Meet Khanh Huynh, a 21 year old student from Can Tho, Vietnam. I met him in January 2015 during my voluntary work in Vietnam. He was also doing voluntary work at a local, traditional hospital. Before the interview starts, he looks shy and a little bit nervous, because he is afraid that his English isn’t good enough. I try to calm him down and convince him that this is just a conversation about his life in Vietnam and my life in Holland. He seems to calm down a little and I start the interview.

Khanh studies plant protection at the University of Can Tho. Can Tho is the biggest city in the Mekong Delta (southern of Vietnam) with a population of 1.1 million people. I’m impressed by this crowded city, even though I live in Rotterdam. However, according to Khanh, Can Tho is a friendly, relaxed and little ‘village’ compared to Ho Chi Minh City. A lot of students come to Can Tho to study, because of the relaxed atmosphere. He lives in an apartment with 2 roommates and his parents live 120 km from Can Tho in a small village. His major plant protection is about managing plant diseases and pests to avoid damage to agricultural crops and forestry. This is an important study since the Mekong Delta has a rich agriculture with the largest rice export in the whole country. Besides his major, he wants to study English. At this moment he learns English from us (Dutch volunteers) and from his roommate. It is very important to learn English in Vietnam, because it improves their chances at getting a good job.

He tells me about his future goals: he wants to graduate, get a good job as an engineer in Can Tho, get married and have kids. I have the same future goals, but the difference is that I can travel around the word and have the possibility to work abroad. For Vietnamese students that is difficult because the quality of education is lower, so their diploma has less value. Besides that, they have no money to travel or even live in a Western country, because of the high standard of living.

His study made him realize how important it is to protect our environment. By collecting rubbish, like paper and plastic, for recycling he helps to protect the environment.
Listening to music, play sports and go out with friends for a coffee or beer are his hobbies. Can Tho has a lot of coffee shops and restaurants.

After this interview, we met several times with other Vietnamese students and Dutch volunteers. We played badminton, drank coffee in the afternoon and beer in the evening…we became friends. Looking back at this interview made me realize that I was talking to a future friend which makes this interview even more special. We’re staying in touch through Facebook and I really hope that one day I can welcome him here in Holland.