12 November 2012 - Ethnic Minorities get in touch with students

The people from Cao Bang, aged from mid-twenty to 54 years, got on an airplane for the first time of their lives. Most of them never even left their village before. Coming to Ho Chi Minh City was a real adventure to all of them.

Their visit was organized by the NGOs Helvetas and Decen, which run a project for improved livelihood for Ethnic Minorities in Cao Bang called "Cao Bang Craft Belt". The reason for the 4-day- journey to Saigon was a handicraft bazaar, held on Sunday, 11 November at the Renaissance Riverside Hotel.

At school, the students could ask questions to the people from Mong, Lo Lo, Nung, Red Dao and Money Dao tribe. One of them, 49-year-old Luong Chi Kim reported: "Saigon is beautiful. There are so many buildings and it’s very clean along the ways." Luong Chi Kim from Nung Minority works as a crop farmer and lives with three generations of her family under one roof. "I was nervous to get on an airplane", she said. "I couldn’t image how we would get to Saigon."

Luong Chi Kim and her fellow passengers appeared in traditional clothing. Helvetas-Manager Tu Anh Nguyen said that the people were concerned about being discriminated for their appearance. "But in fact, everybody wants to shoot a picture of them, because of their clothes. Now they feel like stars", she said.

Also the school kids admired the self-made dresses of the guests. As IGS is an International School for Cultural Exchange, this encounter was highly appreciated and we are looking forward to meet new people from other cultures another time.