“I’m not shy when I da

Yen is often shy, but when she’s dancing or practising karate she feels self-confident and strong. Her grandma brought Yen to Minh Tú when her dad left the family and her mum was too ill and poor to look after her.

It takes ages to choose the music. Yen argues with her friends Nga and Phouc about which South Korean pop star is best. In the end they agree on more traditional Vietnamese music and start dancing the ‘hat dance’ to the rhythm of the music, while making special movements with their hats.

YEN, 15

WANTS TO BE: Choreographer

LIKES: Dancing

DOESN’T LIKE: Cleaning and washing up

FAVOURITE SCHOOL

SUBJECT: Music

IDOLS: South Korean pop stars

There are posters of South Korean pop artists above Yen and her friends’ beds. And there are some famous artists on the inside of Yen’s cupboard too.

This is where Yen retreats to – the world of music and dance – when she wants to get away from it all. She’s been living at the children’s home at Duc Son pagoda since the age of seven. She loves the nuns and her friends, but she often dreams of a life somewhere else.

It was a sad day when Yen first arrived at the pagoda. Her dad had disappeared, and her mum Vinh was suffering from a serious mental illness. That’s why Yen’s grandma had been looking after her. The family was poor, and it was hard for grandma to care for both her daughter and granddaughter. She took Yen by the hand and went to Duc Son pagoda. There she asked Minh Tú to take care of Yen.

Yen and her friends together with Minh Tú and the other nuns, who helped them prepare themselves before performing for the other children.