During the program, more than 100 Lao students studying at Da Nang-based universities and colleges were living with Vietnamese families. The Vietnamese parents considered the Lao students as their children.
The homestay program specially designed for Lao students was jointly organized by the Union of Friendship Organizations, the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association in Da Nang city, the Lao General Consulate in Da Nang and the People’s Committees of districts in Da Nang city. Last year, the program was carried out in five districts, namely Hai Chau, Thanh Khe, Son Tra, Lien Chieu and Ngu Hanh Son.
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Lao students introduce Lao cuisine to Vietnamese people. |
Under this program, the Lao students were warmly welcomed by Vietnamese families where they engaged in daily activities with the Vietnamese people who they called fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. The Lao children lived in typical conditions to experience the real life of a Vietnamese family.
These Lao children at first were like fish out of water and some were shy. Some even worried about their command of the Vietnamese language and found it difficult to integrate into the Vietnamese family. However, they all quickly socialized, had fun, felt more confident and became official members of the family thanks to the closeness, listening and sharing skills of their Vietnamese parents and “siblings.”
Living with the Vietnamese parents, the Lao students had meals full of laughs. They were taught the Vietnamese language through lively and interesting lessons offered by their Vietnamese parents, and sat side by side with other family members to tell their daily joys and sorrows.
They also learned Vietnamese customs, found out more about relationships in a family, lineages, different ways of conduct of the Vietnamese people in different regions, and tasted delicious local dishes.
Phailin Kingvongsa, a freshman at Da Nang University of Technology, said, “I would like to thank my Vietnamese parents for their great support. You (the parents) have given assistance to, taught and created the best conditions for us to learn new and useful things. These are the most beautiful days that will never fade in our minds. We promise to exert all-out efforts to achieve the best study results. When returning home, I will strive to be a good cadre and always remember you, my Vietnamese parents.”
To boost the cultural exchange between Lao students and Da Nang city’s youths, all five districts in Da Nang organized a wide range of interesting activities, such as cultural and sports exchanges, Vietnam-Laos food introduction, voluntary activities at social patronage centers, and visits to landscapes in the city.
Knowing that their Lao children were disappointed when they could not have enough time to prepare adequate ingredients for traditional Lao dishes for the Vietnam-Laos cuisine exchange hosted by Thanh Khe district, the Vietnamese parents and other youths in Da Nang city encouraged them and volunteered to go shopping. With the helping hands of the Vietnamese parents and friends, after school, the Lao students cooked Lao dishes to serve the exchange’s participants. The exchange left a deep impression on both the Vietnamese and Lao people. They laughed a lot, sung together and joined the Lao traditional dance.
In order to make the program more interesting in future years, Nguyen Ngoc Binh, Chairman of the Union of Friendship Organizations in Da Nang city said that the organizer plans to arrange Lao students to live with families near their schools to facilitate their travel and avoid stress that will affect their study. They will also team up with the Lao General Consulate in Da Nang to select Lao students with a good command of Vietnamese, so that the Lao children might be more confident when living under the same roof with Vietnamese families. Besides, the time to start the program will be adjusted to allow Lao students to get involved in all activities of the program.
Tran Thi Nguyen, a citizen in Lien Chien district and a Vietnamese mother of Lao children said that after the program, though Lao children returned their dormitories they still received care and love from Vietnamese families during their university-time. “Remember that when you are in trouble, sick, happy or sad, we, Vietnamese parents, brothers and sisters are always by your side. You are members of the family. Welcome all of you,” Nguyen said.
In the bustling Lunar New Year-welcoming atmosphere, the Lao students have left Vietnam for their home country, bringing along nice memories and passionate love from the S-shape country. They are aware better than any one that besides their family at home they still have a second home in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese parents-Lao children and the Vietnamese-Lao brothers and sisters relationships built up during the program are hoped to contribute to further developing the close-knit ties between the people of the two neighboring countries of Vietnam and Laos.
Translated by Mai Huong