Vice President of the Cambodian Women for Peace and Development Mean Som An (L) and former volunteer Vietnamese soldier Cao Thi Yen (Photo: VNA) Kien Giang (VNA) – Adelegation of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and the Cambodian Women for Peaceand Development (CWPD) has visited Cao Thi Yen in Kien Giang province who wasone of volunteer Vietnamese soldiers in the fight against the Pol Pot genocidalregime in Cambodia four decades ago.
The trip was organised as part ofactivities designed to mark the 40th anniversary of Vietnam’s victory in the southwestborder defence war and the triumph against the Pol Pot genocidal regime onJanuary 7, 1979.
Cao Thi Yen, born in 1958, nowresides in Vinh Lac ward, Rach Gia city. In January 1979, as a medical student,she volunteered to join a Kien Giang military medical unit and went to Cambodiawhere she provided treatment for local soldiers and people. She returned to Vietnamin 1981 to continue her study and then served in the army.
CWPD Vice President Mean Som Anwished her good health, stressing that the development of Cambodia today wasgreatly contributed by volunteer Vietnamese experts and soldiers, includingthose from Kien Giang province like Yen.
She said many Vietnamese womenunderwent years of hardship to assist Cambodia in national reconstruction afterthe fall of the Pol Pot genocidal regime.
The official said Cambodia iswilling to welcome Yen’s family and families of other volunteer Vietnamesesoldiers and experts to visit the country.
The same day, the delegation alsomade a fact-finding tour to learn about a business model, initiated in 2013 bythe women’s association of Vinh Lac ward, Rach Gia city. The model encouragesall family members, not only women, to take part in bead embroidery andpaper/silk flower making, mostly at home during their spare time. To date, ithas helped many escape poverty.
The CWPD delegates considered ita practical model that could be applied in Cambodian localities in support ofneedy women.-VNA
VNA
