British advocate for AO victims meets with students

Len Aldis, secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society (BVFS), met with more than 200 students at the Ho Chi Minh Student Cultural House on October 25.

Mr. Len Aldis (C) and students at the HCM City Student Cultural House on October 25.

An advocate for Agent Orange (AO) victims, Aldis has made more than 30 visits to Vietnam over the past 20 years. He has campaigned around the world to educate people about the plight of Vietnamese AO victims, calling for justice.

In Vietnam, Aldis and BVFS members have carried out several humanitarian missions to help AO victims in Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong City and the provinces of Quang Tri and Thanh Hoa among others.

He also created the online petition (http://www.petitiononline.com/AOVN/petition.html) which has been signed by millions of people throughout the world in support of Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange Dioxin.

More than four million Vietnamese have been affected by the toxic herbicide Agent Orange used by the US army during the Vietnam War. The effects of Agent Orange have now spread to third and four generations, Aldis said.

The struggle for justice, which began in earnest in 2004, remains ongoing, he added.

Asked by a student why he was inspired to help AO victims, Aldis said he witnessed the devastating effects of AO during his first trip to Vietnam and couldn’t stop thinking about it. He then resolved to help victims any way he could.

Another student asked Aldis’s advice on gaining justice for AO victims. He responded that young Vietnamese people should make an effort to better understand the victims and their pain, and that this would inspire them to fight for justice.

We cannot stop and give up the struggle, Aldis said. The war is over, but there is still another fight to gain justice for the living and I will dedicate my life to helping Vietnamese AO victims, he added.

Source: SGGP Bookmark & Share

Veteran receives Hero of Labor honor

President Nguyen Minh Triet has signed a decision granting the title Hero of Labor to Trinh Van Y (Trinh Mai Son), chairman of the Ben Tre Science & Technique Association of Bridge and Road for his outstanding achievements and contributions to the Fatherland.

Mr. Trinh Van Y stands beside the 730th bridge he raised funds to rebuild. (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

Mr. Trinh Van Y, former deputy chairman of the Ben Tre Province People’ Committee, retired in 2001. He then began visiting his former war comrades around the country and along his trips observed many rural roads which were badly damaged and in need of repair.

It was then that he began soliciting donations from citizens and charity organizations to build improved bridges and roads in rural areas.

From 2003-2008, the association raised a total of VND8.5 billion in donations to build and upgrade 700 bridges and 75 km of rural roads.

The funds also helped to remove 624 degraded bridges and upgraded 42 unsafe ferry stations used by hundreds of thousands of people. 

To date, the hore has now mobilized funds to build and upgrade a total of 900 bridges and 102 km of rural roads linking nine districts in Ben Tre Province, contributing to the country’s socio-economic development.

Source: SGGP Bookmark & Share

From poverty to billionaire: Apricot farmer

Not many people know that Nguyen Thanh Son, or Ba Son, is a billionaire and became one from planting apricot blossom in Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City, and only a few people know he came from a very poor background.

Love of Apricot Blossom

Ba Son cannot forget the image of his poor homeland of Ben Tre Province. He was orphaned when he was young and had to live with his maternal grandmother.

He had to work hard to earn a living and take care of his younger brothers.

He went to Thu Duc, HCMC with his grandmother to work. He went to school in the morning and sold flowers with his grandmother in An Dong Market from the afternoon until the evening.

Going to Ho Chi Minh City from Ben Tre, Ba Son did not own land to plant flowers so he had to borrow money from his relatives in order to rent land.

After many failures in planting flowers, he was still poor and fell into debt.

He decided to study ways to plant flowers and he was patient enough to graft apricot trees until he achieved success. He produced apricot trees that nobody else had.

When he achieved success, he started expanding his business and saved money to buy land.

Today, he has around 60,000 apricot trees and created jobs for 30 workers, each with an income of VND2 million per month.

He had escaped his impoverished background and became a successful farmer.

Not forgetting his roots

Ba Son said most planters have their own secrets to planting flowers and trees but all have a common love of their job, are all hard working, patient and take care of their apricot trees. It takes time to create quality trees, Ba Son added.

Nguyen Thanh Son, or Ba Son in his garden with apricot trees. He became a billionaire after successfully planting and selling apricot trees. (Photo: SGGP)

The number of apricot trees increased to such a point that Ba Son borrowed money from the bank to buy land in Tan Uyen, Binh Duong Province.

With 50 hectares, Ba Son rents out apricot trees during the Tet holidays.

He said that he rents out two of the most beautiful apricot trees from his own garden, having charged VND45 million in last the New Year’s festival.

There were many kinds and colors of apricot trees in Ba Son’s garden, such as white apricot trees, pink apricot and yellow of apricot.

Currently, he runs the Ba Son Grafting Apricot Company. Although he has billions of dong, he still takes care of his flowers everyday from morning to evening.

He has three sons, one is an agricultural engineer, one is at junior college and the other is in tenth form.

He said that he had to work hard because of poverty, so he always reminds his sons to study more and study hard to get success.
 

 

Source: SGGP