Ho Chi Minh City volunteer groups bring poor children Mid-Autumn Fest joy

As the Mid-Autumn Fest is coming, many volunteer groups in Ho Chi Minh City have launched activities in the hope of bringing children in remote areas a festival of joy.

The fest annually comes on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar, and this year it falls on September 27.

In Vietnam, people celebrate the fest, considered a special occasion for family reunions, by getting together to enjoy mooncakes, the festival’s indispensable treat, over fragrant tea while admiring the full moon.

It is also considered a fest for children, as they can come together and play with colorful lanterns which are typical toys for the occasion.

The lanterns of joy

Last week, hundreds of young people flocked to an event held by the volunteer group Nhung Uoc Mo Xanh (The Blue Dreams).

At the event, which is organized every year, participants spent time making lanterns which were given away to poor children in the southern province of Vinh Long on September 19 and 20.

The group also plans to take another trip on September 26 and 27 to continue handing out the lanterns to kids in the province.

“It’s so great as I could make these lovely lanterns for kids by myself,” Dang Thi Thu Nguyen, a fourth-year student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) said. “I hope they will feel happy receiving the gifts during the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Members of Nong Lam (Agriculture-Forestry) University’s community service team started their annual activity of making lanterns in the middle of August.

According to Duong Thi Bich Tram, the leader, her team plans to make more than 2,000 star-shaped lanterns this year.

Among them, 500 pieces will be put on sale to raise funds and the remaining will be given away to children in Bu Dang District in the southern province of Binh Phuoc on September 26 and 27, during the team’s trip “Vang Trang Tuoi Tho” (The Moon of Childhood) to the locale.

The team said making the lanterns has not only helped them save money for the trip but also reminded its members of their childhood memories, as well as made the gifts more meaningful.

Festive days

Young people have put their hearts into organizing activities for kids to celebrate their festival.

Nearly 100 youths last week attended an acoustic music night to raise funds for a Mid-Autumn celebration for children in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre.

Tickets for the show, held by a group of students from the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education at a café on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, District 5, were sold at VND60,000 (US$2.68) apiece.

All the profit will be used for preparing for the trip to Ben Tre’s Ba Tri District to organize a Mid-Autumn event for students at Vinh Hoa Elementary School.

Earlier, the group sold handkerchiefs online and at parks to raise funds for the trip.

On September 19 and 20, over 600 students from the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City brought more than 600 gifts, including mooncakes, lanterns, and scholarships, back to Bu Dop District in Binh Phuoc, where they stayed during the summer to help local people as part of the Green Summer volunteer campaign.

Duong Minh Man, president of the school’s student union, said that was a meaningful activity as well as a chance for students to visit the people they lived with in the summer.

Within the framework of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, members of the Hope volunteer club has run their fundraising drive over the past month.

Besides activities like selling beverages or collecting scrap, they have also formed a dancing group and performed at various events for a fee.

The club aims to bring nearly 300 gifts and 10 scholarships together with musical performances to poor children in the southern province of Long An this weekend.

Another Mid-Autumn charity activity is from a group of students of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

On September 26 and 27, they will organize a festival night for students at Vinh Thanh 1 Elementary School in Vinh Thanh Hamlet, Nhon Trach District, located in the southern province of Dong Nai.

The nights will be full of games, gifts, a lantern parade, and musical performances.

Also on the date, another festive night will be held in the province by members of the Thien Tam charity group.

At the event dedicated to children in the fishing village along Tri An Lake in Ma Da Hamlet, Vinh Cuu District, the group will cook 300 bowls of bun thit nuong (rice vermicelli served with grilled pork) and green bean sweet soup for kids as well as give them lanterns.

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