The lively sounds of the village

Upon arriving in Chau Cuong commune, Quy Hop district, and settling into their accommodations, the entire team of student volunteers from Vinh University immediately began preparing to implement their plan.

The student volunteers are participating in cultural exchange activities with the local youth and women.

In the evening, the courtyard of the commune's People's Committee was packed with people. As the refrain of "Green Summer" rang out, the debut of 24 volunteer students from Vinh University brought a vibrant and joyful atmosphere to Muong Ham – the cradle of the legend of "the creation of the land and the village." From the elderly to the young, men and women to teenagers and children, everyone gathered with the volunteer team to sing, dance, and play until well past midnight. The final act was always the captivating Lam Vong dance around a jar of rice wine. Many of the volunteers, participating in the Green Summer campaign for the first time, setting foot on the northwestern region of Nghe An province for the first time, and experiencing the unique culture of the Thai people, were amazed and deeply impressed by this moonlit night in the mountainous region, infused with the intoxicating rice wine.

The next morning, the entire team woke up early after a brief nap. At 6:30 a.m., Deputy Team Leader Vi Thi Hong deployed the team to the inter-village roads to clean up the environment. The sounds of bamboo brooms and the lively singing of the students along the roads awakened the self-awareness of the people, especially the youth in the villages. Within minutes, most of the local youth union members also joined the volunteer team in cleaning the roads. Each day, the volunteers carried out their work in a different village, and in the evening they gathered at the village's cultural center to organize social activities and disseminate the Party and State's policies to the villagers.

According to the plan, the Vinh University student volunteer team in Chau Cuong commune will operate in 11 villages for 23 days. The main activities of the team's summer volunteer campaign include: disseminating information and education, giving a quick report on the 10th National Party Congress, raising awareness about preventing social evils, the Traffic Safety Law, rekindling traditional values ​​on the occasion of July 27th, participating in environmental sanitation activities, building roads and irrigation works, researching the structure of local crops and livestock to advise and assist people in more efficient production, organizing summer classes for children and teenagers, opening training classes for the Youth Union and Children's Union, and organizing cultural and sports exchanges with young people and villagers...

Coming from different provinces such as Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, and even studying together at Vinh University in various departments like Education-Defense, History, Politics, Information Technology, Agricultural Extension, Biology, Chemistry, Early Childhood Education, and Literature, most members of the team didn't know each other before arriving in Chau Cuong. However, after just one day in Muong Ham, the entire team became inseparable. Team member Nguyen Thi Hien shared: "My family lives in Vinh City, and from childhood to adulthood, I've almost never had to do strenuous work. This is my first time participating in a volunteer trip, and although it was hard work, it was very enjoyable. Especially, the trip showed me many meanings and values ​​of life. Through this volunteer activity, besides helping people in disadvantaged areas, we also had the opportunity to broaden our knowledge, learn many things, and gain a deeper understanding of life."

Hoang Hao