Foreign students find much love from Vietnamese mothers

For lunch one weekend Phuong Anh cooked a meal for seven people, including her three children and four Laos students in HCMC whom she considered her own.
The resident of Tan Binh District made fried spring rolls and the children assisted her with picking vegetables and chopping garlic and chilli.

The meal featured Vietnamese and Laos dishes, including lap (Laos meat salad), bun cha (Vietnamese grilled pork with rice noodles) and the spring rolls.

To cater to her guests’ palate, Phuong Anh she made the seasoning spicy and salty. After the meal they spent a few hours chatting. Anh then packed some fruits for the students to take back to their dormitory in District 3.

Two years ago Anh, a ward official in Tan Binh, discovered the "Vietnamese Families with Laos and Cambodian Students" program, which matched families with international students to offer emotional and material support during their stay in Vietnam. Anh felt a personal connection to the program, thinking that if her own children were studying far from home, they would also need support.

In the summer of 2022 she took a small gift along and attended a gathering in District 1 to meet her first sponsored student. She was nervous when she first met Kiyang Kangpao. She described the scholarship student at the Vietnam Aviation Academy as a shy young man, unfamiliar with the city and struggling with Vietnamese despite studying the language for a year.

She introduced herself, exchanged phone numbers and began checking in with her sponsor-son weekly, offering good wishes and inviting him to eat at her home. She also learned about Lao culture to connect better with the young man. Each year during the Bunpimay festival, also known as the Lao New Year (April 14-16), she sent gifts, which deeply moved him.

In return, during school breaks, Kangpao invited her on bonding trips to places like the Cu Chi Tunnels and Can Gio. "The affection came naturally and we felt close," Anh says.

By her third year in the program, she had adopted four Lao students as her "children.

Thuy Uyen, 58, took in eight Cambodian students, offering them guidance and care while some have since returned to their home country. Uyen acknowledges that integrating these students wasn't always easy, but her family—including her mother and son—stood by her in her charitable endeavors.

"When the students first arrived, many were shy, scared, and hesitant to trust or engage with others," Uyen recalls. Language barriers made their adaptation more challenging, especially when addressing her as "Me" (mom) but using "em," a term for younger individuals, instead of "con" (child), which signifies a deeper familial bond. Uyen was careful to nurture them gently, mindful of their emotional well-being.

During the Covid-19 outbreak, one of her students, 23-year-old Leangcheng, contracted the virus and was quarantined. Feeling homesick and distressed, she often cried. Uyen ensured she had essential supplies and provided her with daily encouragement, helping Leangcheng feel that she had found a second family in Vietnam.

Chandara, 22, a student at Ton Duc Thang University, became especially close to Uyen’s family. Having lost his mother just before starting university, Chandara was dealing with a sick father and a sister facing financial struggles. Initially reserved and friendless, Uyen welcomed him into her home, inviting him to family gatherings, giving him small allowances, and sending him back to his dorm with snacks and fruits. Over time, he became like family, even helping care for Uyen’s bedridden 87-year-old mother. He was treated as a family member during holidays like Tet, receiving lucky money as a gesture of good fortune.

Uyen’s family is one of 96 families supporting Cambodian and Lao students in 2024, a number that has grown by 50% compared to the previous year, according to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee.

Khanthanou Tou, a student at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, recalls his parents' concerns when he left Vientiane for Vietnam two years ago. The unfamiliar food, crowded streets, and lack of friends left him feeling isolated until he met his sponsor family. Their daily messages and offers of support made him realize how warm and welcoming the Vietnamese people could be.

Uch Leang, president of the Cambodian Alumni Association in Vietnam, emphasizes the program's value, noting that it not only helps students learn about Vietnamese culture but also strengthens good relations between Cambodia and Vietnam. "This is a meaningful way to cultivate friendships with Cambodian students," he says.

In June, Uyen visited Leangcheng’s family in Cambodia's Kampong Province. Their humble home is supported by her father’s job at a brick kiln and her mother’s small grocery business. Thanks to her years of studying in Vietnam, Leangcheng now has a stable job and can send $200 a month to her family. Uyen feels proud and happy to see how much Leangcheng has grown from the shy girl she once was into a confident young woman.

As Uyen prepared to leave, Leangcheng’s mother expressed her deep gratitude for Uyen's care, holding her hands tightly. But Uyen herself feels thankful for the opportunity to be a mother figure again, experiencing the profound love that comes with it.