Student group raises money to aid Vietnam flood victims

  KEITH ENRIQUEZ/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Kim Le
Pham sits at a table on Bruin Walk for the Vietnamese
Student Union, collecting donations to assist the victims of recent
floods in Vietnam.

By Laura Rico
Daily Bruin Contributor

Members of the Vietnamese Student Union are committed to helping
flood victims in southern Vietnam.

From collecting spare change to hosting a fund-raising dinner
and dance, the students are stressing the importance of
international aid.

“Since Vietnam is a developing country, it lacks the
infrastructure to deal with damages caused by floods,” said
Giang Nguyen, co-president of VSU. “Foreign aid is heavily
relied upon.”

The floods are being called the worst in more than three
decades, with death tolls exceeding the 300 mark since the middle
of September. About 75 percent of fatalities are children under 3
years of age.

So far, 45,000 people have been displaced and four million homes
destroyed by the floods, according to VSU members. Damages to the
area are estimated at $190 million.

Vinh Phan, VSU co-chair, said donations are needed to control
damages caused by floods and to assist victims suffering from the
long-term effects of the storms.

“It’s important to provide help in a timely
manner,” said Pham. “Starvation and disease will face
the victims long after the floods recede.”

The money VSU raises will go to the Union of Vietnamese Student
Associations of Southern California, which distributes funds to
flood victims mainly through religious organizations, according to
Nguyen.

Aside from tabling on Bruin Walk, VSU members hope to reach out
to students through class presentations.

“We have sent some representatives to speak at South East
Asian studies classes, as well as Vietnamese language
classes,” said Nguyen.

Nguyen also announced a joint fund-raising effort between UCLA
and USC.

“This week, we are co-programming a fund-raising dinner
with USC’s Vietnamese Student Association and coordinating a
VSA alliance dance to send proceeds to flood victims,” said
Nguyen.

Last November, VSU members from UCLA and Cal State Fullerton
held a dance which raised $2,500 for flood relief. In addition, the
group from UCLA raised $700 through other relief efforts similar to
those this year.

This week, all 30 VSU members at UCLA are carrying boxes to
collect spare change from donors. Donations are also being accepted
at the South East Asian Campus Learning Education and Retention
office, located in the Men’s Gym.

Hop Tran, director of the SEA CLEAR office, urged the community
to assist VSU with the relief efforts.

“We are relying on the generosity of the UCLA community to
make a difference in people’s lives,” Tran said.
“Every little bit helps.”

With reports from Daily Bruin wire services. For more
information, e-mail VSU at [email protected] or go to www.uclavsu.org.