Samsung’s Library Lights the Future in Vietnam

In Bac Ninh, nearby Hanoi, Vietnam, most of the parents are farmers, and most of the students aren’t able to spend as much time as they would like in school because they need to help their families run the farms. As a result, the educational level in this region is lower than other areas of Vietnam.

So Samsung, along with Global Civic Sharing (GCS, a Seoul-based development NGO), helped open a library in this town to help the students reach their academic potential. Over 2,000 books were donated and the children here are now able to focus on their studies after school. The teachers also go to the library to develop better teaching methods.

All these things have resulted in a real change in the effectiveness of the school. In less than a year, the school’s ranking has increased to the second highest rank among local schools. One of the students who has benefitted from the library is Nguyen Thi Hong Tham.

Tham is a student at Do-Dong middle school. She is a common student like others – she likes to learn and tends to get a bit nervous before exams. Her routine starts 6 o’clock every morning. After having breakfast with her family, she rides her bicycle to school. When her lessons finish around noon, she always returned home to help her mom with some of the household chores.

However, Tham’s life changed since the library was built and it became her favorite place. Through the books she has read, she has been introduced to a whole new world and has even begun to make bigger plans for her future.

The library in Do-Dong Middle School is a special place for Tham, as well as for many of the students.  It represents a place where students can share in their learning, spend time with each other, and gain access to a brighter future.

The Samsung Library of Hope encourages students like Tham to find the harmony, grace, and beauty of cultures around the world, and to pursue their educational dreams.

Click to read a related article at Samsung Village.