Lê Thị Bàn (right) donates her hair at Sora Hair Salon & Spa, one of 28 in the Pink Hair Salon Network to which people can donate hair to make wigs for cancer patients. VNS Photo Việt Dũng

By Việt Dũng

Lê Thị Bàn of HCM City’s Củ Chi District went to Sora Hair Salon & Spa in District 3 not to style her hair but to cut it off and donate to people who need it more than her.

The woman, whose silky black hair fell to her waist, was sat down by an employee and two swift cuts with a razor completed the job.

Bàn’s bundles of hair, and hundreds others donated like them, will be used to make beautiful wigs for their new owners: breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Bàn is one of the donors to the Breast Cancer Network Vietnam (BCNV), a not-for-profit social enterprise that assists people fighting breast cancer with emotional and material support and guidance.

Sora Hair Salon & Spa is part of the BCNV’s 28-strong Pink Hair Salon Network across Việt Nam that act as trusted destinations for people to donate hair.

A wig made from donated hair is a treasured gift for many people fighting cancer and losing theirs because of chemotherapy. Photo courtesy of Children’s Cancer Network

The initiative, established over a year ago, is part of the BCNV’s Wig Library Project, which collects donated hair to make wigs for cancer patients.

While the project itself has been around for 10 years and helped create 3,000 wigs, growing demand saw the salon network being set up to ensure hair quality and transportation with minimal damage.

Bàn, whose hair is now down to her neck, said she had thought of doing this many years ago and took good care of her hair and grew it long.

Sora has been collecting hair to donate to the BCNV since 2022, or even before the Pink Hair Salon Network was created.

Lê Minh Vũ, manager of the salon, told Việt Nam News that, to donate, a person’s hair should be around 25cm long if not chemically treated and 35cm if chemically altered.

Before being cut, the hair should be dry and clean to avoid mold, he said.

“I got to visit hospitals with the BCNV to gift wigs made from hair donated by our customers. I felt really happy and that it is so meaningful. Every wig counts.”

A patient at the Cần Thơ Oncology Hospital receives a wig. Photo courtesy of Breast Cancer Network Việt Nam

​Anyone who wants to donate can look up information on the BCNV’s website to find a salon near them and fix an appointment to get guidance on how to care for their hair.

Trần Thị Hoàng Yến, manager of the Wig Library Project, said hair salons who wish to participate in the network had to be qualified and trusted.

In one year the network received around 21,000 donations of hair across its salons, and made around 700 wigs for patients.

Hair that could not be used to make wigs would be sold to cover expenses.

“The hair salons keep donated hairs and send them to the BCNV at the end of each month. We sort them out by length, quality and colour before sending them to facilities to make wigs for patients," Yến said.

“They are distributed to public hospitals or people can visit our office, where wigs are always available.”

A person can borrow a wig for up to six months and for longer if they register with the BCNV.

Gift for body and mind

At the BCNV office in Phú Nhuận District, many young people eagerly donate their hair.

The staff members there welcome the donors and also help breast cancer patients pick out a wig, including Huỳnh Thị Cẩm Tú, a woman with stage 2B breast cancer.

She was presented with a box containing a wig, combs, a pamphlet on breast cancer, and a letter with kind messages from people who had donated the hair.

“My hair gradually fell off during the treatment, and so I felt lucky that I came across the BCNV's Wig Library Project,” she said while admiring her new appearance.

Receiving a quality wig made from real hair is a big help, as cancer treatment can get expensive.

A Breast Cancer Network Việt Nam gift box containing a wig and upbeat messages for breast cancer patients. VNS Photo Việt Dũng

“Cái răng cái tóc là góc con người” is a Vietnamese saying that could be interpreted as “Teeth and head hair are vital when it comes to appearance.”

So the loss of hair during cancer treatment is a huge problem, especially for women, Tú explained.

“Being able to wear this wig and read the kind letters of encouragement in the gift box … I really cherish this and am thankful to the hair donors", she said.

“I feel more confident in integrating with society, going to work and living my life like normal.”

​Yến said: “When a patient feels happy and is more capable in tackling their treatment, it is not only they who benefit from the gifts, but also people around them such as family members and caregivers.”

'​Bringing smiles to children’s faces'

Adults are not the only ones who get self-conscious about how cancer treatment has affected their appearance. Children of all ages can get cancer, and those at around 10, 15 years may become more reclusive when they lose their hair, affecting their lives even after being discharged from hospital.

This is why the Hà Nội-based Dream Hair Station programme has been such a big help in restoring the confidence of child cancer patients.

People can donate their hair to make wigs for child patients either personally, through mail or at the programme’s annual “Hair Donation Festival” at the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, which has been held for a second year.

A woman and her child donate hair at the “Hair Donation Festival”, an event held annually at the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion in Hà Nội. Photo courtesy of Children’s Cancer Network

The programme was started because many children expressed the hope they could get wigs since they did not feel confident about going outside without hair.

It began at the end of 2022 and has already received more than 10,700 hair donations and gifted 263 high quality wigs to children undergoing chemotherapy at the national institute and the Việt Nam National Children’s Hospital in Hà Nội.

It is run by the city-based non-profit Children’s Cancer Network.

Mai Thị Khánh Huyền, the project co-ordinator, told Việt Nam News that it received hair donations from people around the world, and every week up to 30 people visited its office to donate their hair.

During its hair donation festivals, people also got to meet and talk to child cancer patients, who greatly appreciated the community’s help, she said.

“This activity is really important for child cancer patients. I notice that before receiving wigs, a lot of them tend to be sad and reluctant to talk to other people. Whenever a child gets their wig, I see their face light up with a beaming smile. They also look healthier and more confident.”

In fact, the sight of children gleefully pulling on a new wig is always an emotional, teary experience for doctors, parents and hair donors.

Getting a wig brightens the day of a child fighting cancer. Photo courtesy of Children’s Cancer Network

​This initiative has been receiving plenty of support from everyone involved.

The extent of the response has even surprised Huyền, who recalled that during the first hair donation festival the organisers had been worried that not many people would show up.

They ended up receiving 200 hair donations.

More has been pouring in as more and more people come to know about Dream Hair Station, and around 70 per cent of the donors are young students, Huyền said.

After all, the project was founded to also help connect children with and without cancer.

Việt Nam News got to see a letter written by an eight-year-old child along with her hair donation. It contained an adorable drawing of sunshine and rainbow that perfectly captured her childlike innocence with a short pick-me-up message, each word written in a different colour.

The child may not realise this, but they, and many others like them, have touched the hearts of many child patients and adults, mine included.

A colourful and adorable message left by a child hair donor. Photo courtesy of Children’s Cancer Network

​Việt Nam News also found a written note of encouragement in a box containing wigs at the BCNV office from two young people who had lost their father to cancer.

It hoped that their small gifts would persuade their recipients - “warriors” as they called them - to continue their fight against the disease.

Huyền has the last word: "When you give away your hair, you send cancer patients a message of solidarity." VNS