The most significant project of our Overseas Mission this year has been the establishment of a Language Lab for a deprived school in Long An Province.  The ISC has been supporting the Bo De Phuong Duy (BDPD) School since 2016 on account of its impressive record for academic excellence.  BDPD is a Buddhist school located in the rural area of Vietnam in Thua Thien Township (about 60 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City) which is entirely supported by the local community and private donors.  Administered by the Venerable Thich Quang Tam (the Abbott of the Long Thanh Pagoda), and assisted by more than 50 volunteer teachers, BDPD offered educational opportunities to around 200 underprivileged youths and needy orphans from Elementary through Secondary levels.

On our Overseas Mission trip last year, I informally interviewed two young students asking them what they want to become when they grow up.  Each of them said they want to work as interpreters for foreign visiting officials.  When I asked the school administrators about the availability of foreign language learning at the school for interested students, they said it was almost nonexistent due to lack of resources.  The idea of establishing a Language Lab came out of that trip.

With his adorable daughters Thy and Vy, Mr. Phong Bui an ISC’s Board member, initiated a spectacular online fundraising campaign last Christmas season targeted at his Vietnamese-Americans acquaintances.  The valiant fundraising effort generated $6,080.42 in donations.  In the meantime, our ISC’s young volunteers were busy collecting school supplies and Hershey candies for the BDPD children.

After several weeks of intensive preparation, Mr. Thien and I left for Vietnam on Christmas Day.  Upon our arrival, we contacted the staff of BDPD School to let them know that we have the money, and they could go ahead with the Language Lab Project.  On January 3, 2020, Mr. Thien, Mrs. Anh Thu (our Project Assistant in Vietnam), three other volunteers, and myself went to BDPD School, to present the $6,000 needed for the cost of equipping the Language Lab with 15 workstations and a 2-hp air conditioner.  With the assistance of our computer-savvy volunteers, Mr. Sanh and Mr. Binh, we also evaluated the adequacy of the work being done by the local contractors.  During that visit, we met a recently retired computer technician from San Jose, CA, who came back to Vietnam several times a year to serve as a volunteer at the BDPD School.  We invited him to team up with us in this project.  He gladly accepted.  After spending approximately an hour in the Language Lab for our volunteers to test the operation of all 15 computers, we realized that the room was getting quite warm.  We suggested the school administrators to acquire a second air conditioner for the Language Lab, since we had received a providential donation of $1,000 from my generous niece, Ms. Geneva Pham, a few days before our trip.  The school administrators were truly grateful for that additional gift.

On January 15, 2020, our Overseas Mission Team and volunteers returned to BDPD School to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the Language Lab as well as presentation of over 50 scholarships to deserving students.  Those scholarships were made possible by a donation from Mrs. Anh Thu, our compassionate Overseas Project Assistant.  The dedicated school staff and many talented students welcomed us with a fantastic show which includes traditional dances, modern songs (in English, learned from the internet!) and even a school marching band performance.  Before leaving, the Abbott and teachers invited our Team to share a fellowship lunch with the teaching staff and students.