Khanh Hoa Sunshine House – A Safe Haven for Women and Girls Experiencing Violence

The Khanh Hoa Sunshine House was established under the project “Scaling Up the Model for Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls in Khanh Hoa Province for 2026–2027.” The project is funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), with technical and financial support from UNFPA.

The centre provides essential services, including healthcare, psychological counselling, safe temporary accommodation, and referrals to police, legal and judicial services. These services are free of charge, confidential and available around the clock, with support maintained 24 hours a day, seven days a week. By providing a single point of access, the centre enables survivors to receive the support they need without having to approach multiple agencies independently.

The model also prioritises accessibility for women and girls with disabilities and provides dedicated spaces for children accompanying their mothers. To protect the safety and privacy of service users, the exact location of the Sunshine House is not publicly disclosed.

At the inauguration ceremony, representatives of UNFPA and the Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Health signed a handover agreement, and the staff responsible for operating the centre were introduced. The Sunshine House was handed over to the provincial authorities for management, helping integrate the one-stop support model into the local public service system.

Earlier, on October 13, 2026, the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee issued an inter-agency coordination regulation on preventing and responding to gender-based violence. The regulation establishes a framework for coordination among the health, police and justice sectors, as well as social service providers, to ensure that survivors are referred to and receive support in a more timely and safe manner.

According to UNFPA, women and girls seeking assistance need to be heard without judgment, have their privacy protected and have their choices respected. UNFPA will continue providing technical support to Khanh Hoa Province while promoting knowledge and experience sharing among Sunshine Houses to improve service quality.

The launch of the Khanh Hoa Sunshine House expands the network of integrated support services for survivors of gender-based violence. It also creates opportunities to strengthen coordination among agencies and service providers and improve access to assistance for groups facing additional barriers, including ethnic minority women, women workers, and women and girls with disabilities.

According to the 2019 National Study on Violence Against Women in Viet Nam, nearly two-thirds of ever-married women or women who had partners had experienced at least one form of physical, sexual or emotional violence, economic abuse, or controlling behaviour by a husband or partner during their lifetime. Among women who had experienced physical or sexual violence by a husband or partner, more than 90% had never sought help from formal support services or competent authorities.

One of the barriers survivors face is having to contact multiple agencies, work with different staff members and recount their experiences repeatedly. The Sunshine House model aims to reduce these barriers by connecting and coordinating essential services in one location, while safeguarding confidentiality and respecting the choices of those receiving support.

In addition to accessing Sunshine House services directly, women and girls can contact the National Hotline for Domestic Violence Prevention and Response at 117, which operates 24 hours a day, for counselling and referrals to appropriate support services.

The inauguration of the Khanh Hoa Sunshine House marks a step forward in expanding Vietnam's support network for survivors of violence. For the model to remain effective in the long term, it is essential to maintain a professionally trained workforce, ensure stable operating resources and strengthen coordination among relevant agencies. These efforts will help ensure that people who need assistance can access safe, timely and quality services.