From orphan to Dubai restaurant director: How Vu Hai Duc forged his own future

He was born in 1992 in Nho Quan District, Ninh Binh Province, in northern Vietnam. He never knew his father. His mother, a frail woman who sold hats at a local market, raised him alone.

Every morning, when she left for work, Duc would stay behind, tied to the bed and playing with makeshift toys like tin cans, plastic bags and ropes.

Food was often nothing more than a banana or piece of cake given by neighbors.

As he grew older Duc was no longer confined to the bed but he still spent most of the time alone behind four walls.

When he reached fifth grade his mother fell gravely ill.

While on her deathbed, she entrusted him to his uncle, Nguyen Cong Vung.

"Life has been hard for me because I didn’t get an education," she whispered to her son. "At any cost, you must finish high school."

Her passing shattered Duc’s world. He moved from one relative’s house to the next, carrying only a small bag and an overwhelming sense of not belonging.

"For many nights I only wished to stay in the old house," the 33-year-old recalls. "We might have been poor, but at least I had my mother."

From secondary school onward, Duc supported himself with odd jobs—washing dishes, delivering newspapers and carrying construction formwork.

"Because of my promise to my mother, I had to get a diploma," he says.

In 2010, after completing high school, he left his relatives’ home to work as a welder, construction helper and sewer cleaner.

Often he worked on high-rise construction sites, welding iron doors and corrugated roofs. One hand would grip the welding torch while the other shielded his eyes, but that was little protection.

"There is no pain like welding eye pain," he says. "It feels like thousands of ants biting the eyeballs, and there is nothing you can do to scratch it."

Nearly a year later his uncle Vung found Duc living in a rented room on the city's outskirts.

Seeing the boy's gaunt figure and sunburnt skin, he scolded him for not coming home after graduation and insisted Duc return with him.

That day he took Duc on his rickety old motorbike across Hanoi, from Nhon to Cau Giay.

Soon afterward Duc got work at a café in the city and an opportunity to enroll in KOTO, Vietnam's pioneering social enterprise that offers hospitality training for disadvantaged youth.

Vu Hai Duc, 19, (R) during his time at KOTO in 2011. Photo courtesy of Vu Hai Duc

Surrounded by friends with similar backgrounds, Duc gradually learned to open up. For a boy who had spent two decades in isolation, the chance to attend school, to be respected and to be recognized was nothing short of paradise.

In 2013 he graduated with honors and secured work at five-star hotels in Hanoi.

More than a decade has passed, but Duc still vividly remembers his first paycheck, which left him with millions of dong even after expenses.

"I was extremely happy. It was only at that moment that I believed I could finally pay off my mother's debts."

When she was alive his mother had borrowed heavily for her medical treatment, leaving behind more than VND100 million (US$3,790) in debt.

Determined to repay those debts, Duc worked full shifts at the hotel by day and took on bar and café jobs in the evening.

Within a year he was able to repay all the villagers. Some were surprised, others waved off the payment, but Duc insisted.

He even went to the bank to settle a VND17 million loan in his mother's name, long written off due to her passing.

"I finally got rid of the burden of debt and became a free person," he says.

With his goal fulfilled Duc left his job to travel across Vietnam, working at major hotels along the way. In 2018 he applied for jobs abroad and quickly received offers from Australia, Singapore, Qatar, and the UAE.

He chose Dubai, drawn by the opportunities and a strong KOTO alumni network there.

Vu Hai Duc (R) visits KOTO restaurant in Hanoi during his return home in 2024. Photo courtesy of Vu Hai Duc

Armed with practical training from KOTO and experience working with international colleagues, Duc quickly proved his ability. He started out managing a lobby bar, but within two months was promoted to oversee the pool bar. Soon after he rose again, this time to assistant director, at some of Dubai's most celebrated resorts, including Atlantis The Palm, One&Only The Palm and Anantara The Palm.

Yet life on the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah, no matter how glamorous, felt confining.

In 2023, seeking more independence and comfort, Duc moved into the heart of the city.

Today he serves as director of Royal China, a landmark Chinese restaurant at the Dubai International Financial Center.

His uncle, now 72, takes pride in Duc's achievements.

"KOTO and I only showed him the fishing rod," he says. "The rest was due to his own determination. We are beyond proud."

During a recent trip home, Duc spent more than a month visiting restaurants and hotels in Vietnam. He hopes to one day open a homestay in Ninh Binh.

The alumnus also returned to KOTO to support the next generation of students, honoring the program that changed his life.

After a childhood of hardship, Duc has found stability and purpose. He credits his success to those who guided him along the way, especially KOTO founder Jimmy Pham.

"From being bound to the bedpost by strings to finally touching the open sky, I came to understand that true freedom is not only the power to go far, but also the gift of returning. For that chance, I remain deeply grateful."