VIETNAM: GOVERNMENT INVITES SDBs INTO FORMER DMZ AREA - AND 'HOME'
ROME: 9th August -- The Salesians are preparing to move into full scale Professional Skills Training in the Central Mekong Delta, in the former DMZ region well-known to American and Australian troops before 1975, but also an area of special significance for Salesians - close by the assigned Salesian area is a national Shrine to Mary Help of Christians. There is a strong feeling of 'coming home' for the persevering and industrious Salesians of the Vietnamese Province
In an interview with 'austraLasia' today, Fr. John Nguyen Van Ti, who recently concluded his term as Provincial in Vietnam, outlined significant developments for the Vietnamese SDB Province, which now numbers around 230 confreres and climbing, with a steady influx of 20 or more novices per year, most of whom enter with a university or other professional degree and experience already behind them.
Since 1975, Salesians have really been restricted to Parish work mainly, with small non-institutional enterprises around these parish centres. In the 1990's, two attempts were made to enter into joint agreement with Government to provide educational facilities - there was an openness on the part of the Government, 'but conditions and restrictions to proposed agreements were deemed unsatisfactory', Fr. Ti indicated. By 1998, however, one such joint venture in the city (HCM) did eventuate - a professional skills training centre affiliated with a Government institution but with no actual legal status in itself. By the year 2000 there was change in the air - the Government issued a decree opening up education to certain private bodies. As the Salesians discovered, this did not include certain Religious bodies, but a start had been made: health, education, sport now began to see some private institutions working in their own right.
The real change came when the Salesian Province approached local provincial government concerning a number of areas outside the main cities. Lam Dong in the highlands was one such area. The result was agreement in 2002 for the Salesians to conduct a fully private institution, even allowing boarding providing students were poor rural students with no other opportunities. The Government provided 3-4 acres of land for the purpose. While buildings are still something for the future, 'teaching is already going on', said Fr. Ti. Misereor has promised assistance with buildings. Yet another Professional Skills Training Centre is proposed in the deep South, next to the border with Cambodia at Ba Ria, hopefully with financial backing from the Italian Government. Here too, teaching is going on, but the interesting feature of this development is the presence, not of Salesians but young Salesian Cooperators. It is also the hometown of the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister. All these developments have led to the Salesian name being held in high esteem amongst ordinary Vietnamese but especially Party cadre members - to the point where the most recent 'Mekong' offer (at Quang Tri, precisely) is indeed an offer, not something originally sought by the Salesians. Fr. Ti explained how the local government authorities have provided the land, tax free and how 'it just happens that the land is nearby the beloved shrine to Mary Help of Christians at La Vang'. Hic domus mea.....inde gloria mea...
