4- You realised at a young age that your dreams would take you away from this life. What was this life you dreamed of?
I wanted to become a traditional Vietnamese theatre performer. I watched shows on television, remembering the lines and songs of every character. I dreamed of one day dressing up and playing the part of a prince or princess. I wanted to fly in a plane and marry a foreigner. I thought of nothing else and I began to plan a way of leaving the farm to pursue my dreams. One evening, I secretly left my home and walked all night to my cousin’s village hoping to connect with the theatre company that was performing there. To my dismay, the troupe had left before I arrived. I returned home to face the hostility of my mother. I was harshly punished for leaving the house without permission.
3-Were you expected to help your family in day-to-day village life?
At a young age, my siblings and I were expected to do our share of physical work on the farm. I looked after the water buffalo, fed the animals and cooked for the family. At the age of six I was standing on chairs and stirring big pots of boiling rice over the wood fire. I worked long days but it made me strong and helped me to connect with nature.
6- How did you discover you had a talent for singing?
All my family loved singing but I was the one that was passionate about it. The whole time that I worked in the fields or in the house I would sing. The villagers walking past loved to listen and soon people came to my house requesting I sing for them. This gave me confidence and inspired my belief that I was talented with a special voice that I might one day use to entertain others. It felt natural to sing for strangers although I rarely sang for my family.
1- What influence did your parents have on your life?
I am the youngest child in my family and was born unexpectedly as my parents were in their 40s, and had decided not to have any more children. To my siblings and I, our parents are our great idols. They were romantic lovers, and both were strong independent people. They joined the Vietnamese army when they were teenagers and fought the war with the French and later the Americans. My mother was a spy and my father an engineer and air force commander. Their beautiful love story began during the war, a love so tight and strong that nothing could stop them. My father’s family disagreed with his choice of partner and he was denied ever seeing them again. He was very sad, but still kept moving forward with the decision that he had made.
Not long after they married, my father had to return to the war front and my mother stayed in the village to volunteer food and supplies for the soldiers. This kept them apart for a long time. My mother told us that she couldn’t bear to be away from her love, so every few months she would walk for many days to his army base. My father did the same to see her . . . and the result of all this visiting was the birth of their first child, a son.
17- What inspires you to keep doing this work?
The universe has provided me with spiritual guidance at every crossroad. Just when I thought life was desperate, the answers were given to me. There are no short cuts … the way is hard and long. But I have always trusted my heart and followed my healing power to make my dreams a reality. Every new day brings me the chance to meet beautiful people that I can love and care for with an open heart.
8- What was life like at your new school?
It wasn’t easy at the school. I got picked on because my diction was wrong and my clothes were unfashionable. I did, however have one friend who protected and stood by me. Soon I left my aunt’s house and moved into student housing. This enabled me to start making more friends. But I was very poor and received only a little bit of money from my family. I lived on noodles and cabbage.
14- What led you to Buddhism?
In 2006, my mother passed away. I was extremely sad and carried a deep pain because as a mum myself, I was beginning to understand and appreciate just how difficult the role of being a mother was. I had told myself that I would try to love my mum more and support her as much as I could. But life’s journey creates many unexpected turns and one never really knows what will happen next. I started asking myself many questions, but nowhere could I find the answers. Then I started researching Buddhism online and from that moment on, I discovered the answers to many of my questions. I found Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings along with other Buddhist Masters. My life’s path had once again changed directions. I flew to Saigon to meet my master Thich Nhat Tu who was in Vietnam, giving me the opportunity to reach out for help. He accepted me as one of his students and gave me a ceremony of taking refuge in Buddha. I was given a Dharma name, so from that moment became a Buddhist. Through the teachings of the Buddha, I began a path of awakening, learning how to be a better person and how to find happiness within.
After my second child was born, I suffered from many aches and pains. I did some research and found a studio nearby that offered Yoga classes. From the very first lesson, I felt that I had finally come home to my body. It was a powerful experience. I began to study yoga, Pilates and meditation at the Zenith studio. I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to Yoga. I studied for more than two years and then had the opportunity to travel to Koh Samui in Thailand and complete a Yoga teacher-training course with Paul Dallaghan at Samahita Retreat. I returned to Hanoi and began teaching at the studio where I had first begun as a student.
… And I truly believe that love is everything. It’s the magic that helps us to achieve our dreams, to transform our suffering and rebuild our new relationships.
15- Soon you left Vietnam. Why did you move to Perth?
My husband was from Perth and we had made a trip here to visit his family. I decided Perth was a place that would provide my children with opportunities and a better life. The beautiful community of Fremantle was the place where I found my peace. I focused on raising my two young boys while working part time. I began to teach yoga one-on-one and to small groups.
Gam's Story
11- Why did you become so disillusioned with life in the theatre?
Life in the theatre was very restrictive. Eventually, I was asked to sing pop songs and ballads and perform modern dance routines for very poor pay. This was not what I had been trained to do. I did not want to toe the line and I began to question if this really was the life I wanted. But things were about to change once again and another door opened for me.
EaSola, name of a French director who arrived at our theatre with plans to create a performance group that would travel through Europe and show the world traditional Vietnamese dance and music. She combined traditional theatre with contemporary dance. We trained for three months and then toured Europe performing in the best theatres in Paris, Amsterdam, Sweden and Belgium. My experience in Europe was very different to that at home. In Vietnam, acting was not a respected profession and yet in Europe we were treated like royalty. Audiences appreciated us and showered us with gifts, champagne and flowers. We received standing ovations and party invitations everywhere we went.
7- You decided to audition for a Vietnamese Theatre Company in Hanoi. How did you make that possible?
I heard about a performance school in Hanoi. I hatched a plan and told my mum that I wanted to go and live with my aunt in Hanoi so that I could work for her. The truth was that I was desperate to audition for a place to study at this school. When I arrived at the school, I was told I was too late to register for an audition. I pleaded and cried because I had come such a long way. The woman in charge took pity on me and said she would break the rules just for me. I was told I would not be successful as I had no experience and no training and my diction was not refined. The others had been training for months - some had been studying music and dance for many years. I watched every audition carefully and quickly learned what was expected of me. I was given scenarios to act out. They liked my intelligent interpretations and they loved my voice. After three rounds and more than two weeks of auditions I was told I was in the top ten out of more than 1000 people. I was accepted into the course and began three and a half years of study.
12- How did you become interested in learning English?
I felt that being fluent in English would open doors for me overseas so when I returned to Vietnam I started studying. On long bus trips, I would read my books and listen to English tapes. Everyone thought I was crazy because I chose not to sit around wasting my time getting involved in gossip. Every time I saw a foreigner I stopped them and asked if I could practice my English. I drew pictures and used my dictionary to make myself understood. I started listening to music from other countries.
An interview with Gam
By Linda McGovern
Awakening Vitality
10- Soon you were performing to audiences outside of Hanoi. Where did you travel?
I was very excited to be performing throughout Vietnam. As we were a government-funded theatre, we served the military and many minority groups. Our task was to educate the people in traditional Vietnamese music and dance. But we realised that this type of dance was not popular any more. Our job was to carry on the knowledge and traditional culture of Vietnam but times were changing and young people wanted to listen to new music.
16- How did you become interested in Qigong?
After two years of living in Australia I met Master Alex Lim. We connected and I began to study Qigong in his class, furthermore receiving one-on-one training from him. He became my mentor and my Sifu, my father-teacher. He advised me in many things including optimum health, healthy living and movement. He trained me to become a teacher of Qigong. Now I have my own studio where I share my knowledge of Yoga, Qigong, Meditation and Energy Sound Healing teaching students how to live their best life.
You are a Spiritual Healer living in Fremantle and teaching Qigong, Yoga and Energy Sound Healing from your own home studio – a business you founded in December 2015. It’s a long way from your life in Vietnam. What was it like growing up in your village near Hanoi?
I was born in a small village and my theatrical career began when I took my first breath. My mother recalled that I laughed before I cried and the mid-wife announced that I was destined to grow up as someone very special. I was lucky to be born into a happy family, based on love, support and care.