Anh-Thu Vo

About Anh-Thu

Anh-Thu Vo is a Vietnamese American advocate, the daughter and granddaughter of refugees, who grew up in Virginia. Anh-Thu’s commitment to fostering community and protecting human rights and free expression globally was shaped by her experiences in a vibrant Vietnamese-American community, including volunteering with Vietnamese Girl Scouts, practicing martial arts, and interning in Vietnam.

Her internship in Vietnam, amid media blackouts and the Cybersecurity Law protests in 2018, deepened Anh-Thu’s commitment to human rights and free expression. This experience inspired her to delve into human rights and social media’s impact, in both her undergrad and graduate theses on the Rohingya genocide. Additionally, Anh-Thu competed in the Nelson Mandela Moot Court on issues related to free expression and hate speech.

At PEN America, Anh-Thu leads research and advocacy efforts on censorship, media freedom, digital rights, and arbitrary detention in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the U.S. Anh-Thu campaigns for the release and better prison treatment of writers arrested for free expression and advocates for amendments to the Cybersecurity Law and other repressive legal provisions. She represented PEN America in bilateral meetings with UN member states, delivered statements at the UN Universal Periodic Review, and led delegations to Congress, the U.S. State Department, and the United Nations. She has been interviewed and written pieces regarding free expression for Just Security, Voices of America, and Radio Free Asia.

Before PEN America, Anh-Thu worked on human rights and humanitarian issues, including roles at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), teaching English to UN medical peacekeepers, and staffing a crisis hotline. She also gained legal experience at firms specializing in renewable energy, civil, and criminal law.

Outside of advocacy, Anh-Thu is often at bubble tea shops, meeting with friends and having tea chats with colleagues and partners—a habit from her internship in Vietnam. This routine evokes childhood memories of visiting the Vietnamese shopping center with family and friends to enjoy boba. Anh-Thu is committed to using her skills in building community to further human rights advocacy while collaborating and learning from local activists to ensure greater accountability, justice, and support for individuals persecuted for their human rights.

She holds a Master’s degree in Transitional Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law from the Geneva Academy of Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, and a Bachelor’s degree in Global Security and Justice and African American Studies from the University of Virginia.