We all carry moments that shift our world, sparked by a person or a simple sentence. For me, that moment arrived at 18, fresh out of high school, sitting in an English Level 7 class at RMIT. Like many of us who grew up in Vietnam's education system for more than 12 years, sharing an opinion meant raising a hand, waiting to be called on, standing up, and then finally speaking. So, I did just that, a habit ingrained over 12 years.
Our teacher, Sean, noticed. He asked me to stay after class. My heart pounded with the familiar fear of having said something wrong. But what Sean said next, I will never, ever forget:
You don't need to raise your hand to speak out. You do not need to stand up to speak either. Your life is yours. Your opinion is yours. And the right to speak out is yours. If you want to say something, you just need to say it; others have the responsibility to listen to you.
That was it. That was the very first time someone had ever told me I had the right to speak. In that instant, a profound realisation bloomed: if I wanted something for myself, I didn't need anyone's permission. That sentence ignited the first spark of change in my life – the courage to protect my own opinions, to not just follow the crowd.
Since that day, I chose Logistics and Supply Chain Management, even when whispers said it wasn't a field for girls. Since that day, I knew I could pivot from marine shipping to the dynamic game industry, simply because it was what I loved, defying those who praised the prestige and stability of my management trainee role. Since that day, I applied for the RMIT MBA program, earning the highest scholarship, even as others suggested higher education wasn't for women. And since that day, I've proudly worked as a female game producer, pushing back against the narrative that this industry is male-dominated and that women like me wouldn't achieve results.
Hao in her Graduation ceremony at RMIT Vietnam.
And you know what? I did join several AAA games. I saw my name listed as a producer for Microsoft Flight Simulator. With my incredible team, we won YSEALI Game Changers and made history as the first and only Vietnamese team at Level Up KL 2023, where we spoke about our social mobile game. I even became an ambassador for Women in Games, raising my voice to show that women can thrive in this space.
All these moments, big and small, are my own quiet testament – proving to myself, and perhaps to you all, that I can speak out without waiting for permission. I can shape my life without waiting for my turn to be approved. And I am here, now, to pass on Sean's unforgettable message: "You can raise your voice whenever you want. You do not need to raise your hand and wait for any approval to speak out."
Has anyone ever told you that you can speak without raising your hand, like Sean?
