About Me
Hi there!
Growing up with the hustle and bustle of local marketplaces, food has long been my medium for learning about my own culture and inherited identity. Food and cooking were never just a love language; they have inspired me to seek deeper meanings from the dishes I consume daily, leading me to Anthropology and ways to spread the warmth I grew up with to my community. Through food-centered clubs, cultural research, and community-oriented projects, I have learned to see differences as opportunities to connect rather than a source of division. Wherever I go next, I hope to carry that warmth forward and leave behind a small, meaningful "bite of me" in every community I encounter.
ANTHROPOLOGY
Anthoropoly
I work with ambitious, women-owned businesses on their branding, websites and marketing materials. But what makes the HG designs unique? That would be my strong visual aesthetic that I always lean in to, and my knack of perfectly blending commerciality, playfulness & style to create designs that sell, and always resonate with your dream audience. Take a glimpse at some of my creations below or view the full portfolio.
Author, Gắp một miếng - The Taste of VietNam
The illustrated culinary book preserving Vietnamese regional cuisine
"Gap Mot Mieng Viet" or "The Taste of Viet Nam" is a published book that centers on Vietnamese cuisine, with whimsical illustrations to further highlight the beauty and diversity of culinary traditions here. What started as a faraway fantasy has led me to many opportunities and experiences that I'm grateful for every day. I still remember having my laptop open 24/7 during any breaks from school, browsing numerous articles, research, and books to complete the content for "The Taste of Viet Nam". Through this book, I got to work with my partner - Lam, one of the most talented and empathetic people I've ever met - who helped me with the illustration of this book and taught me about digital art. Thanks to her, my workload was significantly reduced, and I also had the chance to improve my professional art skills.
"Gap Mot Mieng Viet" is really the child of my soul. This year, I am thrilled to share that I have sold 500+ copies on e-commerce platforms. Having more copies sold and donated, I hope this child of mine could be loved and cherished by more and more people.
Chuyện gia tiên - Our ancestors' stories
The project preserving Vietnamese ancestor worship for future generations
On the first day of every lunar month, my grandmother taught me how to boil a chicken until its skin gleamed gold, just right for the platter that would rest on our family's ancestral altar. What once felt like routine slowly became a question: why do so many Vietnamese households know these rituals by heart without ever naming them? In this project, I documented the quiet choreography of ancestor worship, gestures I had practiced long before I understood them. Researching these traditions shifted my view from habit to meaning, revealing how food becomes a shared language between the living and the dead, between the past and the present!
Anthropology certification
International Association of Professions Career College
They say, "Summer is for falling in love." To me, summer was when my love for Anthropology deepened.
Though I had been engaged in various activities to further my study of this field, I realized I lacked foundational academic knowledge. So when I stumbled into the "Anthropology Program" by the International Association of Professions Career College, I knew right away it was time for me to take my Anthropology-holic enthusiasm to another level.
In this course, I got to deepen my understanding of visual Anthropology, ethnographic methods, and field storytelling through a combination of readings and slides.
Research: Vietnamese Cuisine and Cultural Identity
Research
Research: "Vietnamese Cuisine and Cultural Identity in the Era of Globalization" provides me with a new perspective on the opportunities and challenges of Vietnamese food in the ever-changing world.
In this research, I worked closely with Mrs. Trang, my mentor and a strong supporter. Under her mentorship, I learned to conduct qualitative research by critically engaging with food-related sources, from media narratives and blogs to government policies. Tracing how the French baguette evolved into Banh Mi, I noticed that people often categorize Western food as "fine dining" while viewing Asian cuisine as "cheap" street food due to colonial legacies and unequal cultural representation in global media. This realization crystallized my core reason for pursuing Anthropology further in the future: promoting the culinary traditions of underrepresented Southeast Asians as both cultural art and living heritage rather than marginal footnotes in global food discourse.
Research: Woman's Role in Food Culture and Traditions in VietNam
Research
In my research on "Women's Role in Food Culture and Traditions in VietNam", I applied the skills I learned from my previous study to demonstrate how women actively maintain and reshape VietNam's culinary traditions. Here. Mrs. Trang continued to be my mentor and instructed me on how to collect data as part of data & narrative analysis. What I find most interesting about my research is that it shows the transition in women's roles from the past to the present. While women previously remained in the food culture through family meals and tradition, they have now entered the food industry. Despite challenges such as the pay gap and societal expectations, I admire their constant efforts to overcome those barriers, preserve their traditions, and assert their values to the community.
Freelance writer, Ngay Nay (UNESCO Partner)
Freelance Writing
As a freelance writer for Ngay Nay Magazine, I learned to write with the discipline and precision of journalistic language. Researching my own cultural heritage took me beyond my desk and into workshops, villages, and interview rooms. While covering a traditional silk-weaving craft in the outskirts of Hội An, I had the chance to speak with an artisan who continued working alone after most of her peers had left for factory jobs. From her story, I realized heritage was no longer a static concept to preserve, but an intermingled relationship between tradition and adaptation. Through fieldwork and interviews, this experience has sharpened my writing while teaching me to treat storytelling as a responsibility toward voices on the edge of fading.
Documentation Assistant, Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum
Museum Documentation
As a Documentation Assistant at the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, I helped document over 100 Vietnamese artworks and had the opportunity to work with the museum's curators. During my internship, the quiet authority of the curators guiding the process was what I admired the most. From watching them trace historical layers through each brushstroke to carefully observing the surroundings to find the best way to fully capture the beauty of each artwork, they taught me to appreciate curatorial work as an act of interpretation and care, one that turns artifacts into accessible narratives while preserving historical and aesthetic integrity.
Internship at Ngày Nay
UNESCO Partner
My summer internship at Ngày Nay Magazine was an unforgettable part of my last summer. Here, I was given the chance to co-wrote and wrote over 20 publications about food heritage and collective memories. I was also fortunate to participate in the Heritage Conference 2024 in Ha Long where I conducted interviews with traditional artisans, gaining a deep insight into their worklife and how their passions are directly maintaining Vietnamese unique culture.
My Tiktok Channel
My Food Diary
My friends had always joked about how I should convert my overflowing energy and talkative self into some form of entertainment, and I did. At first, I simply thought my Tiktok page was a fun recreational activity to spend my free time: hangout with friends, enjoy street food delights together,... But the satisfaction I got the moment I finished editing my first video, I immediately fell in love with being a content creator. After that, I was determined to explore my Hanoian identity more, inviting friends to help me film while treating them with amazing meals in return. In the future, I hope I could further development this little hobby into a profession!
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES
Leadership
I work with ambitious, women-owned businesses on their branding, websites and marketing materials. But what makes the HG designs unique? That would be my strong visual aesthetic that I always lean in to, and my knack of perfectly blending commerciality, playfulness & style to create designs that sell, and always resonate with your dream audience. Take a glimpse at some of my creations below or view the full portfolio.
Com nong - Warm Meals
The project improving the quality of meals for children in mountainous areas
"Because a warm meal can warm a childhood", a quote motivated us to found an organization and, later, chose the name "Com Nong" or "Warm Meal Initiative".
For a lot of us, food has been abundant and sometimes we are even sick of it. But it was the opposite for children living in mountainous areas in VietNam. During one trip to a mountainous village in Tuyen Quang city, I watched local children get excited at the meal we prepared, but they were hesitant to finish the dish, some saving half their meal to bring home instead of finishing it. That moment reshaped my understanding of abundance. Our project was established to not only serve food, we also served hope, hygiene, and happiness through each meal we provided.
The Match
A tutoring project fostering mutual learning among students through high school entrance exam mentorship
"Because a warm meal can warm a childhood": a quote that motivated us to found an organization and, later, to choose the name "Com Nong" or "Warm Meals".
For a lot of us, food has been abundant, and sometimes we are even sick of it. But it was the opposite for children living in mountainous areas in VietNam. During one trip to a mountainous village in Tuyen Quang city, I watched local children get excited about the meal we prepared, but they were hesitant to finish it, some saving half to bring home. That moment reshaped my understanding of abundance. Our project was established to serve not only food, but also hope, hygiene, and happiness through each meal we provided.
The Incredibles Project
The project equipping Vietnamese underprivileged children with English skills for broader educational opportunities
I first learned about the Public Relations department through "The Incredible Project", an English-teaching program for underprivileged children in Vietnam. As a member of season 4's PR department, I learned to write engaging posts, manage the timeline, and take photographs.
When I became Head of Communication for Season 5, the role demanded more than execution. Working closely with my partner, I learned how to coordinate a team with varying levels of experience, manage a tight PR timeline with precision, and create bonding activities for our full-of-introverts team to encourage their creativity and self-expression.
The project was always full of laughs with members comfortably joking around with each other, and I seek the same comfort in every community I am in!
CNH Baking Bliss
A school-based club fostering school spirit and creativity through baking and cakes sales
This club marked the start of high school – a new chapter in my life. What started as a safe place for all the sweet tooths to gather became a family bond that transcends the kitchen.
At first, everyone had a different vision for how the club should run: Some wanted precision. perfect recipes, and tidy deadlines, others thought the opposite, to make room for flexibility and creativity. Fortunately, as if all the failed recipes we experimented with together were some kind of glue, they taught us to listen before insisting and to disagree without dismissing, making our time at the club even more memorable. Though it definitely wasn't an easy journey, we successfully navigated our differences and, together, curated multiple baking sales and workshops, turning individual opinions into shared enthusiasm that reached beyond our club and into the local community.
What a sweet journey after all.
Awards
For me, participating in competitions not only helps me gain achievement, but it's also a meaningful way to create impact in the community. During high school, I participated in various competitions, from writing, reading, science innovation, and culture. Those competitions helped me have a diverse perspective on the world's current issues, taught me to think deeply about complex issues, and also taught me how to collaborate as a group in solving real world problems.
The Intellectuals' Challenge - Owlypia (category: social sciences)
international
Visit WebsiteInternational Invention and Innovation Show (INTARG 2025)
international
Visit WebsiteImmerse Education Essay Competition (Category: Psychology)
international
Visit WebsiteSearch for International Vietnamese Cultural Ambassadors Competition, Television Channel of the Voice of Vietnam
Reading Culture Ambassador Contest, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST)
Visit WebsiteAnthropology Program by the seal of the International Association of Professions Career College
View CertificateArt
Digital Art
Traditional Sketch