At GVI, we believe in helping Vietnam, one domain at a time. By engaging our global volunteers within the domains where they are experts, we are also able to impact lives in a way that is far-reaching and in many ways that we may never even know. Our GVI Vietnam country director, Tan, recently shared a story about a chance encounter with a young man selling food at a food court. Tan did not recognize him, but the man instantly said, “I know you!” Hang A Sinh, now age 20, had attended the GVI summer beach camp following 8th grade, and he shared with Tan that while he initially planned to be finished with school that year, the camp that summer inspired him to continue his education. Attending the GVI camp gave this Hang his first-ever glimpse of the city of Hanoi, and ignited a dream to become a master chef.

The summers at GVI camp transformed Hang’s life. His plan to stop his education at 8th grade shifted, and instead he took the path of higher learning and vocational school. He now manages the food court where he and Tan met that day, and he told Tan that rather than the $40 a month he would have expected to earn with his 8th grade education, he now earns $400 a month. He told Tan that his world before camp was “just a small village,” and he didn’t have any plan for the future other than following in his father’s footsteps of gardening, farming, marriage, and raising children. After the camp, however, Hang expressed:

“I have a chance to explore my thought about the world, seeing the life in city, visiting university to help me to build my career dream.” 

The slogan for these summer camps is “Explore the world, build your own dream for the future,” and Hang did exactly that. His life is a testament to how helping Vietnam, one domain at a time also can transform lives, one child at a time.