Hai: The boy who never gave up his dream of becoming a good man
20 years ago when one of Hai’s friends invited him to play football with a fledgling organisation called Blue Dragon, he had no idea just how life-changing that kickabout would be.
Pure survival
“I have a lot of very vivid memories from my early childhood,” shares Hai. “None of them are positive.”
Hai’s parents relied on odd cleaning jobs to get by. By the time he turned 13, they could no longer afford to keep him in school. With no money and no education to help him change his life, Hai had to use all his wits, grit and strength to stay alive.
“It was pure survival. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Hai lived his childhood under a dark cloud.
Every last scrap
Hai’s family lived in a slum area of Hanoi. Trapped by poverty, many people there became involved in criminal gangs who controlled a nearby market. It was among the stalls of that market where Hai fought to survive.
Hai worked the market from 9pm until after sunrise. Hiding in the shadows, he would wait for scraps of food to fall from nearby stalls, then rush to claim them, fighting off other children who were equally desperate.
It was brutally competitive. Losing concentration for a second, or being slightly out-muscled by another boy, meant going home bruised, exhausted and even hungrier than when he started.
Faced with such hardship, many children from Hai’s neighbourhood grew up to join the local gangs, ending up in prison or worse. But Hai always wanted to do better. He dreamed of growing into a good man with a steady job – he just didn’t know how.
Hai grew up in one of the poorest areas of Hanoi.
He hid between the stalls to wait for dropped food.
The rise of a global community
At the same time that Hai dropped out of school, something was happening across the city that would change his life forever.
In 2002, Australian teacher Michael Brosowski moved to Vietnam where he worked at Hanoi’s National Economics University. Within months, he and several of his students were teaching English and life skills to the city’s shoeshine boys who were trying to earn money just to survive.
Soon the idea for an open football team arose, giving street kids an opportunity to play, meet together and seek help – exactly the kind of platform that Hai longed for.
Michael, back left, with the first Blue Dragon football team.
The best memory
When Hai was 14 years old, his friend invited him to a Blue Dragon football session. He’d always wanted to play football, but never had enough money to rent a pitch or buy a ball – or even enough friends to form a team.
Hai couldn’t believe his eyes when he turned up. There were so many other children there, all from similar backgrounds and all there for the same reason: to have fun being kids.
“That was a big turning point in my life. And the best memory of my whole childhood.”
For the first time in his life, Hai had a place where he could forget about the struggle to survive – to fight constantly for the next scrap of food – and just have fun.
Hai’s coach says he was “passionate and full of energy.”
Hai, at the back, joined Blue Dragon football whenever he could.
Blown away
Although Hai found joy and freedom at Blue Dragon football sessions, it would take much more comprehensive support to help turn his life around.
“Gangs of other kids would come to attack me and my friends. I knew I had to stay strong and keep a clear mind. There were bad life paths all around me, and I had to resist them.”
Blue Dragon kept growing as an organisation alongside Hai, and became an officially registered charity in 2004. As the Blue Dragon community grew, so too did the opportunities we were able to offer to children like Hai.
Fortunately, Hai had just as much passion for turning his life around as he did for scoring goals.
“At first, I thought Blue Dragon just ran football sessions. Then, when I realised how extensive their support was, I was completely blown away. I didn’t have an education or any qualifications, but I had plenty of dedication and willingness to learn. I spoke to Michael and told him that whatever I can do to make my life better, I will do.”
As well as football, Hai loved Skye’s drumming sessions.
Skye was a volunteer at the time. Now she’s a co-CEO.
Higher and higher
When Blue Dragon supported Hai to get a job in a small Italian restaurant called The Vine, he stayed true to his word, doing everything in his power to break free from the trappings of his upbringing and turn his life around.
Hai worked at The Vine with other Blue Dragon kids that he’d met playing football, including Nam, who now owns a restaurant in Hanoi, and Vi, who turned his life around and became a Blue Dragon co-CEO in 2022.
As the three of them grew and learned together, Hai began to think more about more about his future.
“That was when I decided that I wanted to become a chef. It was something that didn’t necessarily need a full education or lots of qualifications, but practical skills and the determination to work hard.”
Hai gradually worked his way up from washing dishes to assistant chef. The shifts were long and the work was hard, but he knew he was rising higher out of poverty with every ounce of effort he gave.
The Vine, which recently closed down, was located on a popular street in central Hanoi.
Still a fighter
After two years at The Vine, Hai spent several years working as a head chef in different restaurants. He got married, started a family and finally opened his own restaurant in 2017.
Business was good, but when COVID-19 hit in 2020, Hai had to use all his wits – and all the fighting spirit ingrained in him from his years at the market – to keep his family afloat.
With their income gone along with their customers, Hai and his wife hit upon the idea to transfer their business online. Sticking with the same menu, they delivered meals to people’s homes for them to cook themselves.
It was a huge success. Instead of letting the lockdowns drag them under, they thrived so much that they were able to open a new pizza restaurant called Pizza Meo.
Hai with his staff at Pizza Meo.
All Hai’s food is cooked fresh.
Hai got his passion for Italian food at Vin restaurant.
Full-circle
“Once upon a time, I was just a skinny, wild, dark-haired boy. Now, thanks to Blue Dragon, today I’m a pizza chef – an honest person with a family and a good job.”
This spring, Hai returned to Blue Dragon to join a Sunday football tournament with old friends like Nam; people who have turned their lives around with Blue Dragon’s support; and teens facing the same hardships that he fought through all those years ago.
Before the games began, Hai gave an emotional speech about what it takes for a disadvantaged child to turn their life around – and just how rewarding it is when you reach the bright future from your dreams.
“Not every kid has the same journey, or the same life or character. Many give up and go back to bad ways of life. You just have to keep trying hard to become a good person and to help others when they grow up. Set yourself goals. When they grow up, the dedication and love for everything you do is the most important thing. Don’t give up. When you give up a little bit, it can snowball. But if you keep going, it will all be worth it in the end.”
After the speech, Hai took to the pitch and kicked every ball with the same passion and energy as he did on that first Sunday morning football session more than 20 years ago.
Hai could so easily have taken a different life path. But he made difficult choices, worked hard and never gave up on his dreams. And in Blue Dragon, he found a global community of people who never gave up on him.
As Hai lifted the trophy at the end of the football tournament, all the children watching could see him for what he is: a good man.
Hai celebrating with old friends and new at Blue Dragon, including Nam (in red).
