It’s not enough that Gioi Tran designs clean and modern interiors for homes across this nation and around the world.

No, he had to find a cause as well.

Perhaps it was his childhood history, rooted in Saigon during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Or the expectation that the oldest child in a family there would take care of his younger siblings.

Or maybe it’s just that, after emigrating here at war’s end, he’s carved out a highly successful career designing homes, objects and furniture with his partner, Vernon Applegate

Whatever the reason, Tran’s now intensely engaged in fundraising for a non-profit group called Pacific Links Foundation, or PALS.

“They shelter and educate young girls being trafficked in the north of Vietnam near China, and in the south near Cambodia,” he says. “So the girls, when they escape, have a place to go to and be rehabilitated.”

Gioi’s international design experience and contacts are helpful. He’s encouraging local builders to donate their services, and he’s designing furniture for the shelters too. That’s something Applegate Tran has experience with, since its furnitrue line is manufactured there, and among the international projects they’re currently working on is a bar in Saigon with a Parisian theme.

The PALS fundraising is for scholarships as well as shelter.  “Education is an issue, so the organization provides $200 scholarships for 300 girls in certain regions,” based on academics,” he says. “Some of them are in school already, but don’t have the opportunity to advance.”

So no, it’s not enough to design minimalist lofts for clients in New York, or 16,000 square foot homes in Panama. No, this American designer, one who says he’s torn between two cultures, is determined to make a difference in both.

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