Vietnam Friendship Village is the home to children affected by Agent Orange. Despite of their disadvantages, the children at the village receive much love and compassion from their teachers and parents, providing them with a life full of joy and happiness.

Since its operation began on March 18, 1988, the Vietnam Friendship Village in Van Canh commune, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi, is now home to around 200 children with special classes designed to help them increase their awareness and ability to integrate into the community.

Every day at the class, the students meet their friends and teachers, bringing them a lot of laughter which can ease the pain of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin.


The happiness of the teachers is experiencing the progress, optimism and trust in life of the students. {keywords}

Teacher Pham Thi Phuong Thao and a student at a class at the village



The teachers’ happiness may simply come from smiles on the faces of students


Over the past 13 years, Thao has worked both as a teacher and a second mother of the children at the village.


“Witnessing the children’s progresses is the motivation for me to work harder”, Thao said, adding that she has helped her students to do simple things in their lives, such as self-care skills and learning to write with their own hands.


Born into a family in which her father is a war veteran and her brother-in-law is an AO/dioxin victim, Thao understands the pain left by the war. What concerns her the most is that AO/dioxin children have difficulties in expressing their emotions and communicating with others. Thus, at the class, she tries to help them increase their mobility and communication skills.


The children at the village also learn about the arts, sewing and take part in sporting activities.


Linh, a 19-year-old student at the village, has a dream of becoming a teacher.


Thao and other teachers at the village have tried to improve their classroom skills in order to accompany their students on their way to integrate into the community.



Nhan Dan