Vietnamese bid farewell to 'father' Fraser

Australia's Vietnamese community will honour former prime minister Malcolm Fraser with a traditional service usually reserved for parents.

Members will don white arm bands to say a special goodbye to their "father" during the service to be held outside Victoria's parliament at 6.30pm on Friday, hours after Mr Fraser was farewelled in a state funeral service and private burial.

"We are doing the service like it is our father who died, because he was our father," General Secretary of the Vietnamese community in Victoria, Phong Nguyen, told AAP.

The community believe they were the test case for multiculturalism in Australia, with thousands of refugees resettled in the 1970s by the Fraser government.

"Mr Fraser said to me: `thank God your people proved me right'," Mr Nguyen said.

They will wear white arm bands and a white square on their lapels to commemorate the man they believe saved the lives of their children and grandchildren.

"He means everything to us, but mostly freedom for saving us from the refugee camp. It's a very deep loss for our community," Mr Nguyen said.

"His ongoing support of the community was unwavering."

Mr Nguyen said Mr Fraser continued to keep an open dialogue with them right up until his death.