February 2017  Tuy Hoa, Vietnam

The first thing we had to learn was how to pronounce the name of this south-central Vietnamese city:  Twee Wha.  Located in the province of Phu Yen, the city is on the South China Sea, with a long, undeveloped beach and rough water.  Our sponsors were MCNV (Medical Committee Netherlands Vietnam), with whom we

worked in 2016.  So after a quick meeting with them in Hanoi, where they were celebrating a late Tet with a talent show… we flew to Tuy Hoa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thuy #2 came with us to Tuy Hoa and brought us to the center for physically and mentally challenged youth where we were to teach 7 students and 5 teachers.

 

 

 

 

1st day, 7 am, in time for the weekly flag ceremony.  Because the students are deaf,  they sign the national anthem to the beat of an enormous and very loud drum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here they are:

Duong, pronounced Yung, is the school’s vice-principal .  She was also our energetic, patient, giggly sign-language interpreter. She has been working here for 24 years and plans to teach what she has learned in this workshop to other children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thai, age 13, loves photography but wants to be a mechanic.  He loves cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tram, pronounced Cham, is a new teacher who loves working with disadvantaged chlldren.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 18, Dat’s only family is his mother.  He hopes to  work to support his mum and himself in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huong has been teaching here for 24 years.  She loves her students because they are disadvantaged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanh is 12 years old and loves taking beautiful photos of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hoa has two daughters.  He has taught here for 14 years and loves seeing the children develop and grow every day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tien, 15,  loves basketball and wants to be a basketball player; he also wants to be a fisherman because he grew up in a fishing village.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dao has taught here for two years.  She hopes to take more beautiful photos after this class and to travel more to new places she can photograph.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hop, 16, never knew how to use a camera, but she does now.  She wants to be a shoe maker because she wants to protect people’s feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thien, 17, wants to be a tailor because she loves designing new clothes. She enjoys taking photos and hopes to take photos of the clothes she designs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because these students were born deaf, it’s hard for them to express themselves verbally.  So our translator Nguyen and vice-principal Doang helped them with their artist statements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And we talked less and went on field trips to the market, to the beach (one block away), and to the old tower built by the Champa people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparing the exhibition:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Department of miscellaneous photos…just for fun!