Although foreign volunteers in Da Nang come from many different countries around the world, all of them seem to fall in love with the seaside city as soon as they set foot here because of its stunning landscapes and friendly residents.  They always feel at home in our beautiful city because they are made to feel so welcome wherever they go.  They also enjoy a happy and joyful Tet Festival each year, which gives them memorable experiences.

Mrs Mollie White and some of her trainees

Mrs Mollie White from Australia, who has lived in Da Nang for nearly two years, is a typical example.  She is now an English teacher at the Da Nang branch of REACH which is a domestic non-government and non-profit organisation providing vocational training, counselling, and employment services for local poor young people.  She said she loves her trainees because of their determination.  Despite their poor living conditions, they take vocational training in order to seek a suitable job to support their families.  Therefore, she treats them like her family members, and her work makes her feel more loved by this city.  She has enjoyed 2 Tet Festivals in the city so far, and she is always impressed by the warm welcome from local families when she visits them during Tet with her Vietnamese friends.  The warm atmosphere she experienced during her first Tet in Da Nang helped to relieve her thoughts about missing her own family.  She added that, if she should ever leave here to do voluntary work in another country in the future, she would never forget her memories of Viet Nam’s central city by the romantic Han River.  Mrs White expects to join her centre’s trainees and take a city tour on bikes at Tet.

Mr William Reginald Coward

Another example is Mr William Reginald Coward from the USA.  He arrived in Da Nang in early 2001, and he has been married to a Vietnamese lady for nearly 13 years.  The American man established a charity named “Love” in 2001 to provide spiritual and material assistance to local poor children and help them go to school.  Over the past 13 years, numerous needy children across the city have received learning tools, such as notebooks, pencils and pens, and have been given their tuition fees.  Mr Coward said that he considered the city to be his second home.  He remarked that every year he felt very happy when his family prepared the special things for celebrating Tet in accordance with Vietnamese customs.  He was pleased to spend time with his family and friends during Tet, due to his busy work schedule on normal days.  He felt comfortable sharing with them the many things which have happened over the past year.  He plans to give lucky money to many poor children in the city at Tet.