Meet Vietnam’s hip-hop social worker helping put an end to human trafficking

As soon as day breaks in Hanoi, the city’s narrow streets flicker to life. Scooters gently weave in and around its tangle of French colonial buildings and buzzing serpentine powerlines. Zig zag sidewalks are scattered with workers hunched over steaming bowls of phở, school children walk arm-in-arm, and basket-laden bodies bustle to and fro. 

For travelers, this intoxicating milieu is what makes Hanoi such a magnetic destination; once you visit, it’s hard not to return. But life in Vietnam’s historic capital can be tough, especially for the thousands of children and young people, who increasingly find themselves drawn to Hanoi from rural areas in search of work.

Tran Van Trong was just 16 years old when he made the difficult decision to move, alone, from his small town in northern Vietnam to Hanoi. Having lost his mother at age seven, and with his elderly father unable to work, Trong left school in search of financial security in the city. “I thought that it is very easy to get a job, and be paid very well there,” says Trong, “but it was very different to what I imagined.”

Without an ID card to prove his age (a legal requirement for employees at that time in Vietnam), Trong couldn’t gain employment. Eventually, a farmer offered him shelter and food in return for labor, and Trong found himself struggling through long days of physical work. 

“It was a bit of a shock,” he says, reflecting on this time. Sensing that this wasn’t going to be a sustainable path, the farmer introduced him to Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation. And in an instant, Trong’s whole life changed course. 

Blue Dragon is a grassroots charity that is leading the fight against human trafficking in Vietnam. Founded in 2004, with the purpose of providing shelter and education for street children in Hanoi, the organization has grown to become a vital advocate for young people’s rights across the country. It has also partnered up with The Intrepid Foundation—a charitable arm of Intrepid Travel that’s funded by donations from everyday travelers—to continue feeding, clothing, supporting and empowering children on the ground. Just this year alone, Intrepid travelers have raised over AUD$403,000 in support of Blue Dragon.

Blue Dragon also provided Trong with something less tangible, but equally important: The opportunity to “be young” again.

“There wasn’t a set vision at the time, it was just about helping kids in need,” says Do Duy Vi, one of Blue Dragon’s co-CEOs. “We grew slowly and organically to address the needs of the children and families we met. Most of our activities included football, art, and providing lunch for street children. Even with very limited resources, we managed to make a difference in their lives.”

Today, in addition to outreach and schooling, the organization is providing interventions and helping build long-term systems to keep people safe from human trafficking. “This shift began when we met street children in Ho Chi Minh City who needed rescuing, and later, a young girl working in a Hanoi bar was trafficked,” explains Vi. “We initially focused on helping street kids, but as the needs of the community evolved, so did our mission, which is now centered on ending human trafficking in Vietnam.”

Blue Dragon offered Trong shelter in Hanoi and supported him in returning to school. While restarting his education was invaluable, Blue Dragon also provided Trong with something less tangible, but equally important: The opportunity to “be young” again. 

Often, children who live on the streets longterm lose the opportunity to interact with other kids. Fostering that social connection and ensuring time away from risky activities is a really important part of what the charity offers. “These children need to talk, they need teamwork,” says Trong. “And the most important thing is they spend time with each other at that moment.”

“The biggest threat young people face is mental health issues, as many experience trauma, neglect, and abuse,” continues Vi. “We had to build our expertise in social work, psychology, and prevention work from the ground up, learning through both successes and failures in order to provide the communities we serve with the support they needed.”

It was through these services and extracurricular activities that Trong came to fall in love with, of all things, hip-hop dancing. When he wasn’t studying, he was moving. And he found in this process of flailing limbs, head spins and pure physical expression, something that set his spirit alight.

“Hip hop taught me how to become a leader, how to work in a team, to be confident and express myself,” he says. He then started sharing this passion with the other young people at Blue Dragon, guiding peers through lessons.

“A lot of children work dangerous and very late at night,” says Trong, “but when we came to hip-hop, we spent two hours and have just a very good time for us.” He says the dancing was like a kind of therapy, where opening up the body allowed the young people to have conversations and make connections they previously hadn’t been able to.

After graduating school, Trong worked hard and won a scholarship to study English in Australia for a year. While there, he made many friends, and when he returned to Vietnam, he was offered the chance to travel to Cambodia to teach children hip-hop dancing. It was on this trip that the spark was lit—he loved seeing the young people transform in the same way he himself had done only years earlier. Trong felt he had found his calling, even if there wasn’t a job title that matched it just yet.

The outreach team heads onto the streets of Hanoi to connect with young people who might be without shelter, or facing dangers presented by networks of human traffickers.

Back in Vietnam, Trong discovered that the well-paying jobs he was applying for weren’t fulfilling. He couldn’t shift the feeling that he should be helping young people. “I’m still coming to Blue Dragon at that time,” he says. “ I’d draw and play with the kids and come back to visit the older kids. I’m feeling very happy and enjoy my time in these moments.”

It was then that Blue Dragon started hiring for a social worker. Trong applied, and eventually landed his dream job. Again, Blue Dragon accommodated the role so Trong could study a social work degree at university, while working in Hanoi; his own journey and natural connection to children’s lived experience making him the perfect candidate.

“I first met Trong when he was living on the streets,” Vi recalls. “He has come so far and is now an inspiration within Blue Dragon, a role model for many children, and a wonderful mentor to kids in need. I believe he’ll go even further and make a significant impact on the community he serves.”

Right now, Trong also forms part of Blue Dragon’s outreach team. “For the last few years, in morning I go to study and then I work for Blue Dragon in the afternoon and at night time,” he says. 

The outreach team heads onto the streets of Hanoi to connect with young people who might be without shelter, or facing dangers presented by networks of human traffickers—something he says has been harder to navigate with the growing ubiquity of technology and social media in children’s lives. This job is equally about providing food, educating about risks online and in the real world, and building trust with young people.

Trong has just graduated, and as a fully qualified social worker with years of experience under his belt, hopes to eventually provide guidance and support to other social workers. He has worked very hard to be where he is, never losing sight of what it was he started out to achieve.

“When I play with the children, I feel very happy,” he says. “I want to keep that feeling for long, or as long, as I can. Even when I feel tired from work, I visit the children and they have some magic. We help them, but they help us back, they return the energy.”

How your donation can help

Donations made through The Intrepid Foundation allow Blue Dragon to reach more children in crisis. Donations help fund education and training opportunities; provide health checks, counselling and emergency shelter; ensure the prosecution of traffickers and legal representation for victims; and help reunite children with their families. You can donate here. 

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