LA SALLE BROTHERS IN VIETNAM EMBRACING THE CORE MISSION.
Presented by Brother Simeon, fsc.
Auxiliary Visitor of the District of Saigon,
at the Convocation of the District of San Francisco, in October 1999.

First we are profoundly grateful to the Divine Providence for having put us in a privileged situation - though not always clearly perceived as such - to carry out the core Lasallian mission in Vietnam, that of “giving Christian education to the poor.” This should be seen as a real bliss for us, and through the eye of faith we can identify greater opportunity and stronger motivation for us to live out our Lasallian vocation.

Being devoid of schools and all their infrastructure enables us to devote more of our time and effort to embrace straightforwardly the Lasallian “principal function” of evangelization and catechesis. Thus, we have been trying to respond to one of the most urgent needs of our youth, the one that is deliberately ignored. Meanwhile, in terms of the poor, we are fully immersed in their world. Those most beloved children of God are right at our door, we do not have to reach out.

Our mission is mainly focused on the following sectors:
· Catechesis
· Remedial/vocational education
· Formation/permanent formation (of Brothers)

Our work is characterized by quasi-gratuity, flexibility, and abandon to God.

CATECHESIS
Almost all our Brothers, even those in their eighties, are directly involved in catechesis. This has been done in various ways such as:
· Catechism in parochial churches
· Catechist training
· YCS movement
and, sometimes, in an ingenious way: Bible sharing in English or French, for example, is such a “trick” of combination of studying the Holy Scripture and practicing a foreign language.
To do catechesis, the Brothers have to go into a real conversion. Our mathematicians and scientists had to put aside their formulas and go digging into Paulian epistles. The results show that they have been successful.
To cope with the lack of updated learning /teaching materials, Brother Alloysius, a former mathematics teacher now in his eighties, has labored in writing textbooks and workbooks for those religious classes. His series of materials proved to be efficient and was quite widely used.

Catechist training constitutes our main effort. Whereever possible we stage training sessions to help volunteer catechists refresh their religious knowledge and learn more appropriate ways to present it to their disciples. Young Lasallian scholastics are very active in this sector. Many catechist rallies have been held in Maithon. Twice have a group of them gone on an exposition to CaMau, the south most rural province of Vietnam where the means of transport is nothing but boat. The enthusiasm and eagerness shown in their reports exhibited their success and also their readiness to return to those remote and deprived swamps.

Somehow different from the common practice in western countries - all the above works are gratuitous. We are happy that they are as they were in the Founder’s time: beneficiaries have nothing to pay for their religious instruction.

REMEDIAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
To address the problem of inefficient teaching in public schools and also to earn some income for the community budget, most of our Brothers are involved in
· Tutorial lessons
· Boarding houses
· Language/Vocational centers

Tutorial lessons are given mostly in the community precincts. Parents are happy and confident to entrust their children to the Brothers’ care. Various are the subject matters, large is the range of age and, especially, flexible are the schedules. Brother Victor, for example, is able to set up a system of remedial classes serving to 700 schoolchildren in Hue with the help of some volunteers and Lasallian Aspirants.
To have safe and favorable environment for their study, students or schoolboys from the provinces resort to the Brothers. Almost all our communities state in their Community Annual Projects their will to share their space in order to set up and take care of boarding houses. Some 200 are currently accommodated in our communities. Many new Lasallian recruits also come from these “nurseries.” We also managed to get official license for some of our language and computer centers. Up to now, thousands have got their certificates of English or computer skills and armed with them, many of our learners were able to find quite choice jobs. In addition, with the support of friends and former students, vocational classes for street or disabled children have been set up. Those zero-fee woodcarving and cycle-mechanic training courses help gird them with skills to earn honestly a living on their own.

LASALLIAN FORMATION
Fully aware of the fact that a good number of young people still want to join us, and realizing our own responsibility for the vitality of the Institute, the District Chapter has set up an aggressive plan of formation:
· Formation houses
· Formation staff and programs
· Vietnamization of Lasallian writings

Communities with existing boarding houses are given the task of nurturing aspirants until they are mature enough to join the postulancy. So together with our Postulancy, and Noviciate, our newly built Scholasticate constitutes a complete formation infrastructure. The program of formation of aspirants, novices and scholastics is to be duly revised and so that there will be “a complete, comprehensive and updated program of formation.” Moreover, a project of formator training and a special status for the Director of Formation are being worked out. Meanwhile, to help our young Brothers with low mastery of English or French, all the documents from the Generalate have been translated into Vietnamese. A project aiming at providing the Brothers with more Vietnamese versions of Lasallian publications is being drafted in view of celebrating the centenary of the canonization of our Founder. This will also serve as an impetus for the permanent formation of the older Brothers.

CHALLENGES
Serious challenges are there waiting for us:
· To be up to the impending tasks we have to improve and update our competence in many aspects. An efficient project of permanent formation should be put into application.
· The lack of competence in foreign language which many of our younger Brothers suffer is still to be addressed aggressively.
· Objective difficulties will not disappear tomorrow morning, so the Brothers should be resolved to strengthen their tenacity in being faithful to their Lasallian vocation

HOPE
Not waiting for better working environment, we try to do our best making ours the words of our Rule “Despite the difficulties which they meet, the Brothers know, in faith, that God does not abandon his work but that it pleases him, to make it bear fruit day by day.” (R. 141)

***

Summary of certain apostolic and social works of the District of Saigon after 1975

A look on the socio-political circumstance in Viet Nam

If John Baptist De La Salle came to Vietnam, today, What would he see?

Vietnam has developed well on several fields: electricity goes out to the country sides; infrastructures on buildings and bridges...
But, there still are huts, low-roofed houses, dirty streets, lack of sanitary conditions, etc. In addition, people in suburbs and isolated areas are poor, too poor to provide for themselves and their families with two meals per day. Moreover, poor children cannot attend any school, thus some of them must contribute to their family life by selling lottery tickets or sundries or become beggars and even robbers. Most of them become street-children or vagabonds. They are deprived of everything, of every rights they would inherit instead.

On recent years, many families who could not survive at their homeland, abandoned their small house to search refuge and food supplies at the cities, especially at the city of Saigon. Since most of them are jobless, thus becoming homeless at the cities, they still sponge on the cities in hoping at least to get something - by any means - for survival day by day.

According to a recent statistics, there are about 7.7% of children above five years of age who never go to school, i.e. about 6.8 million children. About 5.3 million of them are totally illiterate and two million from five to nine of age don’t know even A, B, C. Responding to the calls of Brother John Johnston, Superior General, through his several Pastoral Letters, and through the Propositions of the 43 Chapter General, and particularly through the Ninth District Chapter, inviting the Brothers be more involved into the service of poor people, the communities of La Salle Vietnamese Brothers resolutely live their fourth vows which is “Together and by Association” involved in the service of the poor, guided by the spirit of the 43 Chapter General. This is a positive response to the challenging situation in Vietnam.
Scholastics involve in the service of the poor.

Reverend Nguyen Duc Muoi, pastor at Kenh Ba Parish at the diocese of Can Tho, strongly requested that the Brothers come to his parish to help and to teach its leadership team about pastoral and catechetical methodology. During four consecutive summers of 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000, the Scholastics volunteered to go to Caø Mau and to many parishes around to help young gentlemen and ladies teach little kids reading and writing Vietnamese, and especially learning fundamental catechism.

Xom Hue School

Xom Hue School was one of the earliest centers of activities and apostolic works for poor children at Tan Cang, back to early 1990. At the start, it was composed of three small rooms roofed with coconut-tree leaves. It was remodeled thanks to the assistance and help from the Lasan-netters Group (Cf. page 285.) In addition, Brother David Brennan, Visitor of the San Francisco District (Cf. page 245,) had generously contributed funds to build more rooms and a wonderful chapel nearby the school. The Catholics in the region come there for the morning and evening prayers and eventually for the Eucharist.
Disastrous Flood Reliefs

With a belief and hope “to bring joy and happiness to everyone,” the La Salle Brothers in Vietnam with the collaboration of La Salle young people and La Salle Brothers at La Salle Vietnam House San Jose in the USA were involved in a relief tour visiting and helping the victims of the disastrous flood on Christmas Season of 2000. Five most disastrous locations were Dong Thap1&2, An Giang, My Tho - Long An. The group brought gifts which were food supplies and money to the poorest families, and provided them with materials necessary to rebuild their houses. In addition, the Associations of La Salle Vietnam Alumni in the USA and Australia provided poor children with scholarships and urged them to continue their studies. The zealous volunteers under the leadership of the Brothers at La Salle Duc Minh Tan Dinh, assumed responsibility to follow up such projects, and eventually gathered small groups in these different locations for school activities and festivities as well.

Classes of Love at Taân Höng, District 7 of Saigon City.

There are lots of “temporary” residents at Tan Hong Ward in the District 7 of Saigon. They are from different cities or Provinces who had searched for ways of survival and gathered at various wards in Saigon looking for jobs. And it’s not as simple as they had thought: no capital, no money, no resources, nothing... Anyway, what they need is simple: getting something for their stomach and their dependents’. Their children, too, have to “work” to contribute to their parents’ endeavors by selling lottery tickets or anything they could find in garbage-cans, or becoming shoe-shine boys, etc. Thus, these children cannot, and are not allowed to, think of their studies. Going to public schools? - No way, because they don’t have a “family-register” (Cf. Journal 1, page 79.) Enrolling in the so-called private schools? - That’s rather utopian, because they don’t have money! So, they have to content themselves with being... illiterate. And according to the report of the local authorities of the ward Tan Hong, there are nearly three hundred young boys and girls in the category of illiteracy.

Recognizing urgent need on taking care for these boys and girls, particularly their education, the La Salle Brothers, with zealous and generous collaboration from the LASAN in San Jose, California, have successfully obtained “permission” from the local authorities at Tan Hong ward in the District 7 to open a Class of Love on August 1, 2000. Only a week later, a second Class of Love was opened for more than forty children. Three months later, two more rooms were needed for more than one hundred.

Besides the elementary courses in class, the children benefited from certain favors - thanks to the generosity of the LASAN in the USA - like going to Dam Sen, a famous Entertainment Center at District 8, or spending a picnic day at the Zoo in Saigon, or receiving “lì xì” (lucky money) on the Eve of Lunar New Year, plus a set of new clothes.

PHASE I

On summer 1988, a man brought to La Salle Duc Minh Community a computer - a small one - and requested that Brother Philippe Nguyen Ba Loc examine and explore it so that Brother Philippe could teach his son “how to use it.” It was the first computer - a kind of magic machine that the Brothers at Duc Minh Community had ever seen. A few weeks later, after having carefully explored the marvels of such a computer, the Brothers at La Salle Duc Minh Community begged one of their former students, Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, nephew of Brother Fidele Nguyen Van Linh, who was expert on the kind, to initiate them into the field of electronics and computers. The first session of the kind gathered eight Brothers from La Salle Taberd and La Salle Duc Minh communities.

From then one, Brother Maurice Trieu, Visitor of the District of Saigon, advised the Brothers who are interested in computer sciences to prepare and propose a project, then to ask the Vietnamese Brothers overseas for support. On May 22, 1989, Brother Paul Le Cu, from New Caledonia, went to visit his confreres and relatives whom he had “left behind” nearly twenty years earlier. He brought a computer XT-8086 with EGA screen and a LQ-500 printer. At that time, in the eighties, the iron curtain had been still strictly closed , he got into trouble at the custom services. However, “where ‘Uncle Ho’ is, the door is wide open!”(52) It took three days before the magic machine could be safely installed at the desk of Brother Visitor’s office, on May 25, 1989.

The very first hours of computer initializing class.

Brother Paul Le Cu spent three weeks to show to the Brothers about the marvels the computer can bring to who knows how to use it. Because the computer was still new, even too new to the Brothers, every one wished to see, to touch, to “input with eager wish to get the wanted output...” etc. Brother Paul Le Cu had left Vietnam for New Caledonia, the Brothers in Vietnam still dreamed of and wished to have more time and opportunity to explore this magic machine. Brother Maurice knew it was necessary for the Brothers to get involved with such a new branch of technology. He confided, “We are even too far behind!” Brother Gregoire Tan, then Auxiliary Visitor, suggested that “We invite - hire if necessary - some experts in computer, at least on the software, i.e. application programs, to teach to our Brothers.” Brother Maurice totally agreed - not only agreed, he even solicited all those who are interested in computers to attend these computer training classes. These classes were MS DOS, FOX BASE, Dbase 4; and for advanced students: Programming languages like BASIC, PASCAL, C and C++. There were twenty Brother-students enrolled in the computer training class. To practice, i.e. do assignments, each Brother shared time from 7:00AM to 10:00PM, with a unique XT which Brother Paul Le Cu had brought earlier.

The need for such a magic machine was so clear that Brother Maurice, Visitor, agreed to buy two more XT-8086 computers and two FX-1050 printers at the beginning of December 1989.

The mustard seed started growing up.

A year later, some young men and young ladies came to request that the Brothers open computer classes to prepare them for their future life. Because of the socio-political situation still “sensitive” in Vietnam, which had forbidden running such classes, they contented themselves with small groups, and of course, underground, i.e. those who attended these classes should be introduced by a Brother. Thanks to the contribution of ex-Brother Nguyen Hoang Dong, younger brother of Nguyen Hoang Luong from the USA, a former computer student, and Brother Visitor, La Salle Duc Minh community setup one AT-286 with 2Mg RAM and 40Mg of hard disk.

On summer 1990, twelve Brothers who hadn’t hadan opportunity to previously explore the magic machine, spent two weeks to become familiar with MS DOS, Sidekick, VNI, NORTON, PCTOOLS at La Salle Taberd. On December of the same year, eight other Brothers would enjoy exploring the magic machine for two weeks.

From the start, the Brothers didn’t have enough documents and/or new software. However, thanks to the generous support of the Vietnamese Brothers overseas - especially Brother Paul Le Cu from New Caledonia and Valery from the USA, who sent many software applications and manuals and ad hoc documents - two centers for computer training classes were opened, one at La Salle Duc Minh and another at La Salle Taberd.

Several years earlier, Brother Vital Quang had opened Theology Summer Sessions for Religious Men and Women. When the two computer centers had been smoothly running well enough, Brother Vital suggested that his students attend the computer initializing and training classes. There were more than fifty of them enrolled to such a program, but the number of available computers was so limited that Brother Maurice, Visitor, once more, had to “tighten his belt” to provide the two computer centers with four more XT-8086. It was slow, but it could temporarily respond to actual need of learning and exploring the magic machine.

“High tech” was, thus, gradually improved and up-dated thanks to the generosity of the La Salle overseas, namely SECOLI in Rome, the Brothers in New Caledonia and France, the Brothers in the USA and La Salle Vietnam former students and friends. The Threshold of New Hope has been in sight, clearly, for the revival of the District of Saigon after over fifteen years - at least in the field of pursuing the LASAN Mission within the actual and difficult socio-political situation in Vietnam.

Although dying on his bed, Brother Maurice Trieu, Visitor, incessantly reminded younger Brothers and all the Brothers who are still in “good shape” to pursue exploring the magic machine, “because,” he said, “it’s for the actual and future of our mission among young people, nowadays. We can practically and effectively help young people, thus the future of our people in society and in the Church, and of course in our Congregation of Christian Brothers, to adopt new technology for the advancement of science and apply it to the concrete and realistic development of the society.”

PHASE II

For the purpose of looking for an adequate direction which is to adapt the current needs of young people to the actual challenging socio-political situation in Vietnam, and besides the computer training programs, a vocational program - totally tuition free - for young poor people, has been in sight since 1989 at La San Duc Minh, Tan Dinh. That was where there were soldering and mechanic classes administered by Brother John Ba and Dosithee who, both of them, had been Deans of and teachers at these relative Departments at La Salle Technical School in Dalat before 1975 (Cf. Journal 1, page 22.)

In the summer 1992, all “factory-activities” - computer training classes included - at La Salle Duc Minh must stopped working during two months for a “legal license documents’ request.” To tell the truth, the La Salle Duc Minh Center was not “legally independent” yet. It was rather annexed to a State-run Center at the Third District in Tan Dinh. Every month, the La Salle Duc Minh Center had to report to the State-run Center about the number of its current students, and pay a sort of taxes at the rate of 5%. That would have been hard even impossible, if there were not help and support from LASAN overseas in terms of help to pay the tax. It was, however, a good deal!

At the beginning of the 1993 school year, in August, the La Salle Duc Minh Center agreed to teach at a computer training class of fifty three students within the campus of an Educational Center at the parish of Vuon Xoai, Third District of Saigon. This Educational Center had been sponsored and subsidized by a group of Koreans. It was a good opportunity: to form future “computer trainers” and so to extend the field of apostolic works, to assure “job” for senior computer students when they finished their studies at La Salle Duc Minh Center.

On June 1994, the La Salle Center opened two more Departments, namely, Wood Art Sculpture and Wood in door Utilities. At this stage La Salle Duc Minh Center could not continue its previous policy which had been “tuition free,” because student and practicing materials were too expensive. Moreover, fees and tuitions - even minimal or lower than at any other center - are a sort of soliciting students to be more aware of such benefits and thus to be more committed to their student career.

PHASE III

The vocational programs at La Salle Duc Minh had been
“so far so good”, still annexed to the State-run Center until October 2003. Nobody knows why the State-run Center denied another contract term with La Salle Duc Minh Vocational Center, which could otherwise continue welcoming students and enrolling new students nor could it provide the senior students with official and appropriate certificates for their work, i.e. the certificates recognized by the State.

On advice from some Brother-Counselors and friends, the La Salle Duc Minh Center applied for the legal license of the matter. Luckily, the license was delivered on April 2005. From then on, any student who has attended and passed all due tests and exams, could enjoy of the legal certificate from with official stamp of La Salle Vocational Center at Duc Minh.

Gregoire Nguyen van Tan, fsc

***

LIEN SAN VOCATIONAL CENTER
Tram Chim City , Tam Nong County
Dng Thap Province

After the disastrous flood at the end of 1999, five parishes received financial aids to survive from the generous contribution of Brother Phong’s social activities in San Jose, California. But, helping to survive is not a long term solution, just like what President Ngo Dnh Diem expressed to the American Ambassador when he had received aid from the American people in 1962, “Instead of giving our country a nail, please provide us with the machine which fabricates nails...”

From the year 2000 and for some consecutive years, Brother Phong led his volunteer team to some parishes, Tram Chim included, spending here ten days and, there five days or a week, for forming catechists and sowing enthusiasm and passion for the service of others, especially the most disadvantaged young people. Of course, financial and material aids which were the contribution from benefactors and La Salle Vietnam former students and friends in the USA, accompanied and strengthened such a catalyst to accelerate young people onto the service of poor people. Recognizing zeal for the service of poor people at Tram Chim on the part of younger Brothers, Brother Phong asked Brother Gregoire Tan, Visitor, “Do you think it would be good be better to get land in the area of Tram Chim, building up a Brother community among poor people? In that way, our younger Brothers wouldn’t have to move from Saigon to Tram Chim. They can live among and serve poor people instead.” Brother Visitor replied, promptly, “It’s our dream!” And so, the project at Tram Chim has started. Challenging experience from the project at Dak-Mil in 1997 made them more prudent about and aware of “diplomacy and relations with local authorities.” [In 1996, a Brother’s family offered to the La Salle District of Saigon a property big enough to build a house for the community of three or four Brothers and an elementary school for about five hundred boys and girls. The community of two Brothers started coming to the new location with purpose of preparing the new school year 96-97. Brother Coomban Ñaøo was assigned as Director of the community and Principal of the school. While preparing for enrollment, police came and asked for legal papers. Brother Colomban proudly replied, “I’m sent by Brother Visitor of the District of Saigon for the La Salle Education Mission...” Just a few hours later, Brother Colomban and his colleague had to escape from Dak-Mil because “the police will come to arrest them...”]

A unique way to act at the time was to open, “legally and officially,” a vocational center. “Legally and officially” because the presence of the Brothers at the local site could not be accepted unless the Brothers are considered and considered themselves “ordinary people” teaching and/or training at vocational and technical classes. It was our dream and we knew that “dream is just a dream!” because our pocket - and the District of Saigon’s pocket, too - had been empty since the events of 1975. Suddenly, Brother Phong sent ten thousand US dollars on February 2002 with a note, “Benefactors and Young People in San Jose wish to contribute in building a vocational center at Tram Chim for young poor people.” Thank God!

Ten months after applying for the license from local government, the vocational center could at last “legally and officially” open its first classes in January 2003. These classes were about computer training, sewing, etc. There was no house for the Brothers community yet, therefore Brother Ha, computer trainer, and Mr. Ba, sewing trainer, had to commute from Saigon to Tram Chim and contended themselves to temporarily use a small room as for a bed-room four days/week.

The very first computer training classes gathered nearly all officials working at different departments of the local government. Great success! After three months, they could use the computers in terms of typing/printing documents, and storing data onto their hard drives and/or floppy disks, etc. They were so delighted at such success that they encouraged - even forced some of people - to enroll to these training classes before being able to work in the governmental offices. It took seven more months, i.e. in July, 2003, that the house for the Brothers community was built, and the “formal” community was formed, composing of three Brothers Duc, Director, Vinh and Phuc.

In 2004, Brother Vinh replaced Brother Duc as Director of the community and Principal at the Vocational Center. Brother Vinh urged the whole community to get along with people and especially with local authorities, participating in all activities administered by the local government, e.g. contributing to Scholarship-Fund for poor students, or assisting poor families at certain events like a damaging flood. Moreover, young people from San Jose under the leadership of Brother Phong and volunteers from La Salle Duc Minh community contributed a lot - not only their money, their energy and holidays and Summer times, too - to assist and help us rebuild broken houses or build new houses for poor people in the region. And thanks to such “Reaching Out - Touching Hearts”, people at Tram Chim really appreciated the Brothers’ presence among them; and if people appreciate us, we could avoid certain difficulty with local authorities.

In December 2006, i.e. more than four years after the wonderful note “Benefactors and Young People in San Jose wish to contribute in building up a vocational center at Tram Chim for young poor people” in February 2002 from Brother Phong, our dream came true: LIEN SAN VOCATIONAL CENTER was opened, officially, legally, by the presence of local authorities at the inauguration. Indeed, local authorities came to wish the best to the Center, and as a sign of appreciation, they requested that their children be accepted as the “first enrolled” to the center. [The word LASAN has been “sensitive” and could provoke “allergy” to the government. We chose LIEÂN SAN instead, and it reflects more or less ... LA SAN. It’s ironical to recall this, but I must mention it. We knew later that local authorities had been subsidized by the State, providing students, who attended such a vocational center, with fees and tuitions, and moreover, each student could received 5,000 VN Dong per day if at the end of the session - which has been set for three months - he/she didn’t skip any day of class. Nobody knows whether all of the students having had attended LIEN SAN VOCATIONAL CENTER had received benefits subsidized by State or not. Although on legal document, the word “LASAN” is never mentioned.]

In 2007, the local government opened other vocational centers, where students received more benefits than at LIEN SAN center. We were content to open fewer classes for fewer students. However, during two months of Summer Times, there were more than three hundred students enrolled to our Summer School. They enjoyed very much being with us for the Summer School. And of course, we, too! That’s, for now, the sole reason - the enthusiastic and hopeful one - for which we still remain at LIEN SAN VOCATIONAL CENTER.

***

La San YALY Community
and TRUONG VINH KY Elementary School


Brother Gregoire Tan, Visitor, had been eager to “Reaching Out - Touching Hearts” poor children in isolated areas, especially poor children of ethnic groups. At the beginning of the year 2002, Brother Gregoire Tan was more than happy to be informed that there was a lot of 2,000 square meters at Dak-Doa, Gia lai Province, about fifteen kilometers away from the Pleiku City, to be sold at a “very good” price. The location is perfect for Vietnamese children, and particularly for Montagnard children. Brother Valentin Nguyen Cao Quí was immediately sent there to examine different aspects in terms of legacy, appropriateness for apostolic works, etc. Ten days later, Brother Valentin confirmed that “it’s worth buying the land.” The La San Yaly was thus gradually in sight for a project in the High Land for the service of poor students. It was the first and unique elementary school, at that time, in this really isolated area.

The amount of five thousands dollars from La Salle Vietnam Community in San Jose, California of the USA, helped realize such a project. However, getting a permit to building an establishment was not that easy, and getting the license, legally and officially of course, to administer the establishment was another problem, especially when the project is about “education,” i.e. elementary or junior or high school, even “for the service of poor children!”

Even though we had proceeded with both the construction of the building and getting the license administering it as a school at the same time, the requirements for getting the license was so complicated that, for some time, every one hesitated in advancing the construction. Some argued, “If we continue spending money for the construction and if we cannot get the license to open the school, isn’t it a waste of money?” But suddenly, we got the license to open school by July 2004. The new school year 2004-2005 is to be opened in just a few weeks! At first we thought about delaying the school year opening for 2005-2006, but it was set in the license document that “If within one year, the school cannot be opened, the owner must apply for another license.” It was really stressing and pressing to finish the building and to recruit students for the new school! Everyone tried to do his/her best, anyway, because it’s the first school of the La Salle Brothers(57) after the events of 1975.

On the “Grand Opening” Day, many guests from local authorities and from La Salle former students and friends and teachers and staff, etc. gathered on the “honor court” of the school. They were about fifty. BUT, there was only one new student of the first grade! It was the fifth of September 2004, the date that the government had set as the first day of the school year 2004-2005 nationwide. A few days later, six more students enrolled to Yaly Elementary School. And just on the first day of the next week, the number of students enrolled to Yaly School were up to seventy six!

One problem we had to think about: poor boys and girls, especially those of ethnic groups, who live far away from the school - many of their families are living more than ten kilometers (about six miles) from school, cannot walk back and forth everyday to school. So, a boarding center is necessary for them. Thanks to the financial help from young people and benefactors in the USA, we could remodel certain rooms for such a boarding center. But, a new class should be opened year by year, i.e. the first grade then the second, then the third, then the fourth and the fifth grades, the expansion in terms of classrooms and facilities should be considered. In addition, after the fifth grade, where the elementary graduated would go to continue their studies at the sixth grade and so on?

Five years (2004-2009) passed, so far so good. The number of boarding students greatly increased. It’s hard to meet all demands for everyone. For the school year 2008-2009, i.e. for the complete elementary school career, Yaly school has accepted more than one hundred seventy students. Thus, more rooms and facilities are needed. The project of building up a junior high school is still a dream...

***

TAN CANG POST DETOXIFICATION CENTER [TCPDC]

DESCRIPTION
Drug addiction has become a global problem and has caused great havoc among young people. Viet-Nam government statistics for 2000 assert that in HCM City, there are 17,239 addicts, and among them, youth under 18 make up more than 9%. Moreover their increasing number and young age are sad realities and cause for concern.

During the past 11 years, the Lasallian Christian Brothers of Viet-Nam have operated the DUC MINH Vocational Center and have been successful in providing gratuitous learning and job skills to over 700 poor, wandering street children and handicapped youth. Now, the Brothers wish to share their educational experience and extend their social contribution to the area of drug addiction, by establishing a Post-detoxification Center for the benefit of the indigent addicts.

The purpose and Objectives of the Project
The purpose of the Project is to serve poor youth by providing education and job skills.
The Project has 3 objectives :
Psychological counseling: To help the addicts to be at peace with their mind; foster self-confidence and trust others persons and society.
General education: To help the boys discover their values and actualize the potential of their personality through learning in secondary classes.
Vocational training: To assist the youth in learning job skills, which will provide an affective replacement for the appeal of drugs, and to offer a means to earn and reintegrate with their social environment.

Formation Program
General education : normal class-hours for those who have not fulfilled secondary school courses. We expect that the students will pass the High School examination
Vocational training : students, former addicts, will choose from 3 departments, motorcycles repair, carpentry carving and computers.

Other departments may be available in the future, depending on funds.

Admission requirement
Young male addicts under 30 years old, non affected by HIV/AIDS, who voluntarily agree to participate for 12 to 24 months for the post-detoxification program.

Saigon, February 2nd, 2002
Brother Nguyen van Tan, fsc.
In charge of the TAN CANG Post-detoxification Project.

Approved to be published for fund-raising for the project.

Saigon, July 29th, 2002
Brother Francois Tran Van Anh, fsc
Visitor of the District of Vietnam

***

On the ground-breaking ceremony on May 24, 2003 to begin the construction of the Post-Detoxification Center at Tan Cang, with the participation of local officials and many friends, Brother Francois Anh, then Visitor, was recognized by a local police officer as a “Religious” or church-man, although Brother Francois wore civil cloth. Even Brother Gregoire Tan had obtained legal and official permit to build up this center on the designated location, the government ordered to move to another location, pretending that the previous location was on the path of the “developing infrastructure” of the State.

Thanks to the generosity of La Salle Overseas, Brother Gregoire Tan looked for another property. He founded it after several researches, and bought it at the thirty thousand dollars price. The owner, this time, was Tran Van Sanh, a former student at La Salle Mossard Thu Duc. The construction started, again, on June 3, 2003.

BUT... Nobody knows for which reason, the Post-Detoxification Center that had half-done constructed buildings must be transferred to the Thien Chí Company, and moved to another location in Xuan Loc, about 120km (around 70 miles) North-West of Saigon. It was the second time - and hopefully the last time - the Center must change address.

Thanks to many times “inviting officials to copious coffee,” the Post-Detoxification Center at last received “legal documents” for buying a large property, and building up the center in Xuan Loc. By the mid-July, 2004, I asked Brother Gregoire Tan and Mr. Sanh to lead me and Dang Kim Quang, my former student from the USA, to see “The Center” even though it’s still being constructed. Arriving at the scene, I was really surprised, even disappointed, noticing no sign that showed any work on constructing or building. Nothing, but undeveloped land. Brother Gregoire assured me that ‘in three months, the center would be done!” “What?” I said, “In three months and the construction of the center will be done?” Although still doubtful, I relied on Brother Gregoire Tan who had much experience living in a country where “everything could be done ‘on time even finished before deadline,’ on the reports from top government to ordinary people and vice versa, but for how long it would last is another problem. Who knows?”

***

The Post-Detoxification Center in Xuan Loc

Thanks God! Overcoming different interruptions and difficulties building up the center for poor young people who really wish to re-do their life after their “evil experiences,” the Center was “really” built up. On July 2, 2005, I was more than happy to accompany my Brothers and Former Students and Friends to participate in the Blessing of the new center. By hanging up the blessed Cross on the wall of the central room of the center, Brother John Ba, director of the new community of Xuan Loc, expressed his community’s prayer : “Oh yes Lord ! It is Your Work = Opus Tuum, Domine!”
The attendants at the ceremony of the opening of the center joined the new community in the same prayer and feelings : It’s not so simple dealing with kind of apostolic works! “Together and by association, in body and spirit and hearts, ” said Brother John Ba, “we will do anything we could, just for those young people, and the rest should be and must be relied on the Providence who always takes care of His beloved ones, the healthy as well as the sick.”

The Community of three Brothers, Ba, Phi and Duc, hoped to start with 10-15 young men for the first year beginning in September, 2005. A lot of work to do; a lot of planning to finish; a lot of supports from Benefactors, Alumni and Friends to expect...

***

Sumer Time of 2006, I had opportunity to participate with the staff and faculty meeting at the Post-Detoxification Center. The organization of the administration seemed well done, e.g. faculty composed of a psychologist doctor and three teachers more or less skilled in communications and activities for young people - especially for “handicapped” ones; a team of security; a group of cookers; and a group of receptionists. Mr. Sanh, owner and Director of the Center, presented me to the whole group, and before ending the meeting, invited me to give a talk and/or commendations. I suggested “that the Center set up two small rooms, one for Catholics and one for Buddhists. These rooms should be decorated in a simplest way, i.e. just an altar and one or two statues relative to each religion. If for political reason you cannot build such rooms, then reserve just a room let’s call it ‘Phoøng Tam Linh’ (Meditation Room), and invite students to spend quiet time, as much as possible, in this room, alone or in small group, keeping silence and reflecting or returning oneself into his deep-interior for praying and/or just for... relaxing.”

A year later, on 2007 Summer, Brother Gregoire Tan, Visitor, and I came to to visit the Post-Detoxification Center. On this occasion, I had opportunity to meet all young men who had given up opium smoking and still were in the recuperation period. Followings are some of their sharing:
. “I had been in different centers for 3 times, even four times...”
. “This is my fifth time at a detoxification center...”
. “This is my first time...” the youngest one of them, a twenty years old young man, shyly said.

I asked them, “May you describe your feelings every time you undergo the detoxification treatment?” Everyone shook his head, then said, “Oh! It’s terrible! I don’t know how to describe it, but in one word, I would say, it’s terrible!” I asked, “If so, why do you return to the bad practice, continuing opium smoking?” They looked at each other, shaking their head. A few minutes in silence.

At the end, the oldest one who had passed the fourth treatment and who was a forty years old doctor before being addicted to opium smoking, said, “To be honest, I must confess that I don’t know why. It seems to me that there is a certain irresistible power which pushes me to ‘try again’ even though my mind alerts me of such a danger. On the fourth time, although my mind displayed terrible sufferings during the detoxification treatment, I didn’t have strength to resist the temptation to ‘try again.’ It’s really irresistible!”

A long moment of silence. “It’s difficult to imagine and to understand what that ‘doctor’ just confided,” I said to myself. “Anyway, comprehension is not that important than compassion!” I started sharing with them my many ups and downs in life, and emphasizing on conviction of love for each other, because all of us are human beings, i.e. fragile and can fall against our own strong will. I urged them to spend as many times as possible, as long as possible, in the small “Meditation Room.” “You don’t need”, I said, “to recite ‘Our Father who art in heaven...’ nor mumble ‘Glory to Buddha...’ Just look at the Cross, or look at the face of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or look at the face of Buddha... They will show us how to live, and to accomplish our destiny of human beings. In reality, life is the greatest gift from God the Creator. It is worth it to live, still worth to be loved, my friends, at any circumstances and moment of our life!”

***

After the La Salle Vietnam Rally festivals (Cf. page 311) on August 8, 2008 at Mai Thon were over, I accompanied Brother John Ba and some other Brothers and friends to visit the Post-Detoxification Center in Xuan Loc. Brother John confided to me, “Last year, we, the Brothers at the Center Community, were kind of ‘expulsed’ from the Center. To tell the truth, we didn’t know who accused our presence at the Center as ‘a camouflaged Catholic parish’ to the State government which ordered the local authorities to arrest us. We were luckily informed about it by a friend, we so ‘escaped from and abandoned the Center’ It’s really sad. Since that day, many of the staff and faculty as well left the Center... Mr. Sanh, the legal owner and director of the Center, was so stressed and depressed that he rarely comes to visit the Center. One of the reasons is, he has been running short. He has spent too much of his Company money in there and the deficit increases dramatically...” I was shocked seeing again the Center in such a situation: the appearance looked neglected for a long time.
The number of staff and faculty was reduced to minimum, i.e. less than one fourth of last year. Seven young men who had been de-toxificated a few weeks earlier were waiting for a good time to leave the Center. I came to the “Treatment Room” to visit an eighteen years old boy who was in the fifth day of his detoxification treatment...

***

I have been wondering for how long the Center would stand with such a deteriorating and neglecting situation. I felt quite melancholy, realizing that under such a government and system, men and women of good will are denied, even forbidden, to commit themselves to the service of miserable people. What else can I say?

***

Souvenir of the 100th Year (1906-2006)
the La Salle Brothers in Cambodia
La Salle Vietnam Community in San Jose collaborates with the District of Saigon in “returning” to Cambodia

Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Subject: Opening of a Community in Phnom Penh

Brother Gregoire Tan, FSC, Visitor
District of Vietnam

Dear Brother Gregoire,
Please find attached a copy of Protocol No. 050309, which was approved by Brother Superior General with the unanimous advice of the members of the General Council present, at their meeting held in Rome on 23 March 2005. This decision was made in response to your request to Brother Superior dated March 17th, 2005, seeking approval for the opening of a Community in Phnom Penh in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Fraternally yours,
Brother Peter Gilfedder
Executive Secretary

***

General Council meeting 05/14

GENERAL COUNCIL DELIBERATION

Protocol No . 050309

District: Vietnam
Topic: Request for opening a new Community in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Explanation: Brother Greùoire Tan, Visitor of the District of Vietnam, wrote to Brother Superior, presenting a Cambodia mission proposal.

The proposal is for the Brothers of Vietnam, in conjunction with Vietnamese Brothers working in San Jose, District of San Francisco, to make a return to Cambodia, where there were Brothers from 1906 to 1973. The plan is to open a new Lasallian mission in Cambodia before it becomes difficult to get government permission, this being the advice of a group of Religious who are there.

The short term plan is to send 3 to 4 volunteer Brothers to form a community in Phnom Penh. The Brothers would spend the first year getting inculturated into the Cambodian way of life through a study of the language and culture. They would render some educational service to the poor and participate in the catechetical ministry of the local Church. They could rent a house or an apartment with about six rooms in a low-income neighborhood. At the end of the first year they would present an evaluation and a proposal for a long term mission to Brother Visitor and the District Council for consideration before it is forwarded to Brother Superior and his Council.

In a second phase they would subcontract with the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers to take care of 5 to 10 children with HIV as a good way to get entry visas for work in the Kingdom of Cambodia. They could offer some vocational classes such as in computer studies.

The Brothers in San Jose, San Francisco District, would assume the fund-raising for this mission with the permission of the Visitor of San Francisco. An endowment fund of $200,000 would be set up to support this mission of the District of Vietnam. The projected cost of the mission would include a rental fee of $600 per month. Room and board and other expenses would entail $50 per Brother per month.

District Council: 12-13.02.2005 YES: 23 NO: 0 Abs.: 1
Brother Visitor’s opinion: In favor

Vote of General Council: Date: 23.03.2005 YES: 4 NO: 0 Abs.: 0
Decision of Brother Superior General: YES

***

DISTRICT OF VIETNAM MISSION IN CAMBODIA

For any project to be able to be accomplished, besides financial resources, the problem “personnel” is the most important starting point. Brother Gregoire Tan, Visitor, had urged younger Brothers in the District of Saigon to commit to the service of the poor in Cambodia. These younger Brothers had knew that the District of Saigon had founded two communities in Cambodia: one in Battambang in 1906, then moved to the second in Pnompenh, Ecole de Miche, on November 1910. But, Ecole de Miche was confiscated in 1973 following the socio-political event massacre from the Khmer government against Vietnamese people, even though these Vietnamese had been living in Pnompenh over several decades. During the atrocious “Killing Field” by Khmer Rouge there were no hope, not at all, to think about “returning to Cambodia” because the Red Khmer killed their own people, how could they spare Vietnamese people whom they considered their “enemies number 1” from generation to generation.

After the fall of Red Khmer by the Vietnam communist government who had invaded Cambodia in 1977 and who had to leave it in 1982, Cambodian people really were so happy enjoying freedom and democracy that life seems to grow up like plants at the beginning of Spring. Many Vietnamese people who had escaped from the “Killing Field” preferred to “return” to Cambodia instead of staying at their native villages in their homeland under the communist system. Although they had to live in very poor areas - along the riversides of Mekong like isolated ghettos - they still felt much better, enjoying freedom and peace of mind.

A Sister of the Congregation “The Providence”, Sister Anna, came to visit Brother Gregoire and invited him to make a tour at nearly twenty different “Vietnamese parishes along the riverside of Mekong in Cambodia, especially at Siem Reap where Vietnamese people live in ‘huts’ built on small boats...”
Brother Gregoire shared his experiences from this tour at a dinner table with Brother Superior General and some Counselors General. And so, the idea of “Coming Back to Cambodia” was gradually formed.

On August 2005, On January 6, 2006, a new house was blessed by Bishop at the diocese of Pnompenh and “baptized” De La Salle House. The day January 6, 2006 was chosen in remembrance of 140 years the six first French Brothers came to Vietnam (January 6, 1866.) The project is still in process. Brother Phong from San Jose will have more available time in 2009-2010 school year to accomplish, hopefully, the project in Cambodia for those poor children...