Khánh Anh Monastery, Sóc Trăng 2026: First Stop of the Charity Trip

On March 11, 2026, the Compassionate Hands team left Saigon and traveled more than 320 kilometers to Khánh Anh Monastery in Sóc Trăng to give gifts and cash offerings to the local Khmer community.

On the morning of March 11, 2026, the volunteers of the Compassionate Hands Foundation (Hội Từ Thiện Bàn Tay Nhân Ái) left the Victory hotel in Saigon to begin this spring's charity trip through Vietnam. The bus carried the team more than 320 kilometers south to Khánh Anh Monastery in Sóc Trăng, the first stop of the year.

On the road to Sóc Trăng

The members gathered early under the trees outside the hotel. They are Vietnamese who live half a world away and come back to hand gifts directly to poor families. The bus passed wide rice fields and Khmer pagodas with curved roof ends in the sun. Rivers of the Mekong Delta slid by the windows. On the narrow road to the monastery, the bus had to stop again and again to make room for villagers on motorbikes.

Khánh Anh Monastery and the Khmer community

Villagers were already waiting under the eaves: elderly people with hopeful eyes, children smiling with excitement. For the Khmer community here, the most valuable thing that day was the feeling of not being forgotten, of seeing faces from far away who came only to ask after them.

While waiting to start, the team worked without anyone giving orders. Veterans guided newcomers; some carried boxes, some counted gifts, some arranged them on tables in the delta heat. Sweat soaked their shirts, yet nobody complained of being tired. Each neatly arranged package came from the effort and goodwill of many people far away.

A teaching before the gifts

Before the gifts were handed out, the lecturing monk of Khánh Anh Monastery spoke to the team and the villagers. He urged everyone to live with compassion, forgiveness and selflessness, and to teach the same to their children. He also mentioned the Theravada festivals of the season of prayer for peace and merit.

If someone insults us and we can bear it, we will live peacefully for a year.

Lecturing monk of Khánh Anh Monastery

The whole team listened in silence. Several realized that the trip is a chance to give, and also a chance to receive a great deal.

Then Venerable Thích Minh Nhựt, leader of the group, thanked the monastery's monks and spoke to the villagers about how the foundation works.

We thank the abbot for allowing us, Vietnamese far from our homeland, to come here and hand these gifts to you in person.

Venerable Thích Minh Nhựt, group leader

He said the foundation wants to help disabled people who need wheelchairs, and students. Some families used to receive 10 kilograms of rice every month from the foundation. Since then, the ability to give monthly rice has not stayed steady, so the team now visits when it can and brings one-time gifts. He asked everyone to be understanding if a gift felt short.

Gifts and tịnh tài

The distribution was organized in steps: collecting tickets, handing out essentials, then giving tịnh tài, cash offerings for the poor. Each villager had a team member beside them to guide them through every step, so nobody stood alone in the crowd. The distance between giver and receiver grew small, and the monastery yard felt like a family gathering.

After receiving their gifts, many people tied them tightly to bicycle seats and walked the bikes away slowly. One elderly woman, hands trembling, still insisted on tying her load herself. Those bicycles carried rice and daily necessities, and also the goodwill of people far from home sending something back to the old country. The villagers left with smiles and simple words of thanks.

The next stop

When the distribution ended, the bus pulled away. Behind the glass, Khánh Anh Monastery faded from view, along with the hundreds of eyes the team carried in its memory. The next stop is Bạc Liêu, where the team will give again the following day.