Saturday, August 29, 2026, 19:07 GMT+7

Over 100 int'l volunteers build disaster-resilient homes for poor families in Vietnam's Da Nang

More than 100 international volunteers from the U.S., Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and other countries have joined local residents in building disaster-resilient homes for disadvantaged families in two communes in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, according to local authorities.

The volunteers spent weeks at construction sites in Que Son and Que Son Trung Communes, working alongside local families to mix mortar, sift sand, carry materials and lay bricks as part of the Vietnam Special Build 2026 program.

The homes were handed over to the recipient families on Friday after months of construction.

Le Thi Lap, deputy chairwoman of the Que Son Trung administration, said all of the families receiving support were disadvantaged households in need of safe and permanent housing.

She said the participation of international volunteers was particularly meaningful as they worked directly with the families, regardless of their jobs, nationality or background, helping speed up construction and sharing the workload with local residents.

The volunteers covered all of their own travel expenses and were coordinated by U.S.-based Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization, to work in teams at the families' homes, according to local authorities.

Habitat mobilized funding for the construction, with each house costing about VND80 million (US$3,060), while the families and local authorities also contributed to the projects, according to the organizers.

Construction began in mid-2026, with the homes designed to better withstand natural disasters, according to the organizers.

At a handover and farewell ceremony in Que Son and Que Son Trung on Friday, the beneficiary families and volunteers gathered to mark the completion of the home-building work and say goodbye.

Nguyen Van Hue, national director of Habitat for Humanity Vietnam, said the organization has reached 320,000 people and built or renovated more than 36,000 homes in Vietnam over its 25 years of operations.

During that time, Habitat for Humanity Vietnam, a branch of Habitat for Humanity International, also mobilized 9,380 volunteers from dozens of countries, Hue said.