Tong Thi Bich Ngoc was born in a small village in Lai Chau, in Northwest Vietnam. She comes from the Giáy minority, one of the most ancient ethnic groups in Vietnam. Ngoc’s father passed away when she was in 7th grade, leaving all the burden of supporting a family on Ngoc’s mother. Following cultural tradition, Ngoc would have gotten married and worked on a farm by the age of 20 as there were no avenues for vocational training or work. That was until she found out about KOTO.
Ngoc’s life changed when she came to KOTO in May 2019 to be one of the first woman ethnic trainees of “Her Turn”. She joined the programme and chose to study Front of House Hospitality.
Since day one of the training, Ngoc always tried her best even when things were difficult. Coming from a rural village to the big city and enrolling into such a rigorous vocational programme was challenging for her. However, she not only adapted quickly but also persevered through tremendous stress and uncertainties during COVID-19.
She worked hard to learn English and practiced speaking the language every day. She showed significant progress and became one of the best students at KOTO. Ngoc was awarded “Student of the Year” at KOTO and was shortlisted for the International Student of the Year by the Box Hill Institute. She successfully graduated from the programme in May 2021, and she is now working at 7 Bridges Brewing Company, an award-winning craft beer distillery in Hanoi.