GaN is a promising material for optoelectronic devices in blue, blue-violet and green bands. Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) have many advantages including small footprint, simple optics/alignment for output coupling, surface-mount packaging, good price-performance ratio. In this paper, we will review the history of the design and fabrication of GaN-based VCSELs and metalorganic vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth of electrically pumped blue VCSELs.