Vietnam’s ‘rent-a-listener’ service offers strangers a shoulder to lean on — for a fee

She isn’t on a business call.

The 29-year-old logistics worker has booked a session with someone she has never met — a stranger paid not to talk, but simply to listen.

The service, dubbed ‘Rent an Ear’ by Vietnamese users, has been quietly gaining ground in busy cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Often operating under names like The Listener or Need a Friend, these platforms connect users with ‘listeners’ who, for a fee, offer a nonjudgmental space — in person or online — for people to vent their emotional burdens.

Uyen, who has used the service four times this month alone, says she turns to these sessions when it feels too heavy to talk to anyone else.

“I’ve tried opening up to friends before, and they’d just go tell someone else,” she said, her brow furrowed.

“I can’t bring it up with my husband either — he’s already stressed. So, I came here.”

This time, she chooses a listener named Nhat.

Within minutes of booking online, she receives a Google Meet link.

On the other end of the video call, Nhat gently reassures her: no recording, no judgment, and no prying into personal details.

They agree to call each other ‘ban’ — a neutral ‘you’ in Vietnamese — and keep the conversation anonymous.

“I’ve been drinking all week. Alone. With friends, even. But I still feel like I have nowhere safe to talk,” she began, her voice trembling.

She speaks for nearly two hours about pressures at work, financial worries, and the toll it’s taken on her mental health and family life.

At one point, she breaks into tears.

Nhat lowers his eyes respectfully, allowing her space to cry without feeling exposed.

By the end of the session, Uyen feels relieved.

The session cost her VND400,000 (US$15), not including drinks.

“I spent everything I earned today on this,” she joked softly.

“But it was worth it. I feel like I can breathe again.”

Listening for a living

Behind the virtual curtain of these anonymous interactions are people like Vu Duc Anh, a 28-year-old in Hanoi who left his corporate job to pursue full-time ‘listening’ business.

From a small room in his apartment, Duc Anh runs Need a Friend, a start-up he launched four months ago.

His setup is simple: a webcam, a computer, and a good microphone. But what matters most, he says, is presence.

“Listening sounds easy,” he explained, “but real listening — without interrupting, judging, or trying to fix things — is much harder than people think. Especially with Vietnamese clients, who are still unfamiliar with this kind of emotional service.”

Many of his clients are young and struggling with issues ranging from heartbreak to family pressure to symptoms of depression.

Some sessions are light; others are emotionally intense.

“I’ve had people on the edge of a breakdown,” he said.

“You have to be a calm, open presence — let them unload without adding your own emotions.”

But he admits it’s not always easy.

“Some days, I hear five or six sad stories in a row. I feel them, even if they’re not mine.”

To cope, he takes breaks, meditates, or goes for walks to reset.

A safe space to be heard

Most services charge between VND300,000 and VND500,000 ($12–19) per session, depending on duration and format.

Listeners may meet clients in cafés or talk virtually via video call.

Sessions are often confidential, and most clients choose to remain anonymous.

“We start by asking them to share what’s on their mind. Then we just... listen,” Duc Anh said.

“We ask open-ended questions.

“We don’t offer advice unless asked.

“The goal is for them to feel truly heard — and safe.

“Sometimes, just hearing someone say, ‘Thanks for listening,’ makes it all worth it.

“That, to me, is the heart of this work.”

Uyen agrees. Though she knows her work issues remain unresolved, she leaves the café that evening with a noticeably brighter face than when she entered.

“Talking helps. Tomorrow might be hard again, but at least for tonight, I feel OK,” she said.

“And maybe, I’ll find the strength to talk to my husband soon.”