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Hearts far from home

In the early days of October 2025, as reports of the devastation caused by successive storms and floods in Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands appeared across the media, the Vietnamese community in Germany launched an urgent fundraising campaign to support compatriots back home. Earlier, the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front had called on Vietnamese people at home and abroad to join hands in assisting residents in the Central and Central Highlands regions affected by severe flooding.

The fundraising delegation of the Senvang Berlin Charity Association visited familiar gathering places of the Vietnamese community in Berlin. At Pho Da Pagoda, just a few hours after the campaign was launched, donations had already reached 2,000 euros. At a Vietnamese-owned auto garage, the owner contributed 1,000 euros and simply said: “My hometown is in Central. Every time there is news of floods, I cannot sleep.”

At several restaurants, not only the owners but also groups of waiters and kitchen assistants each contributed dozens of euros. Some young people born in Germany, who could not speak Vietnamese fluently, still asked adults to help transfer “10-20 euros back home.”

Such contributions were collected over many days through associations, commercial centers, and Vietnamese community groups across Germany. According to the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Germany, within nearly three weeks of launching the campaign on October 5, 2025, overseas Vietnamese had raised more than 120,000 euros, equivalent to approximately VND 3.7 billion, to support those affected by storms and floods.

Representatives of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in the Czech Republic present a symbolic board for VND 10.3 billion in donations supporting compatriots in Vietnam. (Photo: Dieu Linh)

Similar campaigns also took place among Vietnamese communities in many other countries. In the Czech Republic, following the appeal from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Vietnamese associations organized donation drives at various commercial centers and local communities.

Nguyen Thanh Huong, Vice Chairman of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in the Czech Republic, said that in the first phase alone, the community raised more than VND 4 billion to send back to Vietnam. After subsequent storms, the amount continued to rise to more than VND 10 billion.

What Huong emphasized most was not the amount of money raised, but rather how the community monitored the receipt and use of the donations.

“We established a transparent account. Everyone contributing could see how much money was increasing day by day and how the funds were being used. Seeing such transparency, the community strongly agreed and wholeheartedly supported the effort,” Huong said.

According to the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, in 2025 alone, the widespread response to the appeal of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front mobilized nearly VND 45 billion and 15 tons of essential goods from overseas Vietnamese communities around the world.

An overseas Vietnamese delegation participates in the 10th National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front. (Photo: Courtesy of the source)

Transparency builds trust

According to data from the Vietnam Fatherland Front, fundraising campaigns supporting people affected by Typhoon Bualoi and the floods in Central Vietnam in 2025 received more than VND 4.2 trillion. Earlier, the campaign supporting victims of Typhoon Yagi in 2024 raised over VND 5.3 trillion.

Following Typhoon Yagi in 2024, the Central Relief Mobilization Committee publicly released more than 12,000 pages of bank statements listing donations on the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s official fanpage. The records included transactions ranging from a few thousand dong to hundreds of millions of dong, clearly specifying the transfer time, amount, and donation details of individuals, organizations, and businesses.

This level of transparency has been highly appreciated by many overseas Vietnamese associations when discussing domestic fundraising campaigns.

Luong Xuan Hoa, member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Udon Thani, Thailand, said that for many years, the Vietnamese community in Thailand has remained united, closely connected, and highly responsive to appeals from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front to support compatriots in Vietnam affected by natural disasters, storms, floods, and epidemics.

“Whenever the country faces difficulties, as soon as the Front launches a campaign, overseas Vietnamese respond very quickly. Some contribute a little, others contribute more, but everyone wants to share with compatriots at home through their affection and sense of responsibility,” Hoa said.

According to him, what makes overseas Vietnamese willing to participate in such campaigns is their trust in the Vietnam Fatherland Front in fostering the great national unity bloc and in receiving and coordinating aid in an open and transparent manner.

“People trust that their contributions are delivered to the right places and the right people in need of support,” he said.

Dr. Tran Hai Linh presents donations to the Fund for the poor and social welfare initiatives. (Photo: Courtesy of the source)

Dr. Tran Hai Linh, member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Chairman of the Vietnam-Korea Business and Investment Association (VKBIA), and Founding Chairman of the Vietnam-Korea Experts and Intellectuals Association (VKEIA), said that the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s work in mobilizing, receiving, and allocating social support resources has become increasingly effective, especially in terms of openness, transparency, and accountability.

According to him, in recent fundraising campaigns, the public disclosure of campaign purposes, beneficiary groups, figures on donations received, distribution progress, as well as the application of information technology and regular updates through the media, has made it easier for both domestic residents and overseas Vietnamese to monitor the process.

“When people see that their contributions are being used for the right purposes, reaching the right beneficiaries, and producing tangible results, their support and companionship become even stronger,” he said.

Le Van Mui, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Vientiane, Laos, said that during his seven years as a member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, he has clearly felt the Front’s role in connecting overseas Vietnamese communities.

“Overseas Vietnamese feel that they are listened to, cared for, and able to participate in the country’s shared affairs,” he said.

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