SOUP AID: Lentil soup has been prepared by Saleem Hammad and his friends in Việt Nam to be given to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. Photo courtesy of Moonlight Humanity Foundation

HÀ NỘI — Aid from Vietnamese friends has reached northern Gaza, providing much-needed food and clean water to Palestinian families, including children. Palestinian Saleem Hammad entrusted donations to the Moonlight Humanity Foundation, which coordinated delivery of rice and lentil soup and clean water to local communities.

People lined up with plastic containers to collect water for their families, while two water tanks of 20,000 litres each were distributed weekly to about 5,000 people.

"Two water tanks of 20,000 litres each had been distributed to about 5,000 people each week at VNĐ25 million (US$950) means priceless to the people," Saleem Hammad wrote on his Vietnamese fanpage with hundreds of thousands of followers. "They are the drops of life, of human kindness that have been entrusted by Vietnamese friends for the Palestinian people."

In recent weeks, aid has successfully reached those in need in Gaza. In a speech to the United Nations Plenary meeting, President Lương Cường called for a ceasefire and the opening of aid corridors to deliver essential food and water to Palestinians.

Last week also saw demonstrations in many countries urging an end to the conflict and the provision of humanitarian assistance to ordinary people

GRAINS GIVEN: Grains of love are being prepared to be given to people in need in Gaza. Photo courtesy of Moonlight Humanity Foundation

Born in a small village north of Jenin city in 1993, Saleem Hammad has called Việt Nam home for the past 14 years, having moved to Hà Nội to attend college. A graduate of Hà Nội National University, he has become a well-known expat in the country, who not only speaks fluent Vietnamese but also embodies the Vietnamese spirit. He said he shares the belief that one day his Palestinian people will live in peace.

"At 18, when I went to Việt Nam to study, I cried and laughed at the same time. I cried because during my 18 years back home, I never knew peace nor freedom. Landed in Việt Nam, I got to laugh in a foreign land, I got to know the sweet taste of peace, the simple yet so sacred happiness that my fellow people have desired for so many generations."

Just last August, Saleem's younger brother was wounded. The war back home felt both distant and painfully close as news arrived that his brother was in the ICU and later underwent operations to remove bullets from his backbone and leg.

Thousands of well-wishers in Việt Nam sent their support via Saleem's announcements and updates. Others asked insensitive questions, such as why he did not return to fight with the Palestinian people or how he could enjoy life in Việt Nam while others were suffering.

WATER QUEUE: People line up to collect clean water for use in the Gaza Strip. Photo courtesy of the Moonlight Humanity Foundation

Saleem has proven himself through his work. The first shipment from Việt Nam reached the people in need. He has also launched a larger plan to introduce Việt Nam’s tourism and agricultural produce to the Arab world.

Not only well-versed in Vietnamese, his vocabulary is enriched with a large number of proverbs and literary idioms, which makes him stand out among the growing number of international friends learning the language.

He even engaged in a friendly contest with Ethan Kelly, an Australian who speaks Vietnamese fluently and with great humour, despite having spent less than a month in Việt Nam. It was a wake-up call for many Vietnamese to see two young men, a Palestinian and an Australian, sitting by Hà Nội’s iconic Hoàn Kiếm Lake, challenging each other on Vietnamese history and music. (Scan QR code for Video)

On National Day, Saleem wrote a fitting tribute to his friends.

"I'd like to send my message to my dear Vietnamese friends: be proud of your country," he said. "You deserve to have peace, to have prosperity and please remember that over the Mediterranean Sea, Palestinians are all following Việt Nam with admiration and hope. Please do not forget us, who still desire peace like you used to." — VNS