Photo journal: A New Life in Hanoi

Nguyen Thi Thu, 20, works as a waitress at the Hilton Hanoi Opera hotel in Vietnam's capital.

In Vietnam, jobs in the top hotels and restaurants are highly sought after. By Vietnamese standards they pay quite well. Most are taken by university graduates. Thu is lucky to be here. If not for the work of a remarkable charity she could easily still be working on the streets of Hanoi as she was two years ago.

Words by Jonathan Kent. Photos by Jonathan Kent and Steve Jackson.