About 10km from the center of Hoi An (Quang Nam province), there is a special factory. Local vulnerable women and women with disabilities call this place the Happy Shop - their home.

Using scraps of fabric, they learn from each other and create recycled products.

Ho Phuong Dieu, 23, was born with cerebral palsy, and her hands could not move normally, making sewing difficult. However, thanks to the enthusiastic help of other members at the shop, she makes recycled products with her feet.

"I'm very happy to be able to make useful products from rags, earn money from my labor and contribute to protecting the environment," Dieu said.

Like Dieu, disabled women feel happy when they can do useful things, less worried about their livelihood and have a spiritual support.

In the past two years, thanks to this shop, more than 1 ton of waste of the garment industry in Hoi An has been "transformed" into handmade products instead of being thrown away to landfills.

The recycled products are very diverse, such as shopping bags, aprons, masks, hair clips, wallets, notebooks, coasters... Because they are handmade products from leftover fabric, they are unique and preferred by customers.

At this special shop, depending on their health, the employees divide their work as tailors, embroiderers, fabric sorters...

The shop doesn't set specific working hours. Employees can go home whenever they feel tired or when their work completes. 100% of the profits are divided equally among all employees.

This small shop has helped souls in need of protection find the fulcrum of human love. True to the name of the shop, this place has people with imperfect lives but their smiles are always full!

The greatest success of the "Happy Shop" is probably in the happiness of each member.

Nguyen Hoang Quynh Ny, 22, said that due to a severe disability, she has lived a closed life since childhood. Since joining the Happy Shop, she has had opportunities to meet with people, making herself more confident.

In March 2023, members of the Happy Shop acted as models for a fashion show introducing designs recycled from rags in Hoi An. The performance attracted thousands of tourists.

“We see each other as family members. The store not only creates jobs, but also brings a lot of laughter. This is my second home and I hope to be here for a long time," Ny said.

The shop regularly organizes workshops to instruct visitors and students to create recycled products.

“Such workshops attract large numbers of participants, thereby helping to spread the habit of consuming environmentally friendly products. In the coming time, the shop will recycle some new materials such as plastic bags, plastic boxes, discarded fishing nets...", said Do Thi Ngoc Thao - Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Cam Nam ward.