Doctor Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen at a COVID-19 testing station in Laos. (Photo: NDO)

Couple Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen and Tran Van Nang have praised by Vietnamese expatriates in Laos as compassionate doctors who have always devoted themselves to the treatment of patients, actively joined activities for the community, and made great contributions to their homeland. When they first came to Laos, they looked for partners to build a medical examination and treatment facility of Vietnamese people in Laos and then developed it into the current Hanoi – Vientiane General Hospital. It is now a first-grade general hospital with 100 beds, meeting the demand of basic medical examination and treatment. As the hospital’s director, Nang still directly examines patients every day. The hospital has provided the policy of reducing medical examination and treatment fees for expatriates who are living in difficult circumstances. In some special cases, they help patients pay for the entire hospital fees.

The second outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected Laos, including That Luang West ward where a large number of overseas Vietnamese have gathered. Couple Huyen and Nang worked with the Vietnamese Association in Vientiane to ask for the establishment of a sampling site at their medical facility. Lao agencies took drastic measures to rapidly extinguish the outbreaks.

Tran Dai Thang, First Secretary in charge of education from Vietnamese Embassy in Laos, said when the epidemic spread to Vietnamese students’ dormitory in Laos, Huyen asked the Lao Ministry of Health to set up a testing point, thereby promptly detecting many infections there. The dormitory was blocked, so Huyen directly delivered food and essential supplies to support the students.

When she knew many infected Vietnamese expatriates at the field hospitals facing difficulties, Huyen mobilised the Women’s Department of the Vietnamese Association to cook for patients. Huyen and her husband also made donations to the construction of infectious disease laboratory in Luang Prabang Province, supported expatriates in Khammouane Province and actively participated in fundraising campaigns to support compatriots in Vietnam.

With a kind heart, Doctor Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen and her husband Tran Van Nang are typical examples, contributing to promoting the beautiful image of the Overseas Vietnamese community in the neighbouring country.

The unity of Vietnamese people

At a ceremony to receive donations from the project "United Vietnam" (Photo: NDO)

"During the struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic, we felt most clearly that the fatherland is always by our side when we receive medical supplies and online consultations from the homeland”, said Standing Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Russia Tran Phu Thuan. Experiencing loss due to the pandemic, people who are far away from the country still feel the love from their homeland. During the outbreaks of the pandemic, the project entitled “United Vietnam” was launched.

In response to the call of the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, the Vietnamese Association in Russia officially launched a widespread donation campaign among the Vietnamese community towards the fatherland through the Friendship and Tradition Fund. According to the association’s Chairman Do Xuan Hoang, this was the first time the donation was held in a virtual format. This method ensured transparency, safety and compliance with local laws while creating favourable conditions for Overseas Vietnamese around the country to give their donations.

Director of the Tradition and Friendship Fund Nguyen Quoc Hung shared that since its launch two months ago, the project has received a positive response from dozens of businesses and thousands of individuals.

After a story was shared about a Vietnamese student in Buryatia’s capital city of Ulan-Ude who donated her one-month scholarship to the fund, people from many regions around Russia, from the far east to the west and from the magnificent Taiga forests to distant Siberia, gave their support to the project.

The amount of 3.2 billion VND raised for the project within two months was the heart of Vietnamese community in Russia. More importantly, as assessed by Nguyen Tung Lam from Vietnamese Embassy in Russia, the project’s model can be replicated in subsequent activities of the community, under the belief that the share and unity among all people will contribute to controlling the pandemic and boosting economic recovery and development.

Que Anh – Thanh The (from Moscow)

Kind heart

With Vietnamese community in Preah Sihanouk City, the capital of the coastal province of the same name in the southwest of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the name Kim Chang has been familiar for a long time. Kim Chang, the owner of a famous gold shop, has regularly given aids to Vietnamese expatriates who were living in difficult circumstances.

Kim Chang has regularly given aids to Vietnamese expatriates in Cambodia.

She was born in Vietnam’s Tra Vinh Province followed her relatives to Cambodia more than three decades ago. When she first came to Cambodia, she lived on the outskirts of Phnom Penh and made cakes for sales in the local market. Thanks to her delicious cake, she had gradually earned the capital for the open of a small restaurant with many Vietnamese dishes. She is hard working and skilful, so her restaurant is always full of diners. She then launched an auto wash service. Kim Chang has helped needy people enthusiastically by giving money for them to buy medicine or accepting their children to work at her restaurant.

She was trusted and elected to the Executive Committee of the Khmer – Vietnamese Association in Preah Sihanouk Province in 2009. Chairman of Khmer – Vietnamese Association Tran Van Nam said that in recent years Kim Chang has been actively participating in campaigns to support flood victims in her homeland. She and other members of the association have also regularly visited and presented gifts to families living in difficult circumstances.

The coastal city of Preah Sihanouk suffered from a serious attack of the COVID-19 pandemic following a community infection incident on February 20. The provincial authorities were forced to decide a blockade the prevent the epidemic’s spread. As a result, the local people faced many difficulties and deprivations. The Consulate General of Vietnam in Preah Sihanouk Province, in collaboration with the Khmer-Vietnamese Association, urgently transferred food, face masks and antiseptic solutions to support people in the “red areas” along with Vietnamese people who could not return home due to the pandemic. Kim Chang was the pioneer nucleus in spreading the spirit of assistance throughout the community, noted Vu Ngoc Ly, the Vietnamese Consul General in Preah Sihanouk.

Always considering Cambodia as her second homeland, Kim Chang has wholeheartedly strived to develop her career, contributing to the flow of the host country’s economy. The Overseas Vietnamese love her because of her industriousness and spirit of sharing with needy people.

Nguyen Hiep (from Phnom Penh)

The tradition of mutual affection and love

In the early days of April 2021, the new wave of COVID-19 pandemic disturbed the lives of Thai people. The Overseas Vietnamese community in Thailand was heavily affected; however, they also actively participated in donations for the fight against the pandemic in the host country and in Vietnam.

Free meals for poor overseas Vietnamese in Thailand (Photo: NDO)

Tran Van Sau, Chairman of the Thai-Vietnamese Association in Nakhon Phanom Province, said that when they knew the call for donations to COVID-19 Vaccine Fund, Vietnamese expatriates in Thailand responded very enthusiastically. Tran Thi Xa in particular participated in many fundraising campaigns and other activities. Her family also regularly gave aid to Thai people facing difficulties through many activities such as donations of money and equipment for the hospitals and the provision of free meals for the poor. Xa said: “I always think that if I do good work, I will meet good things later on”.

Owning a chain of restaurants in Bangkok, Van Anh had to close several establishments and change business models due to the pandemic’s impact over nearly past two years. However, her family donated dozens of cash gifts to Vietnamese workers living in difficulties and presented gifts to the hospitals providing treatment for COVID-19 patients.

In Bangkok, there are many other Vietnamese groups actively participating in assistance activities. For them, they are very normal acts that stem from the tradition of mutual affection and love in the soul of every Vietnamese person.

Nam Dong (from Bangkok)

Outstanding international solidarity

Many comments referring to Vietnam as an example of international solidarity were recorded by Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper’s reporters at the Avante and L'Humanité festivals, the long-standing festivals of the communists and working classes in Portugal and France.

French friends give donations to Vietnam's COVID-19 Vaccine Fund. (Photo: NDO)

Talking about the solidarity between the two Parties and countries and the international spirit of Vietnam, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Portugal José Capucho emphasised that the two countries have the same communist aspirations. The solidarity with Vietnam has formed and developed since Vietnam's struggle for independence. The precious solidarity is a source of strength for the two nations to overcome all challenges and persevere to success. Despite the geographical distance, the solidarity and friendship between the two Parties and peoples have been continuously consolidated towards pursuing the socialist path and contributing to peace and happiness in the world. Amid the difficulties caused by the pandemic, Vietnam has continued to assist Portugal in pandemic prevention and control.

Patrick Le Hyaric, Editor-in-Chief of L'Humanité Newspaper, said that Vietnam has always been an important highlight in many historical periods during the 20th and 21st centuries. With their heroic struggle for national reunification as well as their will to overcome all challenges, notably in the fight against COVID-19, the Vietnamese people have been greatly admired by international friends. Vietnam’s presence in international arena and cooperation activities with traditional friends have always brought positive effects, contributing to the promotion of friendship, solidarity and cohesion among the nations.

Albert Tejedor from Portugal said he and many people in Portugal were very touched by the solidarity and philanthropy of Vietnamese friends as they donated face masks and medical supplies to Portuguese friends, France, and many other countries. The activities have spread Vietnam’s spirit and image.

Albert Tejedor noted that he was very interested in President Ho Chi Minh's saying “Solidarity, solidarity, great solidarity; success, success, great success”. He expressed his belief that the solidarity will help all countries to overcome the pandemic and reach the expected success.