Danh is one of Hanoi’s coolest skaters and runs her own skate shop with her girlfriend.

For this episode, we talked to her about starting a relationship online, learning from her parents' street-side business successes and jail time failures, and how skating taught her the meaning of life.

Also featuring her girlfriend Feng Wang (Xuân Phương).

Danh là một trong những tay trượt ván cừ nhất Hà Nội, đồng thời quản lý cửa hàng ván trượt của mình cùng bạn gái.

Trong tập này, chúng tôi nói chuyện với cô về việc bắt đầu một mối quan hệ trên mạng, những bài học thành công từ công việc kinh doanh trên phố và những thất bại trong cảnh tù tội của bố mẹ, và việc trượt ván đã dạy cô ý nghĩa cuộc sống như thế nào.

Ngoài ra chúng tôi cũng nói chuyện cùng bạn gái của cô, Feng Wang (Xuân Phương).

 

Links

9813oard Shop

Transcript

For full transcript, click "Next"

[FULL TRANSCRIPT]

This is Vietnam’s Renovation Generation. Sonic Portraits of Young Minds Reshaping the Country’s Future. In episode 8 we speak to Giang Trương.

But like everyone call me Danh.

And her girlfriend Xuân Phương.

 I am from China. 18 years old and opened a skate shop with my girlfriend Danh.

Danh was born in 1989. She’s one of Hanoi’s coolest skater girls, and owns her own skate shop right in the Old Quarter. We met her there to talk about starting a relationship online and learning from her parents who successfully ran their own business but also experienced huge failures, including jail time.

But first, Danh’s favourite topic: skating.

I skate for like... almost ten years. My classmate they love phone, they love boyfriend, they love girly stuff, I just want to do different things from them and my friend asked me to go to skate so I try. In the Tet holiday I had lucky money I try to buy a skateboard for the first time. Before skateboarding every weekend iIstay at home doing nothing. After skateboard I am just waiting for the weekend and feel alive.

Being a skater is not all fun and games though.. You probably should think about how much you love your teeth …

I broke my teeth, you see one, two, three. I didn’t cry or anything. I do a kick flip and step on the tail and the skateboard come up like this and my teeth came out.

And it gets worse.. .A couple of years ago she injured her back, which then affected her whole career..

My career about skateboarding was just about to get bigger because I got sponsor from China.

Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she used the opportunity to further a skating community in Vietnam…

I opened a skate shop with my girlfriend.

Owning a shop in the Old Quarter is around 18 million/month, which is roughly 900 USD. Her Mum also owns her own business, selling popular dishes on the sidewalk.

Did her parents support her and help her start the skate shop business?

My mum just gave me a little money. First my parents were like 'no don’t open'. Just find a job like working for the government. Every month have easy money and stuff. No I don’t want. I easy to get angry. So if I work in the government for sure they will fire me.

Does she get angry when she's in a relationship?

Sometimes. Because she is younger than me a lot.

Younger by 7 years... 

I love her and I feel like if you love someone it doesn’t matter.

Through having a shop, one of her aims is to encourage more women into skating…

Skateboarding is not only for the boys I want it for everyone. That’s why I am proud to be a skategirl.

What about her girlfriend, is she into skating too? 

She doesn’t want, she gets scared. 

Danh and Phương are absolutely inseparable. They ride the city on one motorbike, run the shop together, live together... But how did they begin their inter-cultural romance?

First I just saw her photo.]

That’s Phương.

I never had feeling with a girl, like had this feeling and just feel special.