Strengthening the Vietnam-Laos friendship.

(Baonghean) - Vinh University has the largest number of Lao students in the country. In recent years, the University's Youth Union has identified international volunteer activities as a highlight in the youth volunteer movement. This serves as a bridge to foster the special friendship between Vietnam and Laos…

Currently, Vinh University has over 400 Lao students studying in various faculties and departments. Recognizing that helping Lao students learn Vietnamese is a key and regular activity of the Youth Union and Student Association each year, the University's Youth Union has established a volunteer team to support Lao students. This team consists of students with excellent academic performance and pedagogical skills to assist and support Lao students in their studies and organize activities. Under the direction of the University's Youth Union, the Hoa Champa Club of the Faculty of Economics' Student Union was established (2010), providing opportunities for Lao students to improve their Vietnamese language skills and serving as a place for Lao and Vietnamese students to interact, exchange ideas, and learn from each other. Depending on the number of students who register, the volunteer group arranges time and location to take turns reinforcing the students' knowledge.

"Besides fostering solidarity and friendship, and forming a beautiful and useful lifestyle, the volunteers themselves have the opportunity to further strengthen their knowledge and skills," shared Nguyen Minh My Linh, head of the Hoa Cham-pa Club. In addition to teaching Vietnamese, the Student Union also strengthens extracurricular activities, creating practical and beneficial playgrounds that attract the participation of a large number of students in the school and international students. Typical examples include organizing the Bunpimay New Year celebration, and holding competitions such as "Exploring Vietnam and My Dreams"; "Best Singing Voice for International Students"; and "Vietnamese-Lao Cultural Exchange". “The Champa Flower Festival”… “Living far from family and country, language barriers… are major obstacles that make many international students shy, hesitant to interact, and passive in their studies. But thanks to the help of Vietnamese students, Lao students have become more confident in communication, integrated faster into the new environment, absorbed lessons more quickly, and made more progress in their studies…”, shared Tuc La Van, a second-year tourism student from Xieng Khouang province.

Students from Vinh University teach Vietnamese in Xieng Khouang province (Laos).

Besides local volunteer activities, since 2012, during the Summer Volunteer Campaign, the University's Youth Union has established an international volunteer team of 25-30 volunteers (including Lao students studying at the university) to organize volunteer programs in Laos, mainly focusing on Xieng Khouang province. The volunteer program includes activities such as: teaching Vietnamese; learning about the traditions and history of both countries; cultural, artistic, and sports exchanges; and providing advice and support to Lao students wishing to enroll at Vinh University and other universities in Nghe An province.

Commenting on volunteer activities in Laos, Dr. Nguyen Anh Chuong - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Youth Union, Secretary of the Youth Union of Vinh University, said: During the 2014 Summer Volunteer Campaign, the international student volunteer team of Vinh University organized 17 Vietnamese language classes for students, local people and officials with more than 650 participants. The majority of them were officials working in districts and communes bordering Vietnam, who needed to learn Vietnamese to facilitate their work.

Many Lao students also choose Vietnamese as a foreign language when enrolling in studies in Vietnam. Besides teaching Vietnamese, the student volunteer team collaborated with the Xieng Khouang Provincial Youth Center and local authorities to provide counseling and support to over 500 high school students, helping them understand training programs, the educational environment, and the necessary conditions for enrollment at Vinh University. Numerous cultural and artistic exchange activities were also organized, leaving a deep impression on the Lao people about Vietnam and its friendly, approachable, and peace-loving people. The volunteer team also organized a competition to learn about the special friendship between Vietnam and Laos in both languages, helping students and people from both countries better understand this special friendship.

Participating in volunteer work in a foreign land, each volunteer managed to preserve unforgettable memories and impressions. These included the excitement of standing on the podium for the first time to teach Vietnamese to Lao students, and, more importantly, the affection and close bond that the Lao students and people showed towards the volunteers. The image of the 6 or 7-year-old Lao students following their adults to bid farewell to their Vietnamese student volunteers at the Nam Can border gate is an unforgettable memory. Before parting ways, each member of the volunteer group received simple but meaningful gifts such as traditional Lao flutes, umbrellas, and clothing.

It can be said that the international volunteer activities of Vinh University students over the years have contributed to fostering the traditional friendship between the people of Vietnam and Laos in general, and between the people of Nghe An and the provinces of Laos in particular. At the same time, it has helped affirm the identity of Vinh University students as: "Courageous, intelligent, civilized, and volunteer-minded."

Text and photos:Gia Huy