Le Ly Hayslip arrived in the United States in 1970 and became a U.S. citizen in 1978. Twice widowed, she raised three sons in southern California and became a successful entrepreneur. In 1986, she returned to her native Vietnam to care for her aging mother and was stunned by the devastation, poverty and illness. Seeing an opportunity to make a difference, she founded the East Meets West Foundation, a non-profit relief organization that provides housing, education and medical care for tens of thousands of Vietnamese children and villagers. In addition, her work served to promote understanding and relations between the United States and Vietnam.

Ms. Hayslip is the author of two best-selling books, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, and Child of War, Woman of Peace. These books are memoirs of her painful and ultimately triumphant journey from a tragic childhood in war-torn Vietnam to her new life in the United States. The books were adapted into the film Heaven and Earth by director Oliver Stone and released in 1994. Ms. Hayslip worked as a technical advisor and consultant on the film to bring her intensely personal and spiritual story to the screen.

In 1989, she received a ‘Pen’, an important literary award for best non-fiction, and has since been honored many times for her charitable service and humanitarian peace efforts throughout the world. Since 1994, Ms. Hayslip has joined Peace Boat on its annual peace and justice voyage around the world. Peace Boat is a Japanese international organization that works to promote peace, human rights, sustainable development and respect for the environment throughout the world. As an outspoken critic of war, Ms. Hayslip has delivered her message as well as provided cultural, educational and humanitarian support to more than thirty-five countries on five continents.

In 2000, Ms. Hayslip accompanied a San Francisco based organization on a U.S. trade mission to Vietnam where she joined President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton on the signing of the historic final trade agreement between the United States and Vietnam.

With an important part of her work in Vietnam accomplished, Ms. Hayslip expanded her vision to promote peace and harmony among all nations of the world by establishing the Global Village Foundation in 2000. Through its annual Bridge of Peace Awards event, Global Village Foundation honors individuals and organizations for their humanitarian contributions and peace efforts.

Ms. Hayslip lectures at colleges and universities across the nation and has provided an educational model for students of Asian studies. She has delivered keynote addresses for numerous organizations both nationally and internationally and has led the U.S. Vietnam war veterans and U.S. citizens back to Vietnam on missions of peace and compassion to heal the lingering wounds of war.

Additional Resources: More about Le Ly Hayslip View video of Ms. Hayslip accepting her award at the AILF Annual Benefit, on June 24, 2005.