Thu Tran Hoang was an assistant at Essence of Health for five years in Vietnam, then for three years in Cambodia.

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

Before she was three, Thu’s family moved south of Saigon, where she spent her entire childhood in the countryside, living a very simple life where they grew rice and shared whatever food they had with their neighbors. There was no money at the time.

When we met her, she was working at the Victoria, a French resort in Hoi An, where she had managed to rise to the position of chef de partie in the kitchen. A cheerful and dynamic young woman, she had acquired excellent cooking skills. She learned Western cuisine, among other things, from her successive chefs. And unlike many colleagues, who don’t even want to taste what they cook, Thu’s curious nature leads her to taste and appreciate this cuisine.

Alongside her career, she also worked hard to study English.
And it’s 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. Dominique uses his healing powers, and the old man doesn’t speak English, so he summons his granddaughter so he can communicate with us.

We hit it off, and Thu invites us to share lunch with her family for the Tet festivities. We then lose sight of her for a while. And when we met her again, we offered to help us settle in Hoi An, as it was very difficult to get by without speaking Vietnamese. This would be the beginning of an eight-year friendship and collaboration.

Due to her family environment and the simple life she led, Thu has always been interested in natural medicine and the healing power of plants. Furthermore, she demonstrated an innate ability for spiritual activities such as meditation, yoga, etc. In this context, she received instruction in hatha yoga, meditation, tai chi, qi gong, and reiki. She would become a Reiki master.

In Phnom Penh, she rediscovered a hobby she had enjoyed as a child: making paper flowers. She was gifted with her hands, and we encouraged her to develop this talent. She perfected and developed her flowers, using other materials such as fabric. She then created her own creative business: “Eternal Flowers” in Phnom Penh.

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