Thu Tran Hoang was Essence of health’s assistant for 5 years in Vietnam, and then for 3 years in Cambodia.

Thu was born in Hoi An, central Vietnam. Her family had to face many painful experiences related to the war: exile, dispossession of their property. These events will leave deep traces in her family and will have repercussions on the psyche of the young child who is born just after the war.

Before she was 3 years old, Thu’s family moved to the south of Saigon where she would spend her entire childhood in the countryside, in a very simple life where rice was grown, and where one shared with one’s neighbors what there was to eat. For there was no money then.

When we meet her, she is working in a French resort in Hoi An, the Victoria, where she has managed to reach a position of chef de partie, in the kitchen. A cheerful and dynamic young woman, she has acquired good cooking skills. She has learned Western cuisine from her successive Chefs. And unlike many colleagues, who don’t even want to taste what they are cooking, Thu’s curious nature leads her to taste and enjoy the cuisine.

Along with her profession, she has also worked hard to study English.

And it is as a translator that we meet her, because her husband’s grandfather is a traditional healer. At nearly 80 years old, he harvests his own plants and grinds them every day in a huge mortar with an energy that many would envy him. Dominique having recourse to his care, and the old man not speaking English, he summons his granddaughter to be able to communicate with us.

The current passes, Thu invites us to share a lunch with her family on the occasion of Têt festivities. We will then lose sight of her for a while. And when we find her again, we offer her to assist us with our installation in Hoi An, as it is very difficult to get by without speaking Vietnamese. This was the beginning of a friendship and an eight-year collaboration.

Because of her family background, and the simple life she leads, Thu has always been interested in natural medicine and the healing power of plants. In addition, she has an innate ability for spiritual activities such as meditation, yoga, etc. In this framework, she receives instruction in hatha yoga, meditation, taiji chuan, qi gong, reiki. She becomes a Reiki master.

In Phnom Penh, she rediscovers a hobby she practiced as a child, making paper flowers. She is gifted with her hands and we encourage her to develop this talent. She perfects and develops her flowers, using other materials like fabric. She created her own creative activity: “Eternal flowers”, in Phnom Penh.

Thu Tran Hoang will return to live in Vietnam permanently in 2017.