Footprints on the white sand

The trip to the Central region, where there is “white sand with forests, cliffs with blue seas next to each other” by the union members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , although not long, was enough to clearly feel their responsibility to the community.

Representatives of the Women's Union of units in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the training conference on trade union work. (Photo: MH)

When I was informed to attend the four-day training trip of the Ministry's Trade Union, I was quite surprised because I was able to attend a large-scale activity, deployed right after the success of the 6th Congress of the Vietnam Civil Servants' Trade Union, term 2023-2028.

The trip was tough, but…

This is not the first time I have joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Trade Union’s business trip. The previous times I went to Tam Dao, Quang Ninh and then another time I went up to Sa Pa or Cao Bang. But this time was different, we started from Hanoi and traveled along the central region to reach the destination of the trip – Ninh Thuan.

At 5:30 a.m., the 45-seat Universe bus started moving, taking our group out of Hanoi.

Looking at the dense schedule of the trip: Hanoi - Ha Tinh - Da Nang - Binh Dinh - Ninh Thuan and then the 1,338km round trip, I told myself: This will be a long trip and certainly contain many interesting things.

Leading the delegation, comrade Do Ngoc Thuy - Member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Civil Servants' Trade Union, Chairman of the Ministry's Trade Union, announced the working trip. With a voice that was both serious and humorous, she emphasized: "The trip is long and the traffic is not always convenient, so we have to eat and sleep quickly, focus on events and activities and definitely not be late. At each of our destinations, the local people have prepared the reception and organized the activities. So we must definitely arrive early and on time, not late...".

Every time, every trip, whether near or far, even though the bus is full of mature and experienced people, the group leader's instructions are never redundant. The brothers and sisters on the bus responded to the group leader's words with a round of applause. Then, the sound of the guitar took everyone back to their youth: "Student life has a guitar/ The guitar plays, we sing together...".

Let's light up the faith

We stopped at Ha Tinh school land to carry out the first activity of the trip, which was to visit and give gifts to Ha Tinh Orphanage.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Son - Director of the Village told us that in more than 30 years of establishment and development, the Village has taken care of more than 600 children in difficult circumstances, orphans, homeless, abandoned newborns, children suffering from the effects of Agent Orange/dioxin, disabled children, cerebral palsy... Many children have grown up, matured and taken on many important responsibilities in society. The Village is currently taking care of and raising 110 children, of which 25 are studying in high schools and 20 are studying at university.

Teacher Tran Thi Thanh Toan shared: “I was an orphan and was adopted by teachers just two years after the village was established. I was cared for, raised, educated by teachers and passed the entrance exam to Vinh University. I chose Social Work with the hope that after graduating, I would return to my extended family to support children in similar circumstances as myself. In 2007, I graduated from University and returned to help them achieve their dreams.”

On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Trade Union, comrade Do Ngoc Thuy presented Ha Tinh Orphanage with a gift of 10 million VND in cash, along with some warm blankets and candies.

Because of limited time, we had to rush on our way after a short overnight stay in Da Nang.

The next destination is Hy Vong Special School (Binh Dinh), which cares for and teaches children with intellectual disabilities, hearing and visual impairments from grades 1 to 5.

Introducing the school, Principal Tran Thi Thuy Nga said: “With the love and encouragement of teachers, disadvantaged students in the school have overcome their inferiority complex, strived to study, work hard and are confident in life. This is considered a second home for both teachers and students.”

After that, we attended a class for deaf children. The children were very happy to see the group come to visit, sharing poems and songs from their sincere hearts with the teachers.

The bell rang, and groups of students, including the deaf, blind, and cerebral palsy, rushed out onto the field to celebrate together. Only by coming here in person can you see that the disabled children's awareness and ability to integrate into the community is also thanks to the great efforts of the teachers and the students themselves.

The delegation visited the classroom for hearing-impaired children at Hy Vong Special School in Binh Dinh. (Photo: MH)

"Review" cultural diplomacy

For diplomatic officers, no matter what position or field they work in, when they go abroad, they all become cultural ambassadors of their country. That is why, throughout our journey, every scenic spot that passed by the car window became a topic for officers from the Department of Foreign Cultural Affairs and UNESCO to update the knowledge of the whole group.

The Nghinh Phong Towers or Ghenh Da Dia, then two Cham tower clusters including Hoa Lai and Po Klong Garai… took us through interesting stories related to heritage conservation and promotion.

Ninh Thuan - the venue for the 2023 Trade Union Training Conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Trade Union - is also a land that preserves many cultural heritage values ​​of ethnic groups. In mid-June, this South Central province held a ceremony to receive the UNESCO Certificate inscribing the art of Cham pottery on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding at 16/4 Square, Phan Rang - Thap Cham City.

Currently, Ninh Thuan is working with ministries and sectors - especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related units to carry out heritage work. The province has sent documents and submissions to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam UNESCO Committee, requesting UNESCO to consider and recognize the Cham tower complex in Ninh Thuan as a World Heritage Site and the Kate festival of the Cham people in Ninh Thuan as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

For us union members, being “bathed” in the skills and methods of union work in this land rich in heritage is an extremely memorable experience. More interestingly, the presentations on the role and position of the Union in the new situation or the knowledge and skills of organizing union activities at the grassroots level, as well as the role of the Union in carrying out the above tasks... were all discussed in detail and enthusiastically by the delegates with practical examples.

With the most important training content completed, there was no reason for the union members not to compete in a dramatic table tennis exchange. The pairs of competitors gave the audience a spectacular performance.

On the return trip, we arrived at the Quang Binh Social Work Center as planned. The Center is currently taking care of more than 80 homeless elderly people and 44 orphans, abandoned children, and people with severe disabilities.

Returning to the capital, in my heart and the hearts of the members participating in this extremely memorable trip, I still hear somewhere the lyrics of the song "Returning to the Central Region" (composer An Thuyen): "The night comes, the moon shines brightly, the face of the moon is like a loving mother...".

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nhung-dau-chan-ve-mien-cat-trang-245923.html