in Vietnam, featuring seminars, talks, and workshops on free and open source software for developers, students, academics, and IT professionals.
• Olympic IT Contest – Open Source Software Track (OLP) Annual university student programming and open source software competition organized by VFOSSA as the official Open Source Software track within the national Olympic IT Contest for Vietnamese students.
• Summer Creativity Contest (MHST – Mùa Hè Sáng Tạo) Annual summer creativity competition for students focused on open source software development, organized by VFOSSA as part of Vietnam's student programming competition ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38+ million total page views across the VFOSSA website since inception
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Hội Tin học Việt Nam (VAIP - Vietnam Information Technology Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVFOSSA is an official chi hội (sub-association/chapter) of VAIP. The founding congress of VFOSSA was held during VAIP's 7th National Congress on December 4, 2011, at Sofitel Plaza, Hanoi, where VAIP's 6th Executive Committee officially granted VFOSSA its chi hội certification. VFOSSA's chairman Nguyễn Hồng Quang was elected to VAIP's 29-member 7th Executive Committee (2011-2016) and appointed as Head of the Inspection Board.
• VINADES.,JSC (Công ty Cổ phần Phát triển Nguồn mở Việt Nam)coreTechnology or IntegrationVINADES is Vietnam's first open source software company, managing the NukeViet open source CMS. VINADES co-founded VFOSSA in 2011 along with 5 other companies. VINADES designed and built the VFOSSA website using NukeViet and sponsored hosting via NetNam. The company is a key member and contributor to VFOSSA's activities.
• iWay (Công ty Cổ phần Giải Pháp Thông Tin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartneriWay was one of 6 companies that co-founded VFOSSA in 2011. Its CEO Trương Anh Tuấn serves as Vice Chairman of VFOSSA. iWay experts regularly serve as mentors and judges at OLP competitions and support VFOSSA events. iWay sponsored SFD 2024 as a Bronze sponsor.
• NetNam (Công ty Cổ phần NetNam)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetNam sponsored the domain name and hosting for VFOSSA's website at founding in 2011. It has continued to support VFOSSA as Gold sponsor of SFD 2024. NetNam is an active member of VFOSSA and the VAIP community.
• LINAGORA VietnammajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLINAGORA Vietnam, established 2015, is the local subsidiary of the French open source pioneer LINAGORA. It sponsored VFOSSA's SFD 2024 as a Silver sponsor. LINAGORA Vietnam is committed to building Vietnam's sustainable digital economy through open source technology.
• Trường Đại học PhenikaacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVFOSSA's headquarters is located at Phenikaa University. The university co-organized SFD 2025 with VFOSSA (September 20, 2025), marking its second time hosting the event. The university's IT department provides institutional support for VFOSSA activities. VFOSSA Chairman Nguyễn Hồng Quang was appointed as Vice Rector of Phenikaa University IT Faculty.
• i3 Network Systems (i3 JSC)minorGTM or Marketing Partneri3 Network Systems sponsored VFOSSA's SFD 2024 as a Bronze sponsor. The company specializes in IT management solutions and has been operating since 2005.
• DauThau.infominorGTM or Marketing PartnerDauThau.info (Super bidding analysis software) sponsored VFOSSA's SFD 2024 as a Bronze sponsor. Built on NukeViet open source CMS, the platform provides procurement intelligence for businesses.
• Viện Công nghệ số và Chuyển đổi quốc gia (Institute of Digital Technology and National Transformation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn December 2024, this government institute invited VFOSSA to contribute suggestions and proposals for solutions to promote open source software in the Vietnamese government sector. VFOSSA organized member consultations and submitted detailed recommendations.
• Bộ Khoa học và Công nghệ (Ministry of Science and Technology - MOST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOST has collaborated with VFOSSA on surveys and public consultation regarding digital transformation, national digital architecture frameworks, and open source software policy. VFOSSA actively responds to MOST's draft decisions and policy consultations related to Vietnam's digital government strategy.
• Tạp chí Tin học và Đời sống (TH&ĐS Magazine)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe official media organ of VAIP, Tin học & Đời sống magazine has partnered with VFOSSA for FOSS publicity and coverage since 2012. VFOSSA contributors can publish in the magazine's FOSS section and other relevant sections.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Open Knowledge Foundation: Open Knowledge Foundation is a UK-based nonprofit promoting open knowledge and open data. It is adjacent to VFOSSA as both are open advocacy nonprofits, but OKFN focuses on data and knowledge openness rather than FOSS software specifically.
• LINAGORA: LINAGORA is a French open source software company with operations in Vietnam (LINAGORA Vietnam) and an active sponsor of VFOSSA's SFD events. It is comparable to VFOSSA as both promote open source adoption, though LINAGORA is a commercial company providing FOSS-based enterprise solutions while VFOSSA is a nonprofit advocacy body.

Direct peers

• FOSSASIA: FOSSASIA is an Asia-wide open technology organization that runs developer events, hackathons, and open source projects across the region. It is comparable to VFOSSA as both organizations serve as community hubs for FOSS in Asia, organize large-scale events, and engage students and developers in open source activities.
• Software Freedom Conservancy: Software Freedom Conservancy is a nonprofit that provides fiscal and legal infrastructure to free and open source software projects. It is comparable to VFOSSA in its role as a nonprofit umbrella supporting FOSS projects, though its focus is more on project-level fiscal sponsorship rather than national-level community coordination.
• Open Source Initiative: OSI is a global nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes and protects open source software through education, community building, and the maintenance of the Open Source Definition. It parallels VFOSSA's mission of advocating for open source adoption and educating stakeholders, though at an international level.
• Free Software Foundation: The Free Software Foundation is a global nonprofit dedicated to promoting computer user freedom and defending free software ideals. It is directly comparable to VFOSSA as both organizations serve as advocacy bodies for free and open source software within their respective national/international contexts.
• Vietnam Linux User Group (HanoiLUG): HanoiLUG is one of the Linux/FOSS user groups in Vietnam that was part of the preparatory committee for VFOSSA's founding in 2011. It is a directly comparable community-based FOSS advocacy organization operating in the same country and overlapping membership.

Broad incumbents

• Linux Foundation: The Linux Foundation is the largest global open source foundation, hosting projects like Linux, Kubernetes, and Hyperledger. It is comparable to VFOSSA as both organizations drive open source advocacy, training, and ecosystem building, though the Linux Foundation operates at a vastly larger global scale across many technology domains.

Regional players

• China Open Source Cloud Alliance (COSCL): COSCL is a Chinese industry alliance promoting open source cloud technologies in China. It is comparable to VFOSSA as a regional FOSS industry body engaging with government and industry stakeholders, but focused on the Chinese market and cloud infrastructure specifically.
• Free Software Foundation Europe: FSFE is a European nonprofit that advocates for free software within European policy and industry contexts. It is comparable to VFOSSA as both organizations operate as regional FOSS advocacy bodies engaging with their respective governments, but FSFE focuses on EU-level policy while VFOSSA focuses on Vietnam.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vfossa.vn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vfossa