Dong Hanh is a non-profit organisation with the aim of providing help to youth from underprivileged backgrounds in Vietnam.
Accompanying Vietnamese youths in every footstep
Dong Hanh is a charitable organization founded in 2001, aiming to support university students with financial hardship who show great effort to excel in their studies and in life. With tireless efforts from the very first days, Dong Hanh has become friends with numerous Vietnamese youths, supporting them in their journey to accomplish their dreams and ambitions.
Starting from the “Right to Dream” project (Tiếng Việt: “Quyền được ước mơ”), by a group of Vietnamese students studying at École Polytechnique in Paris, France, Dong Hanh has now expanded to become a legally-recognised charitable non-profit organization, with an effective network across countries and continents (Vietnam, France, Singapore, South Korea, and the USA). From the first 17 scholarships awarded to VNUHCM University of Technology in 2001, Dong Hanh has now awarded more than 4.500 scholarships to students from almost 20 universities and several high schools across Vietnam.
“Accompanying Vietnamese youths in every footstep” has always been our motto since our first days. We strive to support students in their first years of university – the time period filled with tremendous uncertainties. Dong Hanh hopes that self-driven mentality and effort are the determining factors of their future, not family financial circumstances, which they are not given options. For every scholarship awarded, Dong Hanh supports each student having financial hardship with a part of their tuition fees and daily spending so that they can focus on their academics and have their struggle eased on their way to achieving their dreams.
Our Values
Throughout our long journey, Dong Hanh has formed our distinct values:
- Transparency in selecting and awarding scholarships: With a sophisticated selection process and a broad network across universities and high schools, we are confident to award the scholarships to those who are the most in need and suitable. Dong Hanh’s operating cost is very low as it is operated mostly by volunteers who are or were once students.
- Spreading and carrying forward the legacy is also a core value that we have developed. Many graduates that once received our scholarship are coming back to contribute their effort, to write the next pages as “Dong Hanh Alumni”.
- Aside from scholarships, the support and guidance that Dong Hanh committee members have provided to the students have shown positive results in equipping the students with necessary knowledge and skills. With these supports, many students have achieved excellent results academically.
Our directions in 2021-2026
One primary goal of Dong Hanh in the next few years is to increase the value and number of scholarships. The cost for university in Vietnam has been increasing quickly. This situation triggers the need to change our mindset and expand our scope of fund-raising to increase the value of the scholarship to correspond to reality and support more Vietnamese youths with financial hardship but strong desire to move forward.
Along with increasing the value of the scholarship, Dong Hanh is also striving to organise other programs, of which the highlight is Mentorship Program 1-on-1 (one experienced Dong Hanh member mentors a university student). Dong Hanh would also organise more workshops on industry-specific skills and life skills.
With our development and globalisation, Dong Hanh members living across the globe can still work together efficiently. Voluntary movements have become more and more common around the world and particularly in Vietnam. Understanding these situations, Dong Hanh are actively developing to be more professional and effective in the way we operate.