Huong Phung commune is on the border with Laos and is about 25 km. north of the district capital Khe Sanh. This is an extremely poor commune in a very poor district. The per capita annual income in Huong Phung commune in 2021 was only US$512.

The new Chenh Venh kindergarten opened in June 2023. Before that the approximately 30 kindergarten aged children in Chenh Venh hamlet studied and played in a small, narrow classroom less than half regulation size. That classroom was in very poor condition, leaking when it rained and becoming incredibly humid when it was hot. The teachers, parents and children are so grateful for the new classroom and washrooms (there weren’t any washrooms near the old classroom).

Construction of the one classroom kindergarten (with washrooms and storage space) cost U.S.$38,932 and was funded entirely by Bob and Mary Hagedorn. Thank you so much, Bob and Mary!!

Huong Hoa is a rural district of Quang Tri province near the border with Laos. Thuan commune, one of twenty communes in the district, is composed of seven hamlets with a population of 3,695 people. Almost three-quarters of the population is of the Van Kieu ethnic minority group. The remaining one quarter are of the Pa Ko ethnic minority group and Kinh, the dominant Vietnamese group. Both the district as a whole, and Thuan commune in particular, are very poor. The local economy is based primarily on farming.

Construction of this two- classroom kindergarten child-sized washrooms, storage space, electricity, tables and chairs, and fans was completed in June 2023. This kindergarten is home to approximately 45 children and three teachers. Classes were formerly held in a crumbling small classroom and a warehouse and there weren’t any washrooms for the children. Needless to say, the hamlet is incredibly happy to have a proper kindergarten with washrooms.

This US$57,408 project was funded entirely by the Ptarmigan Foundation. Thank you Ptarmigan Foundation!!!

Huong Linh commune is one of six communes spread out over 15 kilometres of mountainous terrain in northern Huong Hoa district in Quang Tri province. VES has built two other kindergartens in different parts of this district – Vang kindergarten in Ba Tang Commune and Bu kindergarten in Tan Lap commune. The main town in this district is Khe Sanh. (In 1968, Khe Sanh was the site of one of the most significant and deadly battles of the Vietnam War.) The people are of the Van Kieu ethnic minority. They are subsistence farmers primarily growing cassava and maize. People are very poor and the commune lacks good basic infrastructure.

In 2022, VES, with generous funding from the Ptarmigan Foundation, constructed a kindergarten between two of the commune’s hamlets, Miet and Pa Cong, to accommodate 46 children who were unable to attend kindergarten due to a lack of space.

Trum hamlet is one of the nine hamlets that make up Ba Tang commune in the rural mountainous Huong Hoa district of Quang Tri province near the border with Laos. In 2020 VES funded the construction of a kindergarten in one of the other nine hamlets, Vang hamlet. This is a very poor, sparsely populated area. Most people are of the Van Kieu ethnic minority and farm for a living. Infrastructure in this area is underdeveloped; roads are in bad condition and there isn’t much of a water system.

Trum hamlet has a two-room kindergarten but there was not enough space to accommodate all the kindergarten aged children in the area. Over children were unable to attend kindergarten because of a lack of space. In 2022, VES, with the generous funding from Bob and Mary Hagedorn, built an additional one room kindergarten with lighting, fans, washrooms and a storage area next door to the current kindergarten. This ensured that all children will be able to attend school.

Construction of Bù kindergarten in Tan Lap Commune was completed in the summer of 2021. The community is of the Van Kieu ethnic minority. The new large classroom with washrooms, a storage area, fans and lighting will allow for the education of approximately 30 3-6 year old children who were previously unable to attend kindergarten due to a lack of classroom space.

Vang hamlet is one of the nine villages that make up Ba Tang commune in the rural mountainous Huong Hoa district of Quang Tri province near the border with Laos. This is a very poor, sparsely populated area. Most people are of the Van Kieu ethnic minority and farm for a living. Infrastructure in this area is underdeveloped; roads are in bad condition and there isn’t much of a water system.

Vang hamlet’s 84 three to five year olds did not have a kindergarten. Forty to sixty of the children used to share one room in the primary school while another twenty are unable to attend because of a lack of space. Now all the children will be able to attend kindergarten using the two new classrooms and the primary school classroom.

Thuong Lan is a poor mountainous commune in Viet Yen district of Bac Giang province. The 9,000 people who live in Thuong Lan Commune are scattered across eight hamlets. Ruong hamlet is one of these. Most residents are subsistence farmers. Roads and other infrastructure in the area is poor.

In 2017, Ruong hamlet was in desperate need of a kindergarten for their over eighty 3-5 year olds. Many children were unable to attend kindergarten due to a lack of space. For those who were able to attend, kindergarten classes were held in an old warehouse. Mr. Quang, head of the Bac Giang Study Promotion Association, desperately wanted to build a new school for Ruong hamlet. He approached VES and said that he could obtain a portion of the funds if VES could raise the rest prior to his retirement at the end of 2017. Fortunately, we were able to raise the needed funds and Ruong hamlet is now home to a lovely kindergarten.

Huc Commune is made up of nine hamlets and a population of 3,687 people spread over a relatively large area. Over half of the population is classified as very poor. Residents primarily make their living from farming but the terrain is mountainous which makes agriculture challenging.

​VES has built Ta Rung hamlet two new spacious kindergarten classrooms with fully functioning electricity and fans, washroom facilities and storage space. This is a vast improvement over the previous temporary spaces the teachers had been using. Many more children have now begun attending kindergarten.

This is a very poor part of rural Vietnam and about 40% of the children at this kindergarten are malnourished. VES will work with the school to implement a lunch program.

Hoa Hoi Commune consists of seven hamlets spread over a relatively large area. Most people here work for the Peace Rubber Joint Stock company. This is seasonal work and wages vary with the price of rubber so living standards are very low. Many of the roads in the commune, particularly those around Hamlets #6 and #7, are narrow dirt roads in very poor condition. Hamlet #6 is has a population of 1,170 people living in 415 households.

76 children from six months to five years old attend the Hoa Hung Kindergarten - Branch #2 kindergarten. It was in very poor condition and was not maintained or upgraded. There was little in the way of toilet facilities and no playground equipment or outside fence.

A very generous donor, Ms. Carol Aziz, agreed to fund construction of a new two classroom building, washrooms and storage space. The local community will build a new kitchen.

In January 2016, the new VES kindergarten in Thanh Chung hamlet opened.

Phun Xuong is a semi-rural commune of 4,500 people, with an agricultural base and a small factory. The average annual family income is $1,150 U.S. dollars. The Thanh Chung kindergarten draws children from four of the eight hamlets that make up the commune. The population is growing and the previous sub-standard facilities could not accommodate all of the kindergarten-aged children. (Many more parents would like to send their children here including those who work at the factory across the road and must send their children elsewhere.) For the 161 children who studied at the Thanh Chung kindergarten, there were two small classrooms, a storage room and a section of the community hall.

VES built a separate two large kindergarten classroom block with washrooms. This allowed the 25 – 30 three year olds who studied in a narrow crowded storage area ​(see photo on the right at the bottom) ​to move into one of the two new classrooms​, gave the other students more space and brought additional students into the school​.

The Les Holroyd Bien Dong Primary School library was completed in January 2015. Bien Dong Commune is in Luc Ngan district of eastern Bac Giang province.

This is a poor farming area but the school has a good reputation; many students are selected for district academic competitions. The school administration and local commune desperately wanted a library in order to better support their students.

They are absolutely delighted with its construction. This library now serves a primary school of over 600 students in 28 classes from grades 1 through 5.

The Kon Kloc kindergarten was completed in August 2014. It is a two room early childhood education centre (with washrooms) for 50 four and five years olds, in Kon Kloc Hamlet, Dak Mar Commune, Kon Tum Province, Vietnam.

Dak Mar is a poor rural commune in the northern Dak Ha District. It is in a mountainous, remote part of Vietnam’s central highlands. The commune has a population of about 6,500 people and most residents farm and raise livestock. Living conditions are difficult.

VES's 2012 project was the construction of the Nguyen Hien Primary School - Tien Xuan Satellite Branch in Tam Anh Nam Commune, Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam. This five classroom (with a two stall bathroom) primary school was completed in August 2012. The Nguyen Hien Primary School houses over 120 children, ages 6-11.

Tam Anh Nam is a commune of Nui Thanh district, located 10 km north of the district capital. The commune is made up of eight hamlets with slightly under 10,000 people. A full 85% of its residents earn their living by farming and 15% work in the trade, service and handicraft sectors. Tam Anh Nam commune is regarded as an extremely poor commune by the central government. Residents earn an average monthly per capita income of $18 USD, mainly through small-scale agriculture. Therefore, investment in school facilities from the local community is very limited.

The previous school was built in 1966 and was in danger of collapse. (See photos on the right at the bottom.) The roof was rotten and leaky, the wooden support beams were warped, the brick walls were crumbling and cracked and the school grounds were unpaved. The school location was also unsafe as it was right beside (ie. within 15 metres) of what is now the main North-South highway in Vietnam.

The new school is in a safer (and quieter) location a short distance away. The road was so noisy that the teachers said they routinely lost their voices trying to speak above the din. Overall, the new school contributes to an enhanced quality of education for all of its students past and future.

At the opening ceremony, the Nguyen Hien primary school principal thanked VES and promised "to maintain and keep the facilities in good condition and maximize the use of these new classrooms for the education of the community's students, while improving the quality of teaching and learning."

In October 2011, construction began on the Beth Holroyd Tuan Mau Early Childhood Education Centre in Tuan Mau Commune, Bac Giang Province. Tuan Mau is in Son Dong, a mountainous district of Bac Giang province. Tuan Mau is 80 km. from An Chau, the capital of Son Dong district. The commune has a population of approximately 5,000 people and relies on agriculture and forestry. Living conditions are very difficult.

Tuan Mau is very rural, literally at the end of the road, a five and a half hour drive from Hanoi. Tuan Mau's rural location meant that construction took a lot longer than normal as everything from finding contractors willing to work in so remote an area to heavy rains which washed out roads for weeks at a time added additional challenges and delayed the project completion.

However, the East Meets West school construction team persevered. On September 12, 2012, the opening ceremony for the Beth Holroyd Tuan Mau Early Childhood Education Centre was held. The early childhood education centre consists of two large classrooms furnished with chairs, tables and fans and a washroom. It replaces a dilapidated, unsafe structure and will allow more than 60 children between ages 3 and 5 to attend a full day of school.

The Bac Giang provincial representative, Mr. Giap Minh Quang, described the area and thanked VES by saying, "This project is funded by VES for ethnic people living in a mountainous area. Tuan Mau is a disadvantaged commune and students have travelled a long way to school. This project will help the children to go to school more conveniently, contributing to improve the local infrastructure and laying a vital foundation for their education.

On behalf of the Bac Giang Study Promotion Association and the local people, I would like to think VES and EMW, especially Ms. Carin, who have an interest in Bac Giang province, sharing the difficulties with the community and providing Bac Giang with assistance to build the kindergarten to better serve the children at kindergarten age who are the future of the country."

The Thai Thuy Primary School, Trung Thai satellite branch, in Quang Binh province in central Vietnam opened in 2010. Most residents of the Thai Thuy Commune earn their living through agriculture although a few are small business owners or civil servants. This is a very poor commune and the average monthly per capita income is less than US$10. About 31% of the population lives at or below the official poverty line.

The Thai Thuy Primary School project involved the construction of three one-storey classrooms, a two stall bathroom, UV water treatment systems, electricity, fans, lights, a paved pathway and all furniture and fans. There are 105 students in grades 1 to 3 attending the school full-time. This was one of the first schools in the commune to have enough classrooms to permit students to attend school full-time rather than half-days.

The Cat Ne Early Childhood Development Centre opened in 2009. VES funded the construction of two large classrooms with washroom facilities. The centre provides a stimulating learning environment for children under the age of 5 years old. Having a safe and proper facility for these children give their parents the opportunity to work in the rice and tea fields without worrying about their children's safety. The centre has proven so popular that in subsequent years the school received funding for the construction of two additional classrooms. The community worked to build a fence, pave the courtyard, build an outdoor stage and make various other improvements to the facilities. Recently, they also built a kitchen to which VES contributed an industrial rice cooker.

In September 2007, Cát Nê opened the multi-purpose building, erected close to the school. The multi-purpose room is used for school meetings and special events. As the only large public facility in the community, it also gets good use for village meetings and gatherings.

In 2022, the administration building is being used as additional classroom space.