ISee

What ISee does

Viện iSEE (legal name: Viện Nghiên cứu Xã hội, Kinh tế và Môi trường / Institute for Social, Economic and Environmental Studies) is a Hanoi-based Vietnamese non-profit research and advocacy institute founded in 2007. It works on the rights of ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ+ community in Vietnam, organized around four programmatic areas: LGBTI rights, ethnic minority rights (Dân tộc thiểu số), gender justice (Công lý giới), and social connections (Kết nối xã hội). The institute serves ethnic minority groups including Hmong, Thai, Chăm, Tày, and Mường communities, as well as LGBTQ+ individuals and women, primarily through grassroots engagement and policy advocacy rather than commercial services.

The institute's core offerings are research publications, community programs, policy advocacy, knowledge handbooks (Sổ tay), opinion pieces (Góc nhìn), and the Bàn chữ S podcast series distributed via Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Its flagship operational platform is the Mạng lưới Tiên Phong (Pioneer Network), a grassroots coalition of ethnic minority members from over 20 ethnic groups across Vietnam. Other programmatic outputs include the Leave With Pride anti-pathologization campaign (which collected 76,084 signatures and triggered a formal WHO Vietnam response) and the BUBU Town IDAHOBIT event (approximately 4,000 attendees, co-organized with UN Vietnam and USAID). Viện iSEE does not sell products or services; it does not operate a software platform, and its 'technology' footprint consists of a Squarespace-hosted website, podcast feeds, and standard social media channels.

The organization is funded almost entirely through grants from international development partners and foreign governments — notably the Embassy of Ireland (primary funder of the Tiên Phong project, 2017-2021), CFLI (Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, 2022 onward), UN agencies, USAID, and CARE International. It is governed as a private non-profit with no parent company and no commercial revenue streams. Current director Lương Thế Huy succeeded co-founder Lê Quang Bình in 2015 after a structured leadership transition supported by the Embassy of Ireland, CARE International, and Oxfam.

Name

ISee

Legal name

Viện Nghiên cứu Xã hội, Kinh tế và Môi trường

Website

https://isee.org.vn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Viện iSEE is a Hanoi-based Vietnamese non-profit research and advocacy institute serving ethnic minority communities (20+ groups including Hmong, Thai, Chăm) and LGBTQ+ populations across Vietnam through research, community programs, and policy advocacy funded by international development grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanoi

HQ country

Vietnam

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Viện iSEE receives grant funding from international organizations and foreign governments to support its programs on ethnic minority rights and LGBTQ+ rights. Major funders include the Embassy of Ireland, CFLI (Canada Fund for Local Initiatives), and other development partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISee (Viện iSEE - Viện Nghiên cứu Xã hội, Kinh tế và Môi trường / Institute for Social, Economic and Environmental Studies) is a Vietnamese non-profit research institute that conducts research, advocacy, and capacity-building programs to advance the rights of ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, women, and other marginalized groups in Vietnam. The institute operates community networks such as the Mạng lưới Tiên Phong (Pioneer Network), runs advocacy campaigns like Leave With Pride, and produces media content including the Bàn chữ S podcast.

Product overview

ISee is a Vietnamese nonprofit research institute (Viện Nghiên cứu Xã hội, Kinh tế và Môi trường) focused on advocacy and capacity-building across four main programmatic areas: LGBTQ+ rights (Quyền LGBTI), ethnic minority rights (Dân tộc thiểu số), gender justice (Công lý giới), and social connection (Kết nối xã hội). The organization does not offer commercial technology products; its primary offerings are research publications, community programs, policy advocacy, knowledge-sharing resources (Sổ tay), opinion/analysis pieces (Góc nhìn), and the Bàn chữ S podcast series. The organization operates through partnerships, small grants programs, and public engagement activities rather than a software platform or product portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bàn chữ S: Podcast series featuring discussions on Vietnam-related topics through conversations with guests
• Mạng lưới Tiên Phong
• Leave With Pride

Products and services

• Bàn chữ S Podcast A podcast series featuring conversations with guests on topics related to Vietnam, cultural diversity, social issues, and community stories. Distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and the iSEE website, the series is now in its second season.
• Research and Publications Program Research, analysis, and commentary publications under sections such as Sổ tay (Knowledge Handbook), Góc nhìn (Perspectives), Bàn luận (Discussions), and Thư viện (Library). These outputs are aimed at civil society actors, policymakers, academics, and community members to inform advocacy on minority rights, LGBTI rights, and gender justice.
• Mạng lưới Tiên Phong (Pioneer Network) A standing community network comprising ethnic minority members from over 20 ethnic groups across Vietnam, delivering capacity building, indigenous knowledge preservation, and rights-based advocacy for ethnic minority communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76,084 signatures collected for Leave With Pride campaign calling on WHO to end pathologization of LGBTQ+ people
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Liên hợp quốc tại Việt Nam (UN Vietnam)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized BUBU Town event on May 17 (IDAHOBIT) celebrating LGBTQ+ rights and diversity with nearly 4,000 participants.
• Cơ quan Phát triển Quốc tế Hoa Kỳ (USAID)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized BUBU Town event on May 17 (IDAHOBIT) celebrating LGBTQ+ rights and diversity alongside UN Vietnam.
• Tổ chức Y tế Thế giới tại Việt Nam (WHO Vietnam)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO Vietnam responded to iSEE's 'Leave With Pride' campaign petition signed by over 76,000 people, affirming that homosexuality is not a disease and committing to end pathologization of LGBTQ+ people.
• Trung tâm Nâng cao Năng lực Cộng đồng (CECEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner alongside Embassy of Ireland in implementing the Mạng lưới Tiên Phong project from 2017-2021, focused on community capacity building.
• CARE International VietnamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported leadership development programs at iSEE, sharing experiences with acting institute directors during leadership transition.
• OxfamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported leadership development programs at iSEE, sharing experiences with acting institute directors during leadership transition.
• Đại sứ quán IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported iSEE's leadership transition planning, helping train acting institute directors and providing organizational capacity building support.
• Mạng lưới Xu hướng tính dục và Bản dạng giới ASEANminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network working on LGBTQ+ rights in ASEAN, with which iSEE collaborates on advocacy efforts.
• Đại sứ quán IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized symposium on 'LGBT Social Movement Protection in Ireland and Lessons for Vietnam and ASEAN' in June.
• Trung tâm ICSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiated the 'Rainbow School' (Trường học Cầu vồng) model for safer, more inclusive schools for LGBTQ+ students, which iSEE has supported.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lighthouse (Nhà Chính): A Vietnamese social enterprise supporting the LGBTQ+ community through economic empowerment, training, and community programs. It is a comparable Vietnamese organization combining community services with advocacy.
• CSAGA (Center for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents): A Vietnamese civil society organization working on gender-based violence, gender equality, and LGBTI issues. It overlaps directly with iSEE's gender justice and LGBTI program pillars in the same operating geography.
• Trung tâm ICS (ICS Center): A leading Vietnamese LGBTQ+ rights organization that iSEE explicitly partners with. ICS focuses on community health, SOGIE advocacy, and the Rainbow School model, making it a close functional peer in the same Vietnamese rights ecosystem.
• ILGA Asia: The Asian region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, focused on LGBTQ+ rights advocacy across Asia. It addresses the same policy and community-advocacy mandate as iSEE's LGBTI program area.
• ASEAN SOGIE Caucus: Regional civil society network on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics in ASEAN, with which iSEE collaborates. It is a structural peer working the same rights agenda across Southeast Asia.
• CECEM (Trung tâm Nâng cao Năng lực Cộng đồng): A Vietnamese community-capacity-building organization that co-implemented the Tiên Phong Pioneer Network project with iSEE. It shares the same grassroots organizing, ethnic minority engagement, and rights-based approach with the Institute.

Regional players

• APCASO: A regional civil society network in Asia-Pacific focused on community-led responses, health rights, and key population advocacy. It is a structural peer in cross-border rights programming and consortium grant delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Oxfam in Vietnam: A major international INGO with a long-standing presence in Vietnam working on inequality, gender justice, and ethnic minority rights. It is a broad-incumbent partner of iSEE with overlapping thematic focus but a much wider portfolio.
• CARE International Vietnam: A major international humanitarian and development organization operating in Vietnam that has supported iSEE's leadership development. It works on overlapping themes of gender equality, ethnic minority inclusion, and community empowerment.
• Save the Children Vietnam: A large international NGO in Vietnam focused on children's rights, education, and ethnic minority welfare. It is comparable in mission-adjacent rights work but operates at significantly greater scale and a wider thematic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/iseevn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iseevn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ISee