The storms that struck Viet Nam in 2025 caused massive damages, estimated at millions of USD. Despite prompt and coordinated disaster response and recovery efforts, the natural disasters still resulted in significant material and human losses.
Although overseas Vietnamese and international friends in France cannot provide direct assistance on site, they have shown their solidarity by organising fundraising events to send support to those in disaster-hit areas back home.
The charity meal also offered an opportunity for generations of Vietnamese people to gather, connect, and share stories, especially elderly members who have long been attached to the Union of Vietnamese Associations in France and remain deeply connected to their homeland.
Like many other activities in support of the homeland, this charity event brought together three generations of Vietnamese families living, studying, and working in France.
Accompanied by her son and his fiancée, Thanh, an elderly Vietnamese expatriate in France, shared: “Apart from community events held during the Lunar New Year, this is a rare occasion where everyone — from grandparents and parents to children — can feel a strong sense of unity within the community and the enduring spirit of solidarity among the Vietnamese people, whether at home or abroad.”
Nguyen Dac Ha, a long-time member of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in France, noted that the event was also a valuable opportunity for second- and third-generation Vietnamese youths to engage with and become more familiar with the activities of the Vietnamese community in France.
Even young people born in France who do not speak Vietnamese fluently were encouraged by their families to take part, helping them feel a stronger connection to their compatriots and their homeland.
Speaking to Nhan Dan reporters, Vuong Huu Nhan, Chairman of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in France, said that this charity meal was one of many similar fundraising activities organised regularly by the association.
The overseas Vietnamese community has a long tradition of solidarity and support for their compatriots at home whenever the homeland faces natural disasters.
Nhan stressed: “What is crucial is that countries around the world must take concerted action to mitigate global warming. Therefore, all communities — not only in Viet Nam or France — need to share common awareness and take joint action alongside government efforts.”
