Vietnamese family initiative strengthens ties with Lao, Cambodian students

Lao and Cambodian students and their Vietnamese foster parents (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – A programme connecting Lao and Cambodian students with their Vietnamese foster families has proven effective, contributing to consolidating friendship between the people of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

It was highlighted at a meeting held by the Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) on February 23, which reviewed the city's people-to-people and overseas Vietnamese (OV) diplomacy work.

Vice Chairman of the VFF’s municipal chapter Ngo Thanh Son reported that last year, the programme successfully matched 67 Vietnamese families with 91 Lao and 14 Cambodian students.

The chapter also held exchanges between the families of Lao and Cambodian students and their foster families, and advocated for financial support from the municipal Party Committee to aid 67 foster families, totaling 470 million VND (19,580 USD).

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union organised the Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia family festival while the municipal Women's Union arranged trips to local relic sites and tourist landmarks for families of Lao and Cambodian students, along with presenting 70 traditional dresses to female students from both countries.

The meeting concluded with the municipal VFF chapter awarding certificates of merit to collectives who made outstanding contributions to people-to-people and OV diplomacy, particularly in the successful implementation of the programme in 2023./.