Mid-fall Full-moon Festival of in Vinh Cuu province Brings Happiness to Poor Children

    For all 300 poor children from the communes namely Tan An, Binh Hoa, Binh Loi, Tan Binh,Thach Phu, Thien Tan, the ceremony left an unforgettable memory in their mind. They gathered to join lantern contest, play exciting games, watch arts performance, participate in lion dance and lantern relay, and receive a number of valuable gifts. 

    Especially participants were representatives of Manulife life insurance company and department of child’s care and protection. Mr. Nguyen Van Tai, the business manager in southeastern region of Manulife company gave 200 gifts to the children. Each of these gifts given consisted of 5 notebooks and 2 Bibica moon cakes (worth VND 100,000 (US$ 6). Other 100 gifs mobilized by Tan An commune were also awarded in which each of which was worth VND 90,000 (US$ 5). Mr. Nguyen Anh Tai expressed: “The program this year once show that the Manulife is keeping its long-term commitment on people’s living standard improvement, especially children, the potential owners of the country”.

    With meaningful big moon cakes on their hands, many children expressed deep pleasure as they were seldom given such cakes. Best of all, they were free to join the games and amuse themselves.

    Vo Hong Mai Linh who joined the festival for the first time cheerfully expressed: “It’s the first time I have joined such an exciting festival since I came to the world. I have led a severe life, my parents got divorced when I was just three. Since then my mom was married again and my Dad worked far from home. Now I live with my grandma aged 70 and my older sister. My grandma loves me very much so she works hard to earn enough to bring me up. This year she decided to bring me here in the mid-fall festival”

    Vo Hong Mai Linh was just one of typical examples. There we met many other children in very difficult and challenging circumstances. For that reason, the festival seems to get more significant to them and helped to ease all their sorrow and grief contemporarily. Their eyes and smiles meant how happy they were.

    “I play many interesting games with my friends. I wish to have such a meaningful mid-fall festival annually” said Nguyen Huynh Nhat Hoa, another example of  children in distress. He had to look after the baby so that his mom could go out to work while his dad was always idle, drunken and quarrelling. His childhood was disadvantaged in an unhappy family. Some other children were disabled or orphans and so on.

    Phan Thi Yen seemed to live a better life. She got on well with parents and his brother. However, her family was very poor. Her parents, rice-growers, had to earn to feed her and her brother and finance their school fee. They also came to this festival for the first time.

    Mrs. Huynh Thi Nghia, vice chairwoman of department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affair said: “On the occasion of mid-fall festival, 3.100 presents were given to children from Long Khanh town, Bien Hoa city and other districts across the province. The presents were not very worth but meant to encourage and share the children in hard-living conditions. This activity showed community’s concern about them”.

(Reported by Le Lan, Translated by L.H)