Steps Along the Way
Hong had become somewhat of a celebrity and when she returned back to Vietnam the media and universities were all over her to “make public speaking appearances and share the story with them.” However, after a few months of non-stop interviews and talks, she was drained and felt at a loss of where to go next. All she knew is that she wanted to join a non-profit – it was the best way to work directly and influence behavioural change.
Hong quit her marketing job but failed to find a role she was passionate about. “Back then Vietnam was home to very few NGOs let alone environmental ones,” Hong remembers. Never one to sit back and wait for an opportunity, Hong spent her post-Antarctica years raising funds and awareness for several youth-led environmental awareness campaigns and clean-up events but the money and momentum eventually ran out.
After re-joining the workforce Hong could hardly believe her eyes when she saw WWF scouting for a Hanoi-based regional marketing and communications manager. Her time at WWF was when she “really learned about environmental issues and how to be a serious conservationist” and where her attention would also shift towards wildlife and biodiversity.
Nguyen Dao Ngoc Van, a project manager and policy advisor at WWF Vietnam, worked with Hong on a campaign during this period which aimed to raise awareness on and to reduce illegal wildlife consumption. Over the program’s four years they developed a variety of creative events and material to support the campaign – from campaign ads, to a trans-Vietnam run and even a masquerade ball. Van remembers how “Hong always approached challenges with a passion like few others and it always inspired the team to come together in times of doubt.”
They both shared an important lesson of censorship and approval during their time at WWF. Van remembers: “We made a big mistake in assuming our artwork would be suitable and lost a lot of time and money.” After designing and producing all the promotional material for a particular campaign their use of flames in the logo was denied by the Vietnamese authorities. Precious time and money had been wasted yet an important lesson learned – the “need to get prior approval to almost everything we did.”
After several enriching years at WWF, Hong moved with her husband and young son to Vietnam’s southern megalopolis, Ho Chi Minh City, for a new challenge. Similarly, to years before in Hanoi, there were few NGOs, let alone environmentally-focused ones, yet Hong saw this an opportunity to test herself again while continuing to spread the awareness of environmental issues.
Hong contacted 350.org with a proposal. “I simply got in touch with them and explained my experience and desire to support their message and enhance their presence here. After some discussions, I was given a coordination role in Vietnam, and later on, the region.” She smiled proudly. The youth-led grassroots movement got plenty of traction in only a few short years and it allowed Hong to hone her skills at doing what she loves – conducting creative campaigns for youth engagement in environmental protection.
The legal status of 350.org in Vietnam would soon slow things down. “Being a global movement and not an organization as such, it was impossible to get local registration,” and without acquiring legal status it was difficult to raise funds and sustain the program. This spurred the development of CHANGE whom till this day still has a close and cooperative relationship with 350.org.
