Vietnamese NGO Anh Chi Em Lets Bricks Speak Louder Than Words

Can a brick say more than an ad? Anh Chi Em (ACE), a social enterprise in Vietnam, thinks so. For ACE, a brick is more than just a piece of clay and mortar: it’s the start of a hopeful journey. Carried, displayed, and passed along, these bricks are rallying support to build the first 21 homes for families in need in Quang Ngai - a small but symbolic beginning toward their larger mission of 1,555 houses. Without loud declarations or flashy campaigns, ACE lets the bricks speak for themselves.

This brick doesn’t advertise. It asks for a home.

As community-driven initiatives become increasingly media-savvy powered by viral videos, glossy content, and influencer rollouts, ACE has chosen a different path. For over a decade, the NGO has quietly supported rural communities in Vietnam with clean water, disaster relief, and school tuition. Without fanfare. Without a comms team.

But this year, ACE launched its most ambitious mission yet: raising funds to build the first 21 permanent homes in 2026 - the starting point of a much larger goal to construct 1,555 houses for families in need, all while staying true to its hands-on, low-profile identity.

No headlines, no spotlight for ACE - just years of quiet action helping mountain communities stand on firmer ground.

ACE's funding project, called 'The Brick of Will', begins with a simple yet powerful question: What can a single brick do? To ACE, the answer is profound. A brick symbolises belief that small, deliberate actions, when multiplied, can lay the foundation for real change.

An ‘Action Brick’ passed from hand to hand - a simple object carrying the will to build something bigger

And so, the bricks hit the streets. Team members jog with ‘Action Bricks’ in hand, sparking curiosity from passersby. At construction sites, school gates, and neighbourhood corners, ‘Hope Bricks' appear, urging people to help raise the first 21 homes. In restaurants, gyms, and schools - everyday spaces where socially minded people gather - ‘Amplifier Bricks’ quietly carry the message further. Each brick leads back to a dedicated microsite, where donations are tracked and progress is updated in real time.

At an international school, an ‘Amplifier Brick’ sparks young minds to turn curiosity into community action.

“We believe that instead of talking about kindness, we should practice it and let that speak louder than any campaign,” said Colin Dixon, founder of ACE. “A brick is nothing on its own. But once you act with it, people notice and ask questions. And that’s when the story begins to spread.”

The campaign has captured attention not through staged drama but through sincerity. Within just one week, donations rose by 126%, and major brands such as Audi Vietnam joined the effort by placing the brick at its flagship showroom.

“We’re not trying to manufacture emotion,” added Alan Cerutti, CEO of creative partner Happiness Saigon. “We’re simply creating space for a genuine story to be seen and felt.” 

At its core, each ACE’s brick is not just about building houses. It’s a mindset: action over rhetoric, persistence over polish. For ACE, change starts when someone rolls up their sleeves and does the work.

If you believe small acts can build big change, start here with one brick: https://bricks.anhchiemvn.org/en​