Huyen’s Story of Transformation

Transformation is defined as “a marked change…as in appearance or character…usually for the better”

As a staff member at Hagar Vietnam, I must agree. For each individual client in our care, transformation is different, but one thing remains the same…it is noticed, unique, and inspiring.

Take the case of Huyen. Born and raised in a rural village in northern Vietnam, Huyen faced seemingly insurmountable difficulties. Her family was poor, working mainly in the rice fields, and there was rarely enough food to eat for her family of six. But Huyen studied hard, hoping for a better life with opportunities to provide for herself and her family.

And she was successful. When she was 18 years old, Huyen moved to Hanoi to attend university and was excited about her new life in a busy city where opportunities were endless. In hopes of being able to provide for her family while she studied, she called a job recruitment agency to help her find part-time work. She was introduced by this agency to a couple who promised her work at their shop at a market in Hanoi, and she was asked to come back the next day for training. She did. And was captured and sold to smugglers who took her across the border into China.

Huyen has always been vague about her work and stay in China, leaving me and other case managers at Hagar Vietnam to only wonder about the exploitation and abuse she faced. She simply cannot talk about it, only suggesting at times that it was both humiliating and horrific. She was there for nearly two years. With the help of local police, was rescued and returned to Vietnam. Although she was safe again, she was sad, broken, and confused and had lost her spirit of conquering independence.

Huyen came into Hagar Vietnam’s care several months after her return from China. She was noticeably ashamed and unbelievably sad. Even still, Huyen did not give up. She entered training at Hagar and began to build her confidence again. She no longer felt dirty, helpless, and depressed. She had hope. And with the help of Hagar Vietnam staff, she completed vocational training and entered a job at JOMA.

As a staff member at Hagar Vietnam, it has been an honour to know Huyen. Her beautiful face was a welcome sight every time I went for a coffee and sometimes we chatted about her life and success as a barista. She excelled at everything she did and everyone liked her. It’s no wonder that the Hilton Hotel offered her a job in hospitality with excellent pay and schedule, where she works today.

I met Huyen again in early November. She was willing to meet and be interviewed by a Spanish journalist. For the first time, she shared every detail of her story: how she was trafficked, her dark experience during those two years in China and the scary journey to escape and find her way back home. She said with tears in her eyes that she had thought of what happened to her, and realized that every day there were many young, innocent, small town girls like her being trafficked on their first visits to big cities like Hanoi. She would like to share her story to media with the hope that she can help prevent other young girls like her from being trafficked. During this meeting, she also happily shared with me that she was getting married with her boyfriend who knew her story and loved her as she was. I burst into tears hearing such great news.

If you were to see Huyen today, you would never know of the atrocities she’s faced. Of the hurt and betrayal that she’s felt. You would only see a beautiful woman exploding with life and enthusiasm. You would feel a warmth and connection with an individual that could be your sister…your cousin…your friend. She has an impact that is long-lasting and contagious. I find myself wanting to be just like her. You see, that’s the part no one tells you about witnessing a person’s transformation.

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Trang Huyen Vu is the Development Manager for Hagar Vietnam. She has her Bachelor’s Degrees in Social Work and was one of the first generation of social workers who were trained professionally in Vietnam. Trang joined Hagar Vietnam in 2009 as the first Vietnamese staff member and helped set up the foundation for the organisation. During her first five years working with Hagar Vietnam, Trang was the main social worker and personal development facilitator who worked directly with Hagar Vietnam clients. In 2013 she was promoted to a management position. In 2012, Trang was chosen to be one of the three representatives from Vietnam to participate in the Global Women in Management workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia.