East Meets West

who we are

The mission of the East Meets West (EMW) Foundation is to transform the health, education, and communities of disadvantaged people in Southeast Asia by building partnerships, developing opportunities, and creating sustainable solutions.

EMW was founded in 1988 by noted Vietnamese-American philanthropist, Ms. Le Ly Hayslip, whose life story was chronicled in two autobiographies and Oliver Stone's film, "Heaven and Earth." Through EMW, Ms. Hayslip hoped to fulfill her dream of helping plant the seeds of peace and heal war wounds between the United States and Vietnam.

what we do

Today EMW is the largest private non-governmental organization in Vietnam, partnering with multiple stakeholders to help develop the country and its people in a sustainable way. Over the past 20 years, EMW has invested more than $56 million in health, education, and clean water and sanitation projects throughout Vietnam.

Our programs fall under two main areas: Grassroots programs and large-scale infrastructure. Current EMW programs include anti-trafficking, clean water and sanitation, dental, heart operations, scholarship and orphanage support. EMW is also building a national pediatrics hospital in Hanoi and has been involved in the construction of numerous schools, education centres and hospitals.