Phuong Tan Dat - enthusiastic volunteer

During August 2025, Mr. Phuong Tan Dat - Director of the Can Tho City Student Support Center (abbreviated as the Center), was busy with the "Support to go to school" program for students in difficult circumstances; providing free medical examinations and medicine to people in ethnic minority areas. For more than 20 years, since his "fate" with the volunteer movement as a student at Ly Tu Trong High School for the Gifted, Mr. Dat has always been enthusiastic on the journey to beautify life with many tasks to help the community.

Mr. Phuong Tan Dat (back row, right) presents scholarships to students in difficult circumstances in Cai Khe ward. Photo: Q. THAI

The program "Smile for Children" at disadvantaged schools in 6 communes of Can Tho City is the launching event of the "Support to go to school" activities for the 2025-2026 school year, organized by the Center for Coordination of the Youth Union of Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy in August 2025. The program includes many activities: free dental and oral health consultation and examination; giving gifts to ethnic minority students (on average, each commune supports 100-200 students). "Smile for Children" is one of dozens of volunteer programs implemented by the Center over the past years.

As the leader of the Center, during each peak competition period, Mr. Dat proposed many models and programs aimed at the benefit of the community. In particular, ethnic minority students or students from poor households and difficult circumstances are always the priority subjects of volunteer activities. In addition to material gifts, he has created many models with high humaneness and education . For example, the program "Taking the exam with me" (taking students with special circumstances to the exam site); "Dream bus" (including activities with robots, health care for children; caring for families with preferential policies, meritorious people, and lonely elderly people). In particular, the "Dream bus" program has sponsored 29 students who have overcome difficulties in studying, students orphaned by the COVID-19 epidemic. Each month, the program supports from 1-3 million VND/student, until they finish high school. To date, 15 students have completed high school, many of whom are studying at universities and colleges. For new students, Mr. Dat has implemented activities to help find accommodation at reasonable prices, advise on study methods and mobilize scholarships for new students who have overcome difficulties.

During holidays and Tet, Mr. Dat always builds new volunteer programs to contribute to the community. Typically, the program "Bringing Tet to the hospital", the Center organizes food mobilization, prepares family meals for patients at Can Tho City Oncology Hospital. Or the program "Youthful memories" with souvenir photo taking activities for lonely elderly people, family meals for the elderly at the Center for Nursing the Elderly with no one to rely on in Can Tho City.

Previously, in 2021, when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, Mr. Dat commanded hundreds of volunteers to participate in epidemic prevention and control activities at checkpoints. At the same time, he coordinated cooking for volunteers during the days when the city was fighting the epidemic. When the city implemented social distancing, Mr. Dat proposed that the City Youth Union and the City Youth Union mobilize volunteers to participate in mobilizing rice, vegetables, fruits, etc. to give to people in quarantine and blockade areas and deploy many models: "Civil mobilization bus", "Oxygen ATM", "Support for the consumption of oranges and dragon fruits for farmers".

Mr. Dat shared: “Following Uncle Ho's teachings, I vow to try and make efforts to carry out many projects and tasks for the community because I believe that I am still young and this is the time when I can give the most, to go and give. Only then can my life become more meaningful and valuable.”

With more than 20 years of participating in Youth Union activities, Mr. Dat has mobilized more than 20 billion VND to help disadvantaged students, the poor, patients with difficult circumstances and build social security projects in and outside the city. Mr. Dat is one of 10 individuals awarded the National Volunteer Award (2022) by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and has received certificates of merit from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City for many consecutive years for his outstanding achievements in volunteer activities and movements.

PEOPLE'S SECURITY

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/phuong-tan-dat-hang-say-tinh-nguyen-a191068.html