As the global textile industry continues to evolve rapidly, the collaboration between Vietnam and Taiwan has extended beyond technology and manufacturing to embrace deeper connections in education and culture. Sponsored by the Singtex Education Foundation, the Department of Textiles and Clothing at Fu Jen Catholic University launched a meaningful cross-border volunteer initiative, bringing “aesthetics” and “compassion” into the lives of children in rural Vietnam.
A Gentle Companionship
Following the Lunar New Year, 19 faculty and student members of Fu Jen’s “Zhi-Fu Volunteer Service Team” traveled to the Hoang Tieu Huong Humanitarian Center in Di An City, Binh Duong Province. This marked the first volunteer mission to Vietnam since the pandemic. Home to around 350 orphans, the center welcomed the team’s pilot program focused on a single 7th grade class, where students were introduced to aesthetic education, creative thinking, and life guidance activities over the course of several weeks.
More than a lesson in beauty, it was a gentle companionship. Through fabric collage, handmade accessories, and color exploration games, the volunteers helped children discover beauty in the everyday—and, in doing so, helped them uncover their own often-overlooked creativity and imagination. These seeds of inspiration began to quietly take root in the classroom.
“Education is hope, and design is connection.”
The Singtex Education Foundation extends heartfelt thanks to the Fu Jen faculty and students, whose actions embody the belief that “education is hope, and design is connection.” This journey to Vietnam not only sparked creativity and dreams among the children but also wove together education, industry, and humanitarian care into a softer, stronger textile chain. We believe that every piece of fabric holds the promise of a future—and these possibilities all begin with tender lessons in aesthetic appreciation.
