Warm Vietnamese arms
Early on a weekend morning in Binh Dong ward (HCMC), the small house of Ms. Le Thi Tuyet is filled with laughter.
On the dining table, Lao and Vietnamese dishes were placed side by side: sticky rice, grilled chicken, sour soup, some spring rolls that the “Vietnamese mother” had personally wrapped, mixed with dishes that the “Lao children” were used to cooking to treat their adoptive parents. Mrs. Tuyet smiled gently: “A meal with the children, naturally feels warmer.”
Four years ago, when the program “Vietnamese families with Lao and Cambodian students” was launched, Ms. Tuyet and her husband, Mr. Hoang Van Nhuong, registered to adopt a student. Unexpectedly, she ended up having four Lao children studying medicine. At first, they were shy and could not speak Vietnamese fluently. But after only a few months, all the distance gradually disappeared.
Meals together, conversations about school, family visits to Doan Van Bo market or walks along Binh Dong embankment make everyone's feelings closer. On holidays or Lao New Year, the whole family gathers to tie a string around their wrists according to Lao customs.
During the Vietnamese New Year, the “Lao children” showed off their skills in making grilled chicken and taught Mr. Nhuong and Mrs. Tuyet a few Laotian phrases to wish each other peace. Once, Mr. Nhuong looked at the dinner tray and said jokingly: “Our house is now like a small embassy.”
Not only participating in daily activities, Mrs. Tuyet also took Lao students to visit the monument and memorial house of heroic martyr Vo Thi Sau, then to the martyrs' temple of Minh Dam base. Children from Laos also followed their mother Tuyet to visit the pagoda, to hear about the culture of the South, and about the typical dishes of the city.
The times he helped his mother with activities in the neighborhood, during the National Unity Day, the student from Laos integrated into the Vietnamese community as if he had lived here for a long time. “In Vietnam, I have another family,” said Saynalivong Hadfixai, a student at Nguyen Tat Thanh University (Mrs. Tuyet’s adopted son).
Another story in Phu Tho Hoa ward once again proves that friendship is multiplied by very simple, everyday things. That is the feeling that Laotian Suliyavongsak Ketsana, a 6th year student at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, recounted when living with his adoptive mother, Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Yen.
When he first came to Vietnam, Ketsana was worried: Vietnamese was difficult to understand, the pace of life in the city was too fast, studying medicine required a lot of concentration. Then, a kind Vietnamese woman took him home after meeting him through the program.
Mrs. Yen simply said: “Just consider this your home.” From then on, eating, sleeping, health, even studying and practicing… were all taken care of by Mrs. Yen. In each video call between the two Vietnamese and Lao families, Ketsana became the “bridge”, translating each story, helping the two sides understand each other better.
The power of people's diplomacy
Behind those warm and meaningful stories are the great efforts of many generations of officials of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City in charge of people's diplomacy.
In the 2021-2025 period alone, 196 Vietnamese families have sponsored 312 Lao and Cambodian students. Activities do not stop at home-cooked meals, but also extend to trips to the homeland, cultural exchanges, art performances, discussions, picnics, and sports.
Each trip is filled with happy memories, memories and faith. Lao students are moved when burning incense at an anti-American relic; Cambodian students try their Vietnamese mother’s home-cooked meal for the first time; hugs and tears are shed when saying goodbye after vacations.
Not only is it an emotional bridge, the program also helps young people understand more about the country they are studying, from history, culture, language to the behavior of Vietnamese people in urban life. These are “soft lessons”, but the value is much deeper than many theoretical lectures.
Many Vietnamese families shared: “Adopting children is not to help, but to love, to spread the humanity and hospitality of this city.” That is what makes no Lao or Cambodian student feel like a guest.
From those warm meals, connections have spread back. Many students have become “bridges” to help Vietnamese families better understand Lao and Cambodian customs.
That spirit also spread to volunteer activities. During the recent storms and floods, more than 120 Lao and Cambodian students worked with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to sort relief goods overnight. Young hands stacked each box of noodles, tied each bag of rice, and counted each package of medicine with the heart that the city had given them.
Not only stopping at each family, the people's foreign affairs activities of Ho Chi Minh City have also expanded to many organizations. The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has also coordinated with the provinces of Laos and Cambodia to organize many exchanges, support the construction of schools, friendship houses, provide scholarships, office equipment, support people of Vietnamese origin in Cambodia to maintain learning Vietnamese...
These activities have actively contributed to spreading people-to-people diplomacy among the three countries.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/mat-tran-to-quoc-trong-long-dan-bai-3-tinh-huu-nghi-bat-dau-tu-bua-com-nha-post826064.html
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