Former German vice-chancellor celebrates 50th birthday by giving back to Vietnamese orphanage
Monday, June 05, 2023, 16:26 GMT+7
Vietnamese-born Philipp Rösler, former vice-chancellor of Germany, marked his milestone 50th birthday in a meaningful way by requesting the birthday party-goers to make donations to an orphanage in Vietnam, instead of offering him gifts.
The birthday celebration took place last Friday night in the German city of Hildesheim, with the participation of more than 500 guests, including many former and incumbent top officials of European nations.
Supporting disadvantaged children in Vietnam
Philipp Rösler previously served as German vice-chancellor and economic minister under the administration of Angela Merkel, during which he was the youngest Cabinet member as well as the first Cabinet minister of Asian descent in Germany.
Before he became a famous political figure in Germany, Rösler was brought up by the nuns at an orphanage at the Soc Trang Providence Convent, located in Soc Trang Province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region.
He spent the first nine months of his childhood at the orphanage before being adopted by a German family in November 1973.
Despite his vague childhood memories about Vietnam, the former German vice-chancellor’s aspiration to learn more about his homeland shows no signs of abating.
Early last year, Rösler came back to the orphanage for the first time after 49 years.
The orphanage remained operational for a few years after his adoption. Then, it was transformed into a school and medical facility, which was again converted into an orphanage after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Around three years ago, the facility received little attention from the public. But when it became an orphanage again post pandemic, it needs support for the children, especially those orphaned by the pandemic, Rösler told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday, recalling his visit to the orphanage.
They need to go to school and need psychological support, he added.
“I’m convinced that it’s my destiny to support that orphanage. Because destiny brought me back to that orphanage when it had urgent needs,” Rösler said.
Therefore, he called on the party-goers to offer help to the orphanage, rather than giving him birthday presents.
“A good night for Vietnam”
More than 500 guests arrived in Hildesheim to join the birthday party, including top-level politicians, businesspeople and friends of Rösler, such as German Finance Minister Christian Lindner and former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Also, Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Phung The Long took a nine-hour car trip to celebrate the birthday with Rösler and was so moved to learn about the call for donations to the orphanage.
Many European guests at the celebration have a close relationship with Vietnam, such as chairman of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee David McAllister, who took part in the negotiations for the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.
“He [McAllister] knows about my background in Vietnam and he fully supports the activities [donations],” Rösler elaborated.
Rösler also described the birthday party as “a good night for Vietnam” that “fulfills my destiny to support the country where I was born.”
He had yet to work out the total value of donations offered by the party-goers, but he said he was happy seeing the guests actively respond to his call for donations.
Rösler shared that he would send a majority of the donations to back the education of children at the orphanage.
In addition, part of the donations would be used as medical scholarships for young women in the Mekong Delta region.
“When they finish their professional education, we will send them back to the Mekong Delta in order to help build up the local society and the primary healthcare system,” he said.
According to him, he will authorize the “Care to Rise” program to handle the donations.
Rösler is the international chairman of the program, jointly implemented by VinaCapital Foundation and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh City to access, protect, encourage and provide long-term care to COVID-19 orphans.
Further, he revealed that he will revisit Vietnam by the end of this month to promote investments in Vietnam by FDI firms.
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| Anna Lucia Ri, a 89-year-old Vietnamese nun whose real name is Vo Thi Ri, directly took care of the former German vice-chancellor Philipp Rösler during his time at the Soc Trang Providence Convent, located in Soc Trang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Tong Khoa / Tuoi Tre |
Anna Lucia Ri, a 89-year-old Vietnamese nun whose real name is Vo Thi Ri, directly took care of the former German vice-chancellor Philipp Rösler during his time at the Soc Trang Providence Convent.
The nun, who joined the religious establishment when she was eighteen years old, told Tuoi Tre that many children were abandoned at that time as their parents were very poor and could not afford raising their kids.
Some parents gave their children to the orphanage, while some left their kids in the trash bin area in front of the facility.
These abandoned kids were brought up thanks to donations made by local residents, Ri recalled.
Like other kids there, Rösler was found abandoned in the trash bin by local inhabitants and was brought to the orphanage.
Two years after his adoption into a German family, Ri moved to Can Tho City, also in the Mekong Delta, as the Soc Trang orphanage suspended operations.
She has heard almost nothing about him since then.
Through the media, the nun knew that Rösler became vice-chancellor of Germany, saying that she was glad for his success.
Ri said that his call for donations to disadvantaged Vietnamese children at his birthday celebration is a precious thing.
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