Tho Vinh Banh

“This may sound very cliché, but it almost doesn’t feel like work. It brings me joy.” - Tho Vinh Banh

For over two decades, Tho Vinh Banh (pronounced “Soulwing Ban”) has advocated on behalf of persons with disabilities through a variety of roles.

She started her career at Disability Rights California as a legal advocate, before becoming an attorney in the Intellectual and Developmental Disability practice group. She spent time lobbying for legislation, advocating for disability representation in the census, and in voting. Then she became a Supervising Attorney with the Multicultural Affairs Advocacy team.

“This may sound very cliché, but it almost doesn’t feel like work. It brings me joy,” Tho Vinh said. “I get to be in communities with individuals, organizations, and agencies just learning new things, being with new people, expanding who we are and what we do at DRC.”

Now, she is Special Counsel for Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement (SPACE), a role that was tailor-made for Tho Vinh, who already spent much of her time engaging with outside organizations and leaders, especially in the disability space, through her leadership in the Multicultural Affairs team.

“I value it—trust building,” Tho Vinh said. “Because without that dynamic you’re not truly working with folks. You have to develop trust and build relationships in order to collaborate on shared goals and purposes.”

Tho Vinh’s path to DRC came from a confluence of experiences: as a refugee from Vietnam, a law student representing persons with disabilities, and a person with a visual disability. She credits her longevity at DRC for providing her with the ability to move around and explore different interests.

“I got to experience life as an immigrant, as a refugee, seeing it from that perspective, the perspective of a woman. All of those dynamics come to play in all of my advocacy,” Tho Vinh said, explaining her work.

Born in Vietnam, Tho Vinh was eight years old when she and her family fled the country by boat to a refugee camp on a Malaysian island. After nearly a year in the refugee camp, the family came to Sacramento, California because they had relatives in the area.

Tho Vinh credits her positive attitude to her mother, Anh, who raised Tho Vinh and her four siblings in Vietnam, while Tho Vinh’s father was away in hiding during the Vietnam war. She said that her mother was a “gatherer” who brought food and joy to their family, even in difficult times.

“When we first came to the U.S., we had no furniture…and literally when we had large gatherings we would sit around the floor and she would feed the extended family,” Tho Vinh said of her mother. “My mother had a way of creating joy in our home with very little. Even though we were on welfare and food stamps she was able to create joy by gathering our immediate and our extended family.”

Growing up, Tho Vinh recalls having a strong barometer for justice, starting from an early age watching how landlords mistreated her immigrant parents, to leaving high school to protest the Rodney King murder at the state capitol.

Her advice to her 13-year-old self follows that notion of staying true to yourself. “Know who you are. Be that fully,” Tho Vinh advises. “There is where your strength lies. There is where love lies. There is where all of us can find our perfection, and our peace. Go there and move through the world from that space.”

When not working, Tho Vinh is known for taking vacations with large groups of up to 60 or 70 friends and family. She also enjoys her quiet time including loving on her goldendoodle, Ramen and her numerous houseplants.

She said that those who know her would describe her as someone who can provide a listening ear and guidance to those around her. “I am able to see things at their core and share back with them from a perspective that is expansive and gives a greater peace of mind,” Tho Vinh said.