Courtesy Photo | The Thanh Thuy school was constructed the same size an with dual purposes. The new...... read more read more
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON – In the West, sending our children off to school or making appointments with a doctor are normal activities. However, citizens of developing parts of the world may not always have access to what we may see as basic human services like education or medical care.
Recently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District completed construction of two primary schools and a medical clinic in rural parts of Vietnam. Through a partnership between the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, USACE, Vietnam government and local contractors, the United States government aims to enhance the quality of life for Vietnamese residents through these projects while strengthening diplomatic relations between the two nations.
“These facilities support the comprehensive strategic partnership signed by the U.S. president and the general secretary of Vietnam,” said Evan Ting, chief of the Program Support Division and International Cooperation for USACE – Pacific Ocean Division. “The projects promote bilateral cooperation, friendship, and enhance people-to-people ties, education and health. These humanitarian assistance construction projects provide regional stability and prosperity while strengthening Southeast Asia.”
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command maintains close interagency coordination with the U.S. State Department to enable high quality projects like the schools built by USACE. The effort is a whole-of-government approach to support U.S. partners in Southeast Asia and across the Indo-Pacific region, said Cmdr. Matthew Comer, chief of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Public Affairs’ media and current operations.
“USACE provides tangible, long-lasting facility and infrastructure improvements across the region as a demonstration of our steadfast commitment to our partners and allies,” Comer said. “These projects build up local communities, positively impacting generations and directly contributing to growth and security.”
In mid-August, the U.S. and Vietnamese governments conducted a handover ceremony for the Sro Health Clinic in Kong Chro of the Gai Lai province. The single-story clinic will serve the Dak To Pang commune in the rural area. It contains 10 rooms and will employ five nurses and doctors that will serve the medical needs of the region.
“The Sro Health Clinic will provide modern pediatric, minor-emergency and walk-in medical care for the surrounding communes,” said Colby Thurston, project manager in the Alaska District’s Asia Programs Office.
Meanwhile, similar ceremonies were conducted for the Duy Vinh Primary School and Disaster Shelter near Duy Xuyen in the Quang Nam Province on August 14 and the Thanh Thuy Primary School and Disaster Shelter near Than Thuy in the Quan Bing Province on September 5.
The Duy Vinh facility is a two-story, eight-room primary school grossing about 7,500 square feet. The school will serve a population of about 200 students in a growing district and commune of Vietnam. In October 2020, the Duy Xuyen District was severely damaged by cyclone flooding. Therefore, the new building will support the community’s disaster response and preparedness with its secondary purpose as a cyclone shelter.
“[The school] is in a flood prone area of central Vietnam,” Thurston said. “Designing and constructing our schools to be one meter (3.3 feet) above the median flood line is critical for citizens of the surrounding districts, communes and villages to use as a disaster shelter.”
The Thanh Thuy school was constructed the same size and with dual purposes as well. The new facility will serve about 280 students of its rural region and employ eight more teachers to bring the total staff to about 31.
“Citizens in the region make great sacrifices to get their children to attend school [where] public transportation does not exist,” he said. “Parents also contribute to the operating costs of the school, so efficient design of the heating and cooling systems was paramount.”
Thurston added that the U.S. government team has seen instances where USACE-designed and built schools are the only structure to survive natural disasters. USACE continues to lead the way with resilient, efficient, low-maintenance facilities built to international building standards and codes, he said.
“USACE has a critical role in executing U.S. Indo-Pacific Command-funded humanitarian assistance construction projects,” Ting said. “These projects include but are not limited to disaster shelters, schools, medical clinics, or disaster management coordination centers. They are intended to directly address humanitarian needs, enhance capabilities to respond to crises and promote cooperation with our foreign partners.”
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.16.2024 19:24 |
| Story ID: | 483283 |
| Location: | ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, US |
| Hometown: | HANOI, VN |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Small projects in Vietnam yield huge impacts for citizens, diplomatic relations, by John Budnik, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
