Dao Hong Ngoc is a Girls Act Vietnam leader. Her story is next in our “I Am AHF” series featuring remarkable staff, clients, and partners who are doing what’s right to save lives everyday.
My name is Dao Hong Ngoc, and I come from Phu Tho — a mountainous province in the north of Vietnam. Today, I am a university student, a peer educator, and a young girl who has chosen hope over fear. But my story began with pain and confusion.
When I was small, I was often sick, but my parents told me it was because I ate too little. I never understood why other parents didn’t want their children to play with me. I only learned the truth in middle school, when classmates teased me about having HIV. My parents finally explained that I was born with HIV. The news broke me. I felt ashamed, isolated, and even thought of leaving school, afraid of being judged. Though my parents encouraged me, fear had already taken hold of my heart.
Everything changed in 2020 when the health staff at the ART clinic where I received my medicine introduced me to the Girls Act program, an initiative by AHF Vietnam that empowers young girls through education, confidence, and knowledge. This was the first time I entered a safe space where girls like me could gather, share, and learn without judgment. The Girls Act program supported me with school supplies, transportation to school and the clinic, and—most importantly—understanding. I began to see myself not as a victim, but as a girl with dreams worth fighting for.
Through the Girls Act program, I also received training in Comprehensive Sexuality Education. I learned about sexual and reproductive health, HIV prevention, treatment adherence, and life skills such as communication and teamwork. Surrounded by new friends and mentors, I felt loved and accepted again. That love gave me strength.
With renewed confidence, I returned to school and began to excel in my studies. My grades improved, and my classmates even elected me as a peer educator. I began sharing what I had learned from the Girls Act program—teaching other girls how to protect their health, prevent HIV, and make informed choices. In 2023, I passed the school entrance exam to the Vietnam Women’s Academy as a freshman in Multimedia. Besides my studies, I work part-time as a video editor, but my heart remains dedicated to helping others.
Today, I am proud to say that I am not only living with HIV—I am living with noble purpose. As a peer educator, I carry forward the lessons I received, determined to ensure that other young girls and women don’t have to go through the same fear and isolation I once felt.
“Everything is a matter of choice,” I often remind myself. And I have chosen to embrace life, pursue my dreams, and share knowledge so that other girls can protect their sexual and reproductive health. Participating in the Asia Girls Act Training in Bali in early August 2025, alongside other girls from across Asia, gave me a new vision and renewed hope for my future. Girls Act gave me the courage to believe that my dream can become reality—and now, it is my turn to give back.
