The origin of a nearly 4-year rift and an invitation letter on the eve of the grand opening

On 5 October 2026, Ms. Kim Bui-Quang, Director – Head of Design, Construction and Implementation, sent an invitation letter to Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy in his capacity as the “caretaker” President of the Executive Committee of the Vietnamese Community Association in Australia – Victoria Chapter (VCA-Vic). The letter carried subtext and implications that Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy was no longer President, and that the current President is Ms. Thuy Dang—whom TiVi Tuan-san refers to as the “self-proclaimed” president.

Ms. Thuy Dang, during her tenure as Mayor of Brimbank City Council, had supported the Museum company in securing the opportunity to acquire a parcel of land in Sunshine for construction, after Maribyrnong City Council had previously rejected a land purchase in Footscray.

The invitation letter read in part:

“Dear President of the Vietnamese Community in Australia – Victoria Chapter, Term September 2022 – September 2026.

On behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the Vietnamese Museum Australia, we cordially invite you to join the Grand Opening of the Museum and Wominjeka Plaza, a public park established in partnership with Brimbank City Council, on Saturday, 17 October 2026, at 12:00 PM, at 119 Durham Road, Sunshine, Victoria.”

This invitation arrived amidst years-long disputes entering an intensely bitter phase.

Electoral storms and pressure for asset handover

Recently, the faction supporting the Museum (officially named Vietnamese Museum in Australia – VMA, accurately translated into Vietnamese as Viện Bảo tàng Việt Nam tại Úc) joined Ms. Thuy Dang in staging protests outside the Community Activity Centre (Trung tâm Sinh hoạt Cộng đồng)  in Sunshine North, demanding that Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy immediately hand over community assets and financial records. This group argued that Mr. Duy lost the election held on 28 June 2026.

However, that election was challenged by several individuals who said there was evidence of alleged fraud and breaches of voting rules. Subsequently, a mediation committee allowed Mr Nguyen Quang Duy to remain in office in a caretaker capacity for one year, pending the organisation of a new election under more rigorous candidacy and voting rules.

Behind the leadership contest lie financial calculations. Over the past few years, the Museum faction had repeatedly requested permission from Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy to set up fundraising stalls at Lunar New Year festivals as well as other community events, but were consistently turned down. They turned to supporting Ms. Thuy Dang with the expectation that the Community organisation would become the primary fundraising base to shoulder the operational expenses of the Museum in the future.

It is worth noting that the government funding grant of (approximately) $20 million was strictly allocated for construction, leaving the company compelled to raise operational funding from community members.

Protesting outside the Ancestral Temple (Đền Thờ Quốc Tổ) despite not a single person being inside. From left: Nguyen The Phong, former Chairman of the Board of the Museum; Le Dinh Anh (from the Civil Society group, formerly opposed to the Museum); Ms. Thuy Dang (fourth from left) former Mayor of Brimbank City; and members of the “Chung sức vì Cộng đồng” (United for the Community) ticket. Photo: FB Trung Le

This explains why the pro-Museum faction has staged ongoing protests against Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy. Even when Mr. Duy organised Mid-Autumn Lantern Festivals in Springvale and Footscray, this group showed up to disrupt the events, obstructing pedestrian traffic and shouting loudly while children’s festivities were underway—as documented and reported with photos by TiVi Tuan-san over the past two weeks.

The matter originated from an initial Museum Project that originally belonged to VCA-Vic, but was subsequently transformed into the asset of a private company. This transformation has sowed deep divisions across the community for nearly four years. The recent election results essentially reflect factional friction, which has now narrowed into a direct confrontation between two sides: on one side, the Museum group allied with Ms. Thuy Dang; and on the other, the Executive Committee led by Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy.

Currently, the dispute surrounding the 28 June 2026 election is being brought before the courts by Ms. Thuy Dang’s side. A mediation session commenced on Thursday, 8 October 2026. Nonetheless, in its livestream broadcast aired on 7 October 2026, TiVi Tuan-san assessed that mediation efforts would struggle to yield results if Ms. Thuy Dang’s faction continues to insist on an immediate handover; and that only a court (such as the Magistrates’ Court) can settle the matter conclusively. Regulatory bodies such as the ACNC and Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) view this solely as an internal dispute that must be resolved internally, or referred to court if deadlocked.

Ms. Thuy Dang’s faction has also protested in the hope that the Labor government would intervene and apply pressure on Mr. Duy’s Executive Committee. However, under the principles of a democratic nation, the government does not interfere in the internal affairs of community organisations as would occur under the current regime in Vietnam.

Dentist Dinh Hieu is delivering a presentation, and next to him is Lawyer Nguyen Tan Hai. Photo:  TVTS

Roots from late 2022: The 600-page dossier and government silence

This conflict did not emerge overnight; it had been simmering and erupted toward the end of 2022.

On 30 December 2022, the VCA-Vic Executive Committee under the leadership of Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy officially issued an announcement establishing an independent Subcommittee to review the implementation of the Project to Construct the Vietnamese-Australian Cultural Centre and Museum—a project that was stirring considerable controversy and division at the time. The announcement specified:

– The first public presentation to the community would take place on 15 January 2023 at the Ancestral Temple (90 Knight Avenue, Sunshine North), which serves as the Community Activity Centre.

– The Executive Committee concurrently issued a decision denying the Museum Company permission to sell fundraising raffle tickets at the Year of the Cat (Quý Mão) Lunar New Year Festival, as measures were underway to reclaim the improperly transferred Museum Project.

Following months of independent work by the Review Subcommittee (with the participation of Dentist Dinh Hieu and Lawyer Nguyen Tan Hai), a dossier of approximately 600 pages was completed. This document laid bare indicators of wrongdoing in transferring assets and funds from the Community to the private Museum company without approval by vote at a General Meeting of Members in accordance with the Constitution/Bylaws.

During community meetings at that time, many community members angrily demanded refunds for their $500 contributions per “brick”—part of an estimated total of $700,000 contributed by the public under the belief that this was a project of the Vietnamese Community Association in Australia – Victoria Chapter itself, rather than a separate private company.

Mr. Duy’s Executive Committee had initiated legal proceedings, even expending tens of thousands of dollars on legal advice. However, the lawsuit had to be paused when advising counsel assessed that the chances of winning in court were very slim.

The Executive Committee’s cessation of legal action after completing the 600-page dossier led to fresh internal conflict: rival factions turned on one another with criticism and mutual attempts at removal. Certain individuals who had previously opposed the Executive Committee for not suing to reclaim the project subsequently pivoted, aligning themselves entirely with Ms. Thuy Dang and the Museum group to oppose Mr. Nguyen Quang Duy.

During a presentation at the Australian-Vietnamese Women’s Association Centre in Springvale: The entire hall raises their hands to express confidence that VCA-Victoria will reclaim ownership of the Vietnamese-Australian Cultural Centre & Museum project that was invalidly transferred. Community members angrily demanded refunds for their $500 contributions per “brick”— Photo: TVTS

In a live interview on the “Current Affairs of the Week” program at the TiVi Tuan-san editorial office in April 2023, when asked about whether the VCA-Vic Executive Committee intended to sue the Museum—which was seen at the time as a “darling” of the state government—Mr. Daniel Andrews demurred, stating that the community needed builders more than lawyers, while expressing hope that the project would open in time for 2025 to mark the 50th anniversary of Vietnamese resettlement. Mr. Andrews remarked that since the matter was being taken to court, one should wait and see.

The dossier of approximately 600 pages was subsequently delivered to Premier Daniel Andrews, but he did not respond.

Premier Andrews responding to TVTS during a live interview at the TVTS studio on 26 April 2023: “This dispute, as you just said, will go before the courts. I am limited in what I can say, there are matters I should not discuss, because the court process must take its course.”

Looking back at a non-transparent episode

TiVi Tuan-san has continuously followed, recorded, and published a total of 57 articles (including editorials, news reports, photo essays, and community notices) from late 2022 to date—as the building prepares for its ribbon-cutting opening on 17 October 2026.

This serves as a comprehensive record documenting how a group of former Community presidents and past leaders sought to convert a collective project of the VCA-Victoria community into a company limited by guarantee controlled and owned by a select group of individuals.

It is a non-transparent saga that was once closely concealed, yet could not be hidden from the public forever—a story whose backstage may carry opaque ties to politicians and staff within the Victorian Labor government.

Drawing upon the records of these 57 articles alongside archived factual files, TiVi Tuan-san will sequentially summarise the behind-the-scenes developments, public presentations, and overt conflicts in this multi-part series, so that readers may fully understand the truth behind the Museum building that is about to open its doors.

(Readers are invited to read Part 2: Presentations at the Community Activity Centre, also known as the Ancestral Temple, and questions surrounding the transfer of the $17-million grant promised by the government at the time).