In the summer of 2017, our founder, Ha Tran, traveled to Vietnam with her family to show her two sons, Nike and Dunkan, the town where her father grew up—Hue. While in Hue, Ha connected with Nguyen Pham, a player for the VBA (Vietnamese Basketball Association) Danang Dragons, who invited her family to visit his court. There, Ha met a group of passionate young athletes who had recently started playing basketball and were eager to learn more about the sport.

As the former Camp Director for the Seattle Sonics/Storm, Ha saw an opportunity to give back. Inspired by how much basketball has impacted her life in a positive way and the kids’ enthusiasm, she decided to organize a basketball camp to help them develop their skills and experience the game in a new way. A week later, Ha returned to Hue with her family to host a free camp, complete with t-shirts, shoes, jerseys, Saigon Heat merchandise, and lunch for all the participants. The kids were overjoyed and incredibly grateful for the opportunity, which motivated Ha to continue bringing basketball and joy to communities in Vietnam.

That experience ignited Ha’s dream of spreading the love of basketball throughout Vietnam and making a lasting impact on the next generation. It all began with a simple act of giving back, and today it lives on through our motto: "I Help, U Help, We ALL Help!"