Vietnamese conservationist and author Trang Nguyễn is under the influence of nature’s magnetism

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Vietnamese conservationist and author Trang Nguyễn is under the influence of nature’s magnetism

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Since 2021, celebrated Vietnamese wildlife conservationist Trang Nguyễn has been publishing children’s books presenting readers with a vision of companionship and supportiveness, where nature and mankind work together towards mutually beneficial ends.

In this interview, she speaks to Quyen Nguyen, chief editor of Vietnamese literary magazine Zzz Review, about her first encounter with an animal in captivity, the importance of teaching younger generations about the environment, and why she hopes that, one day, conservation will become redundant.

In a famous essay entitled “Walking”, the prominent American naturalist and philosopher Henry David Thoreau expressed the wish “to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature”. He believed that “there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.” Nature’s magnetism can simply seduce us and make us lose ourselves in a countryside walk, or powerfully push us to protect Mother Earth to the best of our abilities. Conservationists, such as Trang Nguyễn, are all undoubtedly under its influence.

Born in 1990, Nguyễn is a Vietnamese conservationist who was included on the BBC’s 100 Women list in 2019, as well as the 2020 edition of Forbes’ 30 Under 30. Holding a PhD in Biodiversity Management, she is the founder of WildAct, a non-profit organization helping authorities to monitor Vietnam’s illegal wildlife trade markets. On their website, they claim that the industry has escalated in recent years as a result of the country’s growing urban prosperity and increased access to the global marketplace, as well as its biodiversity, culture, and location. In 2018, WildAct launched Vietnam’s first ever master’s course in Combating Illegal Wildlife Trade. Alongside all of this important work, Nguyễn is also, perhaps surprisingly, the author of several children’s books.

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“If you don’t understand something, you wouldn’t be able to love it. Without love, there is no protection.”

The call of the wild first came to Nguyễn when she was eight-years-old: on her way back from school, she witnessed a bear being held captive in a neighbor’s house and tortured for its bile, a powerful and expensive health tonic according to Vietnamese folklore. Upon seeing the bear tied up and covered in skin-deep needles, Trang promised herself and the bear not to let any other wildlife animals to be tortured like that ever again. This incident cemented her decision to become a wildlife conservationist, a grand ambition which she achieved slowly but surely, initially studying English in order to access a wider selection of relevant books and information. Aged 16, she tirelessly applied for volunteer positions with international agencies and joined wildlife missions.

Nguyễn started writing because she wanted to share her experiences in conservation with others, first putting pen to paper during a research trip to Madagascar in 2012 to study lemurs. In the absence of trusted friends, she confided in her diary about the ups and downs of her day-to-day job. Her journal entries were later compiled into a collection of notes titled ‘Back to the Wild’, published by Nhã Nam Publishing House in 2018. The book is a treasure trove of information, and details everything from Nguyễn’s journey deep into the Sainte Luce Reserve to the raw emotions she felt while facing a range of adversities, including battling with cancer.

Nguyễn on a night survey in Madagascar
Nguyễn on a night survey in Madagascar
Illustrations from Nguyễn's graphic novels

Two years later, in collaboration with her friend, the artist Jeet Zdung, Nguyễn decided to write and produce a series of graphic novels aimed at teenagers and young adults. Following the adventures of Chang, a budding wildlife conservationist, the first volume, ‘Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear’, was released in 2021. It was directly inspired by the captive bear she met as a child. One year later, Nguyễn released the second installment of the series: ‘Saving H’non: Chang and the Elephant’, which sees Chang help an elderly female elephant escape from a lifetime of captivity so that she can live wild and free as nature intended. By telling fictionalized stories of species being returned to their natural habitats with the help of human friends, the books seek to subvert the long-running trope of humankind forcefully dominating over nature. In the process, Nguyễn presents readers with an alternative vision of companionship and supportiveness, where nature and mankind work together towards mutually beneficial ends.

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“Despite a lot of talks, activities, and campaigns, some people just think caring and talking about environmental issues is enough.”

Nguyễn chose children as her target audience as she believes it’s easier to inspire positive change in those who have not yet formed opinions on how society should operate. “Children are like sheets of white paper: whatever we draw onto them will stay,” she says. “The colors may fade over time, but they will never disappear.” Settling on the genre of graphic novels in particular was inspired by the first book she ever read: a story from the popular manga series ‘Doraemon’ by Japanese writing duo Fujiko Fujio. In the book, Doraemon, a time traveling robotic cat, shines a torch on objects to reveal their natural origins, educating his friend Nobita Nobi about where man made products come from in the process. For example, when Doraemon shines the torch on a piece of paper, a verdant tree appears. “If we can touch-base with children at a young age, we will be able to help them understand and come to love nature,” says Nguyễn. “If you don’t understand something, you wouldn’t be able to love it. Without love, there is no protection.”

Nguyễn working in Cambodia
Nguyễn working in Cambodia

Nguyễn hopes that the important messages about wildlife conservation in her books will also reach older readers, such as parents who purchase them for their children. However, awareness isn’t enough: when asked what she thinks is the biggest challenge facing wildlife in Vietnam today, Nguyễn says that one of the hardest tasks for conservationists is to shorten the distance between discussion and concrete actions. “Despite a lot of talks, activities, and campaigns, some people just think caring and talking about environmental issues is sufficient,” she says. “Even in the conservation industry, I still see people using single-use plastics at seminars.” While individual actions can inspire other people to follow suit, Nguyễn’s also firm on the fact that they should be supported by government policy.

"After the rains..."
"After the rains..."

The magnetism that first attracted Nguyễn to nature in her childhood has grown stronger through years of training and maturation. It endlessly inspires her and nurtures her ambitions for the future, which range from establishing anti-harassment training in the conservation sector to being an undercover agent inside a wildlife smuggling operation. Nguyễn’s biggest ambition, however, is that conservationists like her will someday become redundant. Then, “nature and wild animals will all be free and safe,” just like the characters in her books.

Trang Nguyen is a wildlife conservationist and author from Vietnam. You can find out more about her work on her Instagram, or on Wild Act’s website.

This interview was published as part of COLORS’ editorial coverage running alongside shows produced in HCMC, Vietnam in partnership with the Goethe Institut. Discover some of the Southeast Asian artists we’ve produced shows with here, or read more articles on our editorial platform.

Text: Quyen Nguyen
Photography: All images supplied by Trang Nguyễn

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