Samsung’s on-going relationship with the Locals in Vietnam

2014 marks Samsung’s 6th year of operating in Vietnam, the world’s 13th-most-populous country and the 8th-most-populous Asian country* located in the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Thanks to the supportive local communities, Samsung has been able to establish its position in Vietnam. Needless to say, this is a symbiotic relationship, which is why Samsung and its members feel compelled to actively promote and support volunteering activities within the company. And today we would like to share the most recent stories of Samsung’s on-going relationship.

Last month in June, more than 300 of Samsung’s most recent members visited 4 places that are familiar among the locals in Vietnam: Bac Ninh, the Dermatology and Leprosy Hospital (formerly known as Qua Cam Leprosy village), Huong La Love house in the Luong Tai district, Thuan Thuan Helping Disabled Children Center and Dong Tien Commune, Yen Phong District.

Three of the volunteer locations are places where people go to get medical treatment and rehabilitation, while the visit to Dong Tien Commune, in Yen Phong District (near Samsung’s factory) was where volunteers cleaned up the street collecting garbage and sweeping the street.

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In the case of the medical facilities, volunteers saw and helped children, treated with serious cases of illness/disease, disabled people, amputees, or even abandoned children; some children lay motionless in bed without being able to speak or eat.

Even though the 300+ new members at Samsung are not medical experts and could not help them heal physically, they did what anyone can do best — they showed genuine love and created emotional connections. Volunteers divided into small groups to entertain the people at the facilities: they played, sang songs, danced, and exchanged gifts. Vu Thu Trang from the Complex Planning G at Samsung Electronics Vietnam said, “Many of us were really surprised because they actually enjoyed singing and dancing with us! I think we all had a great time being there.”

However, the most powerful thing they did was probably the simplest thing: they had conversations.

“I was grateful for the opportunity to talk to a number of very lovely children. Especially, it was a heart melting to see children to share exciting and imaginative dreams,” said Nguyen Viet Minh, one of the participants from Compliance G at Samsung Electronics Vietnam. “For instance, Tiep, an energetic boy who had lived in House of Love for 3 years, wished he were a transformer who can transform into a bird to fly in the sky or a blue whale to dive to the ocean bottom; Trang, a pretty girl with matured characteristic, desired to become a tourist guide to travel around the world. It was very humbling to see innocence and optimism in them despite their harsh reality.”

Talking and listening to people not only generates mutual understanding for each other, but also creates a sense of optimism and energy amongst people, which is beneficial to both parties involved.

In the end, for businesses, it is all about understanding, connecting, assimilating, and ultimately creating shared value. And it is no secret that this starts from the bottom up with the support of the organization. Therefore, volunteering and participation really matter. We’ve heard that the members who participated are looking forward to the next program.