Listening to people's stories

As long as there's someone to listen...

At the end of a workday, instead of resting, Nguyen Hai A. (25 years old, import-export sales employee, residing in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) chose to have an online phone call with a stranger, hoping to relieve some of her pent-up emotions. Hai A. chose a one-hour chat service package for 300,000 VND, connecting online and without seeing each other's faces.

The conversation between two strangers is devoid of questions, advice, or judgment… The person on the other end simply listens, communicating at a moderate level, enough for the person wanting to confide to know they are talking to a specific individual and not an automated program or AI application.

Concluding the service and giving the experience a 5-star rating (the highest level of satisfaction), Hai A. said: “My work has been quite stressful lately, with many contracts falling through at the last minute, so I wanted to talk to someone to relieve the stress. I don't need advice because I can only solve my own problems. I have friends and family, but I can't share with them because they probably wouldn't understand and would only become more worried. I don't want to be a burden to anyone.”

Hai A. also added that she often doesn't remember exactly what she said after speaking, and the listener probably didn't understand anything either, but that's even better; the important thing is to vent her feelings, and that's all that matters in a mental health care service.

Phan Thi Minh H. (29 years old, an accountant residing in Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City) turned to a listening service because she didn't have close friends to confide in about her love life. “I didn't want my parents to worry, so when I called home, I only told them happy things. I also didn't have close friends I could share my personal feelings with. Furthermore, I felt I was too self-conscious to the point of obsession, afraid that if I talked about my sadness in love, my friends and acquaintances would judge me. So I chose this service; the listener doesn't know who I am, and I can share whatever I want.”

A safe space to be yourself.

At a time when he felt lonely, stuck, and didn't know who to share his feelings with, Vu Duc Anh (born in 1997, currently living and working in Hanoi ) realized that he wasn't alone; many people out there were feeling the same way: they had something they wanted to say but didn't know who to talk to, or even if they did say it, no one would truly listen or understand.

Based on that experience, Vu Duc Anh started building Need A Friend Co., Ltd. in March 2025, providing listening services so that customers can freely express their thoughts and feelings, both happy and sad.

Young man Vu Duc Anh began his work as a listener by establishing Need A Friend Co., Ltd.

Need A Friend is registered under industry code 9329 - Other recreational activities not elsewhere classified (according to Appendix II of Decision 27/2018/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister issued in 2018 on the Vietnamese economic sector classification system), meaning: Services not in the fields of medicine, psychology, psychotherapy or professional mental health counseling.

Duc Anh shared: “Registering under industry code 9329 ensures: There are no misunderstandings regarding the therapeutic or healing functions; no violations of professional practice regulations in the medical or psychological fields; and protection for both clients and the company against unnecessary legal risks. This is a very new field in Vietnam; not only is there a lack of legal framework, but even when I went to register the company, I had to work very hard explaining to the relevant parties, most of whom didn't understand what kind of service this was.”

Before beginning to listen to clients, Need A Friend members undergo professional training, such as how to distinguish clients who only need emotional entertainment and a chance to relieve psychological pressure, rather than those who require a more advanced solution like a doctor or psychologist. The presence of Need A Friend and related services for mental health care and "healing" has become a necessary and real trend for many people today, especially young people, who are often considered to have a significant gap in connection, empathy, and safety in communication.

“Young people today have many channels to express themselves, but they lack people who truly listen without judgment. And because they have to hide their emotions for so long, many young people burst into tears from the very first minutes of Need A Friend. I think the worrying thing isn't that young people have problems, but that they don't have a safe space to be themselves,” Duc Anh expressed.

OCEAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dich-vu-lang-nghe-tam-su-post800880.html