From a region with more than 600 million people, only a handful have ever left Earth’s atmosphere. Some flew through the space programs of major powers, one through a commercial spacecraft funded by a billionaire. Here is the full list.
1. Phạm Tuân (Viet Nam)
A military pilot from North Viet Nam, Phạm Tuân became the first Southeast Asian to reach space through the Soyuz 37 mission on July 23, 1980. He flew under the Soviet Union’s Interkosmos program, which was designed to carry cosmonauts from allied countries.
For nearly eight days, Phạm Tuân stayed aboard the Salyut 6 space station alongside Soviet cosmonaut Viktor Gorbatko. His journey was not only a scientific milestone, but also a powerful political moment, coming just five years after the end of the Viet Nam War.
Read also: Phạm Tuân, Southeast Asia’s First Man to Go to Outer Space
2. Eugene Trinh (Vietnamese-American)
Born in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, Eugene Trinh flew on NASA’s STS-50 mission on June 25, 1992 as a payload specialist, focusing on scientific cargo.
Although he served under the United States, he is recognized as the second person born in Southeast Asia to reach space. His mission focused on materials science experiments in microgravity.
3. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (Malaysia)
An orthopedic surgeon, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor became Malaysia’s first astronaut through the Soyuz TMA-11 mission on October 10, 2007, traveling to the International Space Station. What made his journey unique was its timing during the month of Ramadan.
Malaysia’s religious authorities even issued special guidelines on how Muslims could observe their religious duties in space, including how to pray and determine the direction of Mecca while orbiting Earth.
Read also: Malaysia’s First Astronaut and the First Muslim to Fast in Space
4. Amanda Nguyen (Vietnamese American)
On April 14, 2025, civil rights activist and scientist Amanda Nguyen flew on the Blue Origin NS-31 suborbital mission, becoming the first woman of Vietnamese descent to reach space.
She was part of an all-female crew alongside Gayle King, Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez, Aisha Bowe, and Kerianne Flynn, the first fully female crew since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo flight in 1963.
During the approximately 11-minute flight, Nguyen conducted three scientific experiments, including observing the effects of microgravity on brassica rapa seeds native to Southeast Asia, in collaboration with the Viet Nam National Space Center.
Unlike most of her fellow crew members, Nguyen was the only one with formal astronaut training, including high G-force simulations and experiments in hyperbaric chambers.
Read also: 'Hello Viet Nam', Amanda Nguyễn Becomes First Southeast Asian Woman in Space
