An unmanned handicraft stand has appeared in the hall of the University of Economics and Finance, Ho Chi Minh City, as part the students' effort to raise funds for disadvantaged children this month.

The stand starts off another phase of the public-spirited Art for Kid 3 project, launched by the students at the end of last year.

Diverse colorful handmade items are on sale, displayed with prices in front of them and a project introduction board hung above.

Visitors can freely select a product and leave their cash in the collection box nearby.

A number of teachers, students and international volunteers to the project visited the handicraft stand to make a purchase as a way to support the cause.

The sale proceeds are expected to support the construction of a playground out of eco-friendly, recycled materials for an illiteracy-eliminating class of primary school-age children in a suburban district of Ho Chi Minh City.

International participants join Art for Kid 3, adding luster to it. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The children, whose parents are immigrants to the city, grow with a difficult family background that proves detrimental to their opportunity to enjoy a happy childhood.

The help extended to the poor children on this occasion is antedated by two other charity activities by Art for Kid 3 in Tay Ninh and Binh Duong – Ho Chi Minh City’s neighbors.

The project is designed to provide the participants with valuable lessons in working in teams, gaining sponsorship, building up funds and organizing events, according to Vu Xuan Thanh, deputy director of the university's student affairs office.

“During the course of carrying out the program, each student will be mature in their thinking and behavior,” he said.

It is deemed a commonplace that Vietnamese university and college students organize themselves variously to create financial support for part of the community, but setting an unattended stand modeled upon a Japanese sale practice for that purpose seems to be unheard of.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!