Formed in 1981, BPSOS conducted many joint rescue-at-sea missions with international organizations and has rescued three thousand Vietnamese boat people in the South China Sea.

In response to major shifts in U.S. and international policies towards Vietnamese boat people, in 1990 BPSOS moved its headquarters from San Diego, California, to Northern Virginia and concentrated on policy advocacy and casework. Since then, BPSOS has assisted some 1,500 refugee families in their asylum claims. BPSOS created the Vietnamese Refugee Private Sponsorship/Canada program to resettle some 300 refugees from Southeast Asia and Hong Kong to Canada. In 1991, BPSOS created Legal Assistance for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers (LAVAS) to send pro bono lawyers and paralegals to help thousands of Vietnamese boat people in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong in their refugee claims.

In late 1996, as most boat people had been either repatriated or resettled, BPSOS shifted its focus to helping and empowering Vietnamese immigrants and refugees in America. It has since established new programs to assist local community members in naturalization, immigration status adjustment, paralegal assistance, family reunion, consumer rights protection, public health, ESL for naturalization, and other human services. One of its programs has helped many local Vietnamese communities form community-based organizations and has provided training for their leadership. In cooperation with two other organizations, BPSOS has re-activated a discontinued program to provide ESL instruction to newcomers wishing to enter college and vocational schools.

BPSOS' effectiveness comes mainly from its ability to mobilize volunteers--Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese, and from the programmatic experiences and operational expertise that it has developed for the past two decades. BPSOS has developed an extensive network of contacts and affiliates within the Vietnamese-American community. BPSOS is cooperating or collaborating with some 30 local and national service providers and community-based organizations.

BPSOS has published over a dozen reports and numerous policy papers; its officers have frequently testified before Congress on refugee and immigrant issues. BPSOS has been featured on Nightline, 60 Minutes, Voice of America, BBC, Australian Broadcasting Company, etc. and in major newspapers such as Washington Post, Washington Times, Newsweek, Hong Kong Standard, Straight Times (Malaysia), etc.