As discussed in the Vietnam Weekly on Monday, Ho Chi Minh City’s hard lockdown is creating economic pain for many, particularly those on the margins of society who rely on daily income to survive - whether from selling lottery tickets, running a food cart outside a factory, working as a non-contract day laborer, or something similar.

With this work now impossible as the city fights a huge COVID-19 outbreak, many people are in a fairly desperate situation: no income, family support networks stretched thin, cramped living spaces, higher food prices, and heavy restrictions on outdoor movement.

In two separate interviews, I spoke with Damien Roberts, executive director of Saigon Children, about the vital work the charity is doing to keep marginalized kids (and their families) fed and mentally stimulated; as well as Kelly Vo, head of the Philanthropy Services department at the LIN Center for Community Development, who discussed the challenges that grassroots NGOs in Ho Chi Minh City face due to COVID-19 restrictions (25:56).

You can donate to Saigon Children here, and learn more about the LIN Center’s work here. (Also, check out Kelly’s own podcast, Dear Our Community, here.)

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