A dorm built in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City has served as a place for Lao and Cambodian students to live and nurture the friendship between the peoples of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

The Lao Student Dormitory, located on Cach Mang Thang 8 Street in District 3, a downtown area, has welcomed around 425 students from Laos over the last decade.

It is also home to students from Cambodia when they come to study in the city.

Nguyen Thanh Doan, the director of the dorm, shared that the building helps Lao and Cambodian students integrate into life in Vietnam and get them through difficulties they encounter while living in the country.

“The dorm not only takes care of Lao and Cambodian students, but is also a place to strengthen the friendship among the three countries, letting the seeds of friendship form and grow over time,” said Lam Dinh Thang, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

Southideth Phommalat, Lao Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, said many Lao students who studied in the city have attained leadership positions since returning to Laos.

He also confirmed that Ho Chi Minh City leaders, teachers, and the management board of the Lao Student Dormitory deserve credit for creating these human resources.

Their thoughtful care of Lao students has created favorable conditions for them to live and study in the city, he added.

In return, Lao students have also contributed to the city by participating in volunteer campaigns led by local youths, such as joining environmental protection projects or visiting disadvantaged people in remote areas.

Many of them have become familiar faces at city summer camps gathering children from the three Indochinese countries held in Ho Chi Minh City in recent years.

Besides, many Lao students have also taken field trips to local tourist destinations and historical relics to learn more about Vietnamese history and culture.

Their time spent living in the Lao Student Dormitory has left an unforgettable impression on them, many admitted.

Sisouvong Malivankham, a former student at the University of Economics- Ho Chi Minh City who now lives and works in the U.S., said he fondly remembers the days spent in the Vietnamese megacity, as well as the love and care of the dorm’s managers.

“And the cultural exchange festivals as well,” he added.

“I have become more mature, more confident, and stronger during my time here,” Veurnkham Khamphasouk, another student, said. “The dorm has become my second home over the last four years.”

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