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Creating memories at Vietnam orphanages

12/1/2022

Orphanage 1

We unconsciously visited a well-established and well-run popular orphanage in the core of Ho Chi Minh City, run by Buddhist women. We were so touched by the passion and energy exuded by the kids (and the fascination with our iPhones, where they volunteered to take all the pictures and videos for us).

Prior to visiting, we went to a local market area and picked up some toys for the kids. The shelter received quite a bit of donations, and felt like a popular site for corporate donations (for example, we saw 2 groups of office staff bringing in boxes of donations and posing with the kids for photo ops while we were there; alas, they did not stay after the photo ops). We stayed around and connected with the kids after their meal – they were overjoyed to meet these new visitors and spend with them.

Toward the end, they asked us if we could come back to see them before leaving for Canada. We wanted to surprise them on our next visit and asked the woman in charge what food they liked to eat that they don’t get to eat often – it turned out to be KFC (that’s right, the kids were not required to be vegetarian)! We arranged for her to buy a chicken combo lunch for every child the next day. When we returned, we managed to bond with the kids further, including spending extra time upstairs with the staff and the toddlers (who didn't want to let us go). All the kids were truly so well behaved and such a bundle of joy to be around.

Orphanage 2

We came across an orphanage in central Vietnam, near Nha Trang (a beach town in Vietnam). This shelter was run by Catholic nuns.

Because one of us become ill, we ended up just preparing snack packs for the kids in the hotel and asked the volunteers to pick them up to distribute to the kids.

Orphanage 3

Another orphanage we visited was in Buôn Ma Thuột in southern Vietnam. The shelter was run by a Buddhist woman.

We went there not knowing what to expect. It was random and spur of the moment. The staff was so welcoming and graciously showed us around before insisting to join them for a prepared delicious vegetarian meal. After the meal, we asked the staff to take us to a local shop to buy some treats for the kids. Most popular item was soccer balls. What turned out to be random ended up with a joyful afternoon of nonstop recreational activities – playing soccer, playing tag and singing with the kids.

The shelter had a bus transporting the kids to and from public school, and received donations to fund those going off to university. There was no obligation to stay in the shelter once they were done with school but all the kids who grew up there ended up helping out at the shelter to give back.

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