Spreading compassion through volunteer clubs
From volunteer clubs in Hai Phong, a lot of meaningful activities have brought communities together, supported people in need and fostered compassion.
Sowing the seeds of compassion
In 2020, the Live to Love Volunteer Club was established with the aspiration of spreading positive values. The club now has 20 members and mainly operates in Tu Ky Commune and nearby areas.
In 2021, as Vietnam battled the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chi Linh Volunteer Club was founded in Chu Van An Ward with the aim of becoming a bridge connecting donors with people in need. The club is headed by Nguyen Thi Phuong Nga. From an initial 10 members, it has grown to 37.
According to Nga, there was no single defining moment that led her to volunteer work. After witnessing many people living in extremely difficult circumstances, she and her colleagues realized that if they could do even a little to ease someone's hardship, it was worth doing. The trust of local residents, the support of benefactors and the solidarity among the members have become the driving force behind the club's continued activities.
There are times when the pressures of daily life leave members feeling exhausted, but the smiles and gratitude of those they help give them renewed motivation to carry on.
"We do volunteer work not because we have a lot to give, but because we believe the greatest happiness comes from being able to give," said Nga.
Connecting hearts
Tran Van Thanh of Nguyen Trai Ward is one of many people who have received support from the Chi Linh Volunteer Club. In 2025, he lost one arm in a workplace accident, while the other required reconstructive surgery with an artificial bone implant. Around the same time, his son was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
"My family had spent all our savings on my treatment, so we had nothing left for my son. The club raised and provided us with more than VND 70 million. At a time when we were overwhelmed both emotionally and financially, that support helped my family through the hardest period," Thanh said.
Nguyen Thi Hien and her sister Nguyen Thi Hau in Lac Phuong Commune have also received timely assistance from the Live to Love Volunteer Club. The sisters, both in poor health, depended on each other while living in a dilapidated house with no income. With more than VND 67 million raised by the club and additional support from donors, they were able to build a new single-story house worth VND 120 million.
Over the years, the Chi Linh Volunteer Club has carried out many practical programs, including the Weekend Breakfast initiative, which provides free porridge and noodle soup to patients at Chi Linh Leprosy Hospital, and the Tet of Love program, which delivers hundreds of gifts to leprosy patients, elderly people living alone and children with disabilities.
Tran Dieu Thuy said what touched her most was seeing many people who had once received support from the club return later as donors to help others facing hardship. To her, this is how compassion continues to spread.
Many other volunteer groups and clubs across the city are also making quiet but meaningful contributions. Without seeking recognition, they continue to serve as "recharging stations" of compassion, easing the burdens of the poor, providing support for vulnerable people and strengthening faith in the kindness that exists throughout the port city.
THU HUONG