Tan Hoang Dinh, widely referred to as Brandon, is a 22-year-old Vietnamese youth advocate, a student of Development Economics, and the founder of Thalavina Project. He believes that a young person’s voice does not have to be loud in order to be heard. Sometimes, it only has to keep rolling, like a small wave.
His advocacy journey started during the COVID epidemic when he did not stop being involved in youth forums, volunteering and community activities in Vietnam. As time went by, he started being interested in an issue he believed was usually neglected: SDG 14, Life Below Water. To Brandon, the ocean is not merely a remote Disneyland. It is a vibrant life system linked with climate issues, biodiversity, means of existence, catastrophes, cultures, and coastal communities future.
This belief became personal after twelve nights that he spent at Hon Bay Canh, Con Dao National Park, Vietnam, where he got practical experience in sea turtles conservation together with the IUCN and the Con Dao National Park team. Observing the conservation process right on the beach changed Brandon’s attitude to advocacy. The ocean turned from something that he admired into something that he needed to care for.
Thalavina Project was established on June 19, 2026, and is a project involving youth from Vietnam and Indonesia aimed at achieving ocean climate protection, developing a sustainable blue economy, conserving sea turtles, raising awareness of ocean, and building coastal resilience. With podcasts, movies, stories, posts for advocacy, and the creation of guides, Thalavina Project transforms complicated marine topics into a format readily comprehensible and usable by the youth. The vision of the project is now directed not only to the youth in Vietnam and Indonesia but also to the larger community of youth in ASEAN and Asia-Pacific with a particular focus on the ones living on coasts.
Brandon brings the social and economic perspective to the subject of ocean protection. As an economics major he wishes to find out how development can proceed with regard to environmental safeguarding. Moreover, he conducts research on the aspects of just transition, coastal livelihood, and climate change action. Besides, he has taken part in youth international forums, including ASEAN symposium, where he has advocated the idea of development and environmental protection.
As a member of the World Ocean Day Youth Advisory Council in the future, Brandon intends to make his voice heard in order to connect informed people with action, and developers with young people, coastal population with the broader community of people interested in ocean protection. He hopes to organize numerous workshops and raise awareness among coastal youth on their role in protecting the ocean.
He does not see himself as the biggest voice in the ocean. He sees himself as a small wave: persistent, human, and always returning to shore with a message worth carrying.