We, the people from Tu Xa and Xuan Hoa villages of a distant district in the Mekong Delta, Can Tho, are delighted to hear and see the achievements obtained by Japa Vietnam organization during the last ten years. We were extremely proud of being given the first help. Your help was given at the time when we were very pessimistic. How lucky and happy we were! We live in poor and far villages where there was only a school but no market and no health center. Most of the villagers live in poverty, ill health, malnutrition and illiteracy.

We, the heads of the villages, were very worried about the living conditions and education levels of our villagers, until we met Mrs. Akimi, a member of Japa VN, in a summer day of 1990. She, a Japanese woman with a Vietnamese traditional hat on her head, brought hope and happiness to our lives. She came to tell us that our applications for drilling wells and opening roads had been approved. It is, indeed, difficult for us to express with words our happiness at that time when we could do nothing but give thanks to God and to Japa Vietnam, especially to Akimi, the charming Japanese woman who traveled such a long distance to visit us.

Then, a few years later, when we heard of Mrs. Akimi's sudden death, we were very sad and decided to name the main road of our village "AKIMI" to honor her. Since then, Japa Vietnam comes to visit us every year.

The friendly relationship between our two sides is becoming better and better. We know, understand, and especially learn a great deal from Ando, Yokoi, Ono Hiromi, Okuya Shizue, Cao Son Than, etc. They are very kind and loving people who bring happiness to everybody, no matter their nationalities or religions. We admire their simple life styles and their good personalities. They are willing to spend time and effort adapting themselves to our life to understand and know more about us. It is worthy praising them. They assisted us to build 86 wells, 15 cement bridges, a clinic, a cement road and two rice drying courts.

We warmly thank Japa Vietnam and the other benefactors. Our life has been improved with your help. It, in fact, made our life more comfortable and easier. Diseases, poverty, illiteracy have been, step by step, overcome. Sincerely, the influence of Japa VN on the people of this countryside is great. Everyone is very affected and sympathetic with the activities of Japa VN. One knows clearly that the assistance of Japa VN only aims at the benefit of villagers, without making differences of people or country. From our side, we try to work hard to improve our life on the basis of your help, so that you won't be disappointed.

Wishing you a good health, with best regards to all. We pray for the development of Japa Vietnam. Warm congratulations to Japa Vietnam for its 10 years of activities in our country.