I was deeply impressed by the visits to each program Japa Vietnam assists and the Vietnamese people we met in the way. I was moved by their attitude to overcome all hardships in the middle of a social system that combines contradictions and injustice. I want to mention here in a particular way the situations of Soc Trang and Bac Hai.

Bac Hai is located in the center of the Mekong Delta where many different rivers confluent. There, the transportation is done by small boats and narrow roads by the canals. Small bridges join both sides and paddy fields expand widely in the soft land. We took a small boat at Dai Hai, the Church of Fr. Nam and rode a 10 meter wide stream, in order to go to visit Fr. Van of Bac Hai Church. The journey took about 30 minutes but the beauty around us made it very short and enjoyable. When we arrived at our destination, we saw many people working at the site of a new Church that was about to be finished. Japa Vietnam has assisted with an alphabetization project and new facilities had also been built using materials from the former old church. The interest and creativity of the farmers were easily transmitted.

When we met Fr. Van he asked us to help him to finance rice and medicines for many poor villagers he had to take care off monthly. He proposed US$5, per person a month. This was urgent because there were many people in need around his parish. He had prepared a set of many photos where we could observe the poverty and various illnesses of the village people. But, we had to explain him that we could not give a positive answer, that we had our financial limitations. On the other hand, we discussed with him the possible real causes of poverty and diseases and stressed the need for fresh and safe water. We told him that Japa Vietnam could positively think on a common project to dig wells for the use of village people.

A clear need in that locality, according to Fr. Van, was the care of elderly people. He told us that he wanted to build a home, within the confinement of the church. As a result of economic development policies the youth has left the villages for Ho Chi Minh and other big cities, leaving behind the elders that can, hardly, take care of themselves. The fact that also in Vietnam such type of social phenomenon was alive, unexpectedly, shocked me. I felt that the reason for an increase of poor people was the melting process of traditional community life.

I remembered a Vietnamese friend I had met, last year, in my visit to the Philippines and Malaysia, during the boat riding along the canal, back from Bac Hai. He told me that, as a result of the fast economic growth in Vietnam, changes are occurring. The disintegration of traditional family life and values is a great matter of concern, he said. I clearly felt that, Vietnam is actually within the turmoil of globalization that advances all over our modern world.