Members of the VNHRN are present in many countries worldwide, and its headquarters are in Orange County, California, U.S.A. Toward the end of the 1990s, the increasing repression of dissidents by the Vietnamese authorities at home and the collapse of many communist dictatorial regimes in Eastern Europe, encouraged many Vietnamese human rights activists worldwide to come together for collective actions.

As a result, on November 1, 1997, a founding convention was held in Santa Ana, California, gathering a consortium of activists representing various human rights organizations worldwide.

Since its founding, the VNHRN has held up to now (2021) fifteen Conventions gathering participants from many countries to go over past operations, assess the human rights situations in Vietnam and the world, and layout the general directions and future activities.

The prize-awarding ceremony was held every year in different locations worldwide on International Human Rights Day (December 10).

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