Le Hai Yen, a Vietnamese woman born in the 1980s, discovered the “The Human Library” project in Denmark and decided to establish a similar library format in Vietnam. The library allows people to listen to life stories by borrowing people instead of books. It has been operating online for almost two years, making it accessible to anyone. Yen believes that everyone is unique and that judgment and comparison are meaningless. The library features volunteers who have faced various challenges and hardships, such as prejudice, but have overcome them. They share their own scars and life stories, including experiences of sexual abuse, depression, and loss. Yen herself is a human book, sharing her story of learning to love her weaknesses. The library aims to connect people who have suffered past hurts and losses and help them learn to love themselves. The library operates on the Zoom platform with two virtual reading sessions each lasting 30-35 minutes. The human books turn on their webcams during their sessions. The library has brought people with similar fates together and provided relief and solace through heartfelt conversations. It has also reached international audiences, including cancer patients who have gained insights from the stories they borrowed. The library has been a source of encouragement and gratitude for its participants.
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Expats, locals clean up Hanoi
On Xuan Dieu Street in Hanoi, these days, you might catch a glimpse of a group of foreigners and Vietnamese collecting trash, which has illegally been dumped into the small lake by the side of the road.
Upcycling old tires into toys for disadvantaged children Vietnam’s remote areas
Instead of selling old tires as scraps, a team of social workers in Ho Chi Minh City chooses to make them into a playground to entertain disadvantaged children.
Spreading warmth amidst cold nights
The North region is experiencing the coldest days of winter. Normally at night, everyone would quickly return to their home to avoid the silvering cold. However, there are young people from a volunteer group called “Ấm” (Warm) in Hanoi willing to go outside the streets at night to spread warmth to the homeless.
Made-in-Vietnam vaccine enters 2nd phase of human trials
The first 35 volunteers received injections of the locally-produced Nano Covax vaccine in the 2nd phase of human trials at the Military Medical University in Hanoi on February 26. Nanocovax is Vietnam’s first COVID-19 vaccine to reach the human trial stage.
Human trials start on second Vietnam-produced COVID-19 vaccine
Six out of 120 volunteers were injected with Vietnam’s second homegrown candidate vaccine COVIVAC.
