Danneman tells Phap Luat TPHCM newspaper that on March 21, 2009, he celebrated his 29th birthday by walking down the street and playing the saxophone. He played for 10 hours, but he did not feel tired. Danneman was happy and found that he loved playing on the street because everyone could stop to enjoy his performance.

This is the second time Danneman has come to Vietnam, and he has visited many different sites around the country. When he goes anywhere, he always takes his saxophone and plays it, and Saigon is the place he has played the most. Besides saxophone, Danneman plays clarinet. To Danneman, the rhythm of the saxophone is suitable for noisy and crowded streets.

Danneman says that he also plays in parks, and in his opinion, traffic jams are interesting in Saigon. In New York, he plays in the mornings, while in Vietnam he plays after work. At that time, people may feel tired because of traffic jams, and Danneman hopes that the rhythms from his saxophone will make them forget their fatigue.

Blind man builds boats

Though Nguyen Van Lien, 70, in Tho Don Village, Quang Trach District, Quang Binh Province, is blind, he is famous for building coracles.

Lien lost his sight when he was 20 years old. He intended to commit suicide but luckily, his mother learned of his intentions and encouraged him to live. Lien says that when he was young, some elders had taught him how to weave bamboo sieves and baskets. He had to practice the craft again after he was blinded. Overcoming difficulties, after three months Lien could make various products, including coracles.

Because local demand for coracles has increased, Lien has decided to work on these boats exclusively. In spite of his blindness, he can tell the characteristics of bamboo sections when he touches them. To local people, Lien is a disabled man but he can work to support his family. This makes him a good example for other handicapped people, reported Saigon Tiep Thi newspaper.

Helping those in need

My Hoa Hung Commune in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang has many poor households, and in turn many charity groups have been established to support those people.

In 2007, Nguyen Tan Khoi, 63, established a 35-member group that built houses for poor local families. This team has built and handed over 243 houses. Khoi says that he is not rich, but he learned that many locals are poorer than he is. As such, he is supporting their endeavors to enjoy better lives.

Also in My Hoa Hung, an 81-year-old man named Nguyen Van Thuong has built a 30-square-meter storage to keep rice for charity. At first, locals contributed rice; later, they have changed their donations to giving rice and money, and Thuong has used those funds to buy rice. He also has saved 120 square meters of land to store firewood for needy households.

Thuong told Tien Phong newspaper that every year, about four local people do not ask to receive rice because their lives have improved, and some of them give rice to help others. Thuong gives rice on the 15th day of every lunar month. Those who are ill can ask for rice, and Thuong sometimes gives money for their treatment. “We often ask each other to do charity work to help everyone,” he said.

SGT