Phan Dinh Long Nhat, CEO of Global Technology Company (Photo provided by the interviewee)

In March 2024, Phan Dinh Long Nhat, director of tech company Biarri Networks together with Truong Cong Thanh of FPT Software and Roy Albert Dadivas of People Tech Revolution company came up with the idea to design a translation app for the hearing impaired.

Long Nhat said, "The idea for this app was inspired by my cousin, who is hearing-impaired but has a strong desire to integrate into society and communicate with others. As an engineer, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a talented team of engineers from many countries. We share a common goal: to turn my cousin’s dream into reality. That’s the reason we created Flora. Our company’s slogan is“Turning every dream into reality through AI and VR.”

Technology involves computer code and numbers, but Nhat doesn’t want a digital society to mean indifference. He thinks technology should connect people. To achieve that, Long Nhat and his team spent hundreds of hours studying sign-language and working with people with hearing impairments to understand their needs. 

"When you open the app, you’re greeted by a 3D character. Simply speak into the app, and your words are instantly translated into sign language. For example, when you say “Hello” the sign for “Hello” appears, allowing a hearing-impaired person to understand what you said in real time. With this app, you don’t need to know sign language to communicate with the hearing-impaired. When you speak longer sentences, the entire message is translated seamlessly into sign language. In the other direction, when a hearing-impaired user uses sign language, the AI character recognizes those signs and converts them into spoken or written language," according to Long Nhat.

By bridging spoken language and sign language in real time, the app creates natural, two-way communication that removes the language barrier between people. Nhat has always wanted to use his abilities to do something for the vulnerable and less fortunate. Flora is free and accessible to everyone.

"Our team works every day to support our users and continuously improve the app. We’re committed to making the experience better. To our knowledge, there is currently no other AI application in the world that can fully recognize and interpret sign language in real time. As a team made up of dedicated engineers, we are doing our very best every day to turn this vision into reality and to make communication without barriers possible for everyone," he said. 

Sung Thi So provides legal advice and support to ethnic minority communities. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

Another young person who’s providing legal advice and support to ethnic minority communities is Sung Thi So, a Hmong woman. Sơ earned a bachelor’s degree at Hanoi Law University. Through Facebook and TikTok, she has been porting her knowledge of the law to people in the mountains where she grew up.

So told us, "I created this platform for my own people, and my greatest motivation came from my personal experience. I witnessed many women being abused or mistreated, but at the time—even while I was studying law—I didn’t fully realize that these acts were wrong or that we had the right to take action to protect ourselves. I also didn’t know that ethnic minority communities could receive legal support and protection. That’s why I chose to study law. I want to do something meaningful for my Hmong people and for other minority communities, to help them understand their rights and give them the knowledge to stand up for themselves."

When So was 13 years old, in the springtime with the sound of the Hmong Khen echoing through the mountains calling young men and women to dance, she was forced to become a wife. Overwhelmed with despair, Sơ thought of throwing herself into a deep ravine near her village, ending her life like a fallen leaf returning to the mountains. After being kidnapped three times to get married to a local man, So was rescued, escaping a future of misfortune that she had foreseen.

She thought of her younger sister and many other Hmong girls who are forced into motherhood when they are barely out of childhood themselves. And so, So decided to study law. In March 2024, she launched the project “So Sow Law – Carrying the Law Back to the Mountains”.

"We provide free legal consultation to people through social media. This year I’ll also organize programs to visit villages and offer legal guidance in person. As a minority person myself, I can more easily approach, communicate with, and understand the people in my hometown. This allows me to understand their needs and concerns, and to use my legal knowledge to explain the law and give them the confidence to protect their rights," So said. 

Sung Thi So says she will continue to work and study hard to contribute to the nation’s progress (Photo provided by the interviewee)

Sung Thi So wants to break the fate imposed on herself and on those who lack access to legal knowledge. Meanwhile, Long Nhat, a technology engineer with strong economic resources, has used his own abilities to make  life of people with hearing impairments easier. They meet at a shared belief: faith in the power of knowledge. 

"Flora is driven by a desire that, as a sunflower constantly turns toward the sun, constantly turns toward a better, brighter future. The app helps people with hearing impairments communicate easily and naturally with others. Flora can accompany them everywhere they go, allowing them to express themselves without having to wait for someone else to translate on their behalf. We hope that more AI engineers and researchers will join hands with us to continue improving Flora, so that it can grow stronger, reach farther, and support even more people around the world."

"I strongly believe in the Party’s policies and in the country’s rapid development as it integrates into the global community. I hope that young people from ethnic minority groups will have more opportunities to connect, learn, and integrate with other Vietnamese. We’ll continue to work and study hard in order to contribute to the nation’s progress."