"Mom, I don't understand why having red rashes all over my body”, “Mom, I have been unable to sleep for 2 consecutive nights”. Every time receiving such messages, the Women's Union members in Hoa Khanh Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District - volunteers who act as godmothers for Lao students studying in Da Nang - hurriedly make phone calls to them, even rush to their dormitories to check their problems carefully.

19-year-old’s birthday of Lita (also known as Hong, middle) was celebrated by her second mother's family, Tran Thi Nguyen, residing in Chon Tam 2D residential area, Hoa Khanh Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District. Photo: T.V

Mrs Tran Thi Nguyen, Head of the Women's Union chapter of 2D Chon Tam residential group and her husband are both retired, whilst all of their three children have settled down leading to the emptiness at home. Therefore, both of them registered for joining the "second mother" model immediately to respond to the call of the Women's Union (WU)

"Every weekend, my whole family is filled with laughter when Lao nationals gather together. At first, there were surprises and difficulties, but we now consider three Lao students as our family members. Not only that, two families in two countries Viet Nam - Laos have become close relatives and kept in contact regularly via our children's bond," said Mrs Nguyen.

Sharing about being adopted by her mother Nguyen as a godmother, Lita, a 3rd-year student at the University of Science and Technology- University of Da Nang, happily boasted: “My mother's family has treated me definitely well. In 2018, it was hard for me to hang in with a new country when coming to Viet Nam to learn Vietnamese. Fortunately, things have changed for the better when I was adopted as a child by my second mother. She helped me learn Vietnamese, how to ride a motorbike and guide me to wet markets. She also gave me a Vietnamese name to help me become more confident when living and studying in Da Nang. Especially, all Lao students staying in this dormitory were taken care of by their mothers thoroughly during the tough time of COVID-19 pandemic, making us feel like we are staying in our Fatherland.”

In the same vein, Ms. Pham Thi Phuc, Head of Chon Tam chapter of 1B4 WU, has being godmother for 4 Lao students since 2018. Since then, she has been busier with all kinds of unnamed tasks such as taking her children to the hospital when they get sick, shopping for essential items, etc. However, in return, her house is always full of laughter every weekend.

In 2018, receiving active support from the municipal and district-based WU, the WU chapter of Hoa Khanh Nam Ward deployed the ‘Second mother’ model to give assistance and take care of Lao students studying in Da Nang with the participation of 11 members taking care of 22 Lao students. So far, this model has housed a total of 72 Lao students having second mothers.

According to Ms Luu Thi Nghia, Chairwoman of the WU chapter of Hoa Khanh Nam Ward, the ‘second mother’ model makes them quite worried at first since it is an international activity and important foreign affairs between Da Nang and Laos. However, the model has finally been successful and seen the strong bond and love between Lao students and their second mothers, even witnessed good relationships amongst their two families of different countries.

As shared by Ms Nguyen Thi Hang, Chairwoman of the WU chapter of Lien Chieu District, this model’s activities have surpassed the framework of an ordinary movement, definitely creating the city's external channel via the connection between Vietnamese and Laotian families.

Apart from that, all Lao students have expressed their gratitude and strong love to their second mothers due to their assistance in Lao students’ life and their study, creating an important bridge connecting firmly the friendship between the two countries.

Reporting by THANH VAN- Translating by T.VY