Scouting starts at age seven with Sói Con and Chim Non. At eleven, scouts move up to Lê Lợi or Nhị Trưng. At fifteen, they reach Lê Lai. Forty years of program — one path through.
Seven to eleven years old. The first year a child is called a Sói Con (Wolf Cub) or Chim Non (Bird).
Sói Con and Chim Non are the first door. Scouts learn knot-tying, safe campfires, sing scouting songs in Vietnamese, and begin to understand the Scout Promise: "the Wolf Cub listens to the Old Wolf; the Wolf Cub does not listen to themselves."
Every Sunday, 9 AM to noon at Tony Lam Park.
Seven to eleven years old. Scouting designed for young girls.
Chim Non — "Young Bird" — is the girls' Cub unit of the Liên Đoàn. The girls follow the same program as Sói Con: knot-tying, scout songs, outdoor survival skills — but guided by the women leaders.
Founded in 2018 after years of parent requests — because the girls deserve their own space to learn these things.
Eleven to fifteen years old. Seven years of core training.
Named after the king who founded the Later Lê dynasty — Lê Lợi, who drove the Ming army out of Vietnam in the 15th century — Thiếu Đoàn Lê Lợi is the troop's main boys' unit. This is where scouts learn the advanced skills: compass navigation, first aid, camp building, leading a patrol.
The troop camps three to five times a year.
Eleven to fifteen years old. Girl Scouts — same program, same expectations.
Named after one of the Trưng Sisters — the first female generals in Vietnamese history, who rose against the Eastern Han army — Thiếu Đoàn Nhị Trưng is the troop's main girls' unit (Girl Scout Troop 3997 in the American system).
The girls follow the same advancement program as Lê Lợi, while also working through Girl Scouts USA — from Hạng Tân Sinh, through Silver Award, to Gold Award.
Fifteen to twenty-one years old. Co-ed — brothers and sisters learning and traveling together.
Named after the general Lê Lai — who impersonated Lê Lợi and gave his life to save his king — Thanh Đoàn Lê Lai is the co-ed Venturer crew of the Liên Đoàn (Venturing Crew 299).
This is the highest level of scouting in the troop. The crew runs multi-day camping trips, expeditions, mentors younger scouts, and prepares for independent life. The program includes the Scouting America Venturing Oath, the Outdoor Code, and the Code of the Venturer.
Eighteen and up. Leaders who walked the Hướng Đạo path themselves and came back to guide the next ones.
Tráng Đoàn is the highest tier in the Vietnamese Scouting program. These Trưởng have completed Ấu Đoàn, Thiếu Đoàn, and Thanh Đoàn — and returned to carry forty years of tradition forward to the next generation.
Tráng Sinh camp together, train the assistant leaders, and are the backbone of the Liên Đoàn.
9 AM to noon. Bring water. Bring the kids. Bring a parent if helpful. First visit doesn't need pre-registration — just show up.
