More than one month has passed since I had a chance to visit your office with my group from Switzerland. We are back in Switzerland and we are looking back to a journey across a country which is developing very fast. Like everywhere in the world these changes are happening with very different speeds within society and with quite some challenges. In Ho Chi Minh City a group of students was interviewing me about my impressions about Vietnam. When I told them that one of the things that impress me is the pace of development. A tall boy in the group replied immediately: “It is progressing much to slow.” Your inputs helped my group to understand a bit more about the development of Vietnam and the inputs of HELVETAS and CRED.

I would like to thank you again for your kind invitation and the time you took. My group was very impressed about your commitment and the way you explained your projects and the context of your work. It helped me to open their eyes for the challenges and opportunities of the people of Vietnam.

In one of the homestays you were supporting we met two young Vietnamese ladies, both travelling on their own. One a banker, the other coming from communication. The discussion with the two was also an eye-opener for my group about the aspirations of young Vietnamese for the future of their life and the future of their country.

We stayed at the homestays in Hoang Su Phi and Quang Uyen. In Hoang Su Phi the head of the village gave us a chance to ask him about the development of local tourism and the challenges for people living in rural areas.

The two homestays were excellent. The owners were extremely friendly and helpful. The sleeping room, the toilets and showers were clean. We got more than we expected (also more rice wine than we expected).

I explained my group before we left, that we will not be always obvious what HELVETAS has supported. But due to your explanations we could see more than what is obvious. Especially interesting was the visit at cacao plantation in Chau Than. The owners were very helpful in explaining us the production process and their work to be part of the value chain. They explained and showed us also the input of HELVETAS.

I would like to thank you again for your valuable input and your work for the people of Vietnam. It is also a part of the all-over struggle to make this world a better place.

Greetings from Zurich