From boardrooms to street kitchens
13 February 2009 at 00:01 bernicew 8 comments
You will not find much about it in the Lonely Planet but Thanh Hóa, Vietnam, is where I will be spending the next few months as a Kiva Fellow. Its dirt roads, paper-based systems and road-side street kitchens are a far cry from the corporate culture that I am familiar with, but I am excited to see what the next few months will hold.
Thanh Hóa is the fourth largest (by area) and second poorest province in Vietnam, with over 30% of the households considered poor. Kiva’s field partner here, the Fund for Thanh Hóa Poor Women, has been in operation for over 10 years and continues to grow in size and influence, opening a new branch just this past November in the Hậu Lộc district.
Although I have only been here for a few (linguistically challenged) days, we have hit the ground running and I am trying to ramp up as quickly as I can. (Easier said than done when there isn’t a wikipedia page on hand.) What I have found so far is a great passion for change and a general consensus that with the strong work ethic ingrained in its people, Vietnam’s economy will grow. The only question is how quickly and at what cost.
I will keep you posted on what I find, but in the meantime… Tôi cần thực hành tiếng Việt!
Note: In a future blog, Nathan, Kiva Fellow based in Hanoi, and I will be delving into the differences between microfinance in Hanoi and Thanh Hóa. Please leave us any specific questions you would like us to look into (e.g. how does the cost of living differ?) by leaving us comments. Cám ơn!
Join the ‘Vietnam Critical Mass’ lending team!
Entry filed under: Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women, KF7 (Kiva Fellows 7th Class), Vietnam. Tags: Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women, kf7, Thanh Hoa.
1. GuideMeGreen | 20 February 2009 at 02:35
My lasting memory of Vietnam is eating dog and drinking beer at 50 cents a glass in Ho Chi Min City.
Sorry to any veggies but this really was the good olde days!
2. QuityyZyttt | 17 February 2009 at 06:32
My happy face!
3. milena08 | 17 February 2009 at 01:58
You know you are living in isolation when there is no wikipedia page! I loved the video you put together on your trip. Will be interesting to see how microfinance compares in both places.
~Milena (KF6 Kenya)
4. SammyTerO | 16 February 2009 at 19:44
5. An | 14 February 2009 at 00:51
Hi Bern, Are you going to put up pictures of where you work and where you live too? Are you eating a lot of ‘mangosteens’?
6. Sarah | 13 February 2009 at 13:23
I’m glad everything is settling in place for you. Good luck with the language barrier! I know how much fun that can be.
7. Zack | 13 February 2009 at 09:24
Hi Bernice,
Great post and cool video. I’d be interested to know the differences between the MFI’s of targeted borrowers as well as MF products.
8. Maya Mylavarapu | 13 February 2009 at 05:53
bernice – thanks for the video! keep up the effort. the discrepancy (yet similarity) between urban and rural poverty reminds me a lot of india. you should start up a wikipedia page for thanh hoa.