Nu's Friends

Nu's Friends is page bringing together a community of people who have been touched by meeting Dang Thi Nu from the Friendship Village in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The purpose of this page is to bring together a community of people who have met and have a connection with Dang Thi Nu from the Friendship Village in Hanoi, Vietnam. You can share updates, pictures, or just share your story of how you met her and the connection you have with her. This is also a place for people to share advice about things Nu likes and dislikes. For example when I used to take he

r for walks and go on the swing together she seemed to love that, she also enjoyed when I made little circles on her palm, it seemed to calm her. As many of you know Nu is blind, mostly deaf, and can't communicate. She appears to be autistic as well, I'm at a loss at how to improve her life but maybe together as a community we can all chip in and help. Backstory About Nu and Myself

My name is Justin Mott and I'm a photographer living and working in Vietnam since 2006. I met Nu in 2007 while working on a photo story about victims of Agent Orange. I decided to focus my story on her and what was suppose to be a 2 week project turned into a friendship and bond of over 10 years now. I spent the first year documenting her life on and off and as time went by I stopped focusing on photographing her and spent more time with her going for walks and just holding her hand. My access to the village and how this all started was through a dear friend of mine Mrs. Thuy(as her students call her) and the help of the warm hearted students at Trung Vuong School(more on them later). After my project documenting Nu my work as a photographer had me in and out of Vietnam a lot and my trips to see Nu became less frequent. When I went to visit Nu around 2009 after not going there for several months and I learned that she had returned to live with her grandparents in the countryside(the policy of the center is for the kids to live there only 5 years). With the help of Thuy(I'm going to stop saying this because everything here is always with the help of Thuy as none of this would've been possible without her amazing soul) we visited her at her grandparents to check up on her. We noticed her health had deteriorated. He grandparents are quite elderly and it was so difficult for them to look after her. They couldn't take care of her her anymore and her parents are separated with new families and they are not part of her life for the most part. I had the idea to see if we could bring Nu back to the Friendship Village, she had a better life there. Thuy and Trung Vuong school worked their magic and we convinced the center to take her back. We also held a charity event selling prints of my work and now we have a little fund that is dedicated to Nu's well being. Every year we take Nu back to her grandparents for Tet(in fact today we just brought her home and she was in good spirits). I'm not saying things are perfect for her there, but it's a healthier life than with her grandparents who have told us they can't look after her. The center provides her with her basic needs and medical care. This page was inspired by a few factors. First off, after a visit I had to the center a few months back I noticed a kind man left a note on the bulletin board in Nu's block. The note was in English and was meant to be seen by new volunteers at the center and it was filled with things that Nu likes, many of which I listed above. What a brilliant idea I thought and I instantly regretted not doing this ages ago. For years I'd stopped by the center and would often meet volunteers, some who met Nu and some who hadn't. We would talk over our experiences and exchange ideas on how to help her more. It was truly amazing, all these people who have this bond with her and I realized there must be so many more out there. What pushed me to finally take action(regrettably not sooner) was today after posting some pictures I met even more people on Facebook(Danika and Allana) who reached out to me with their own stories about their experiences with Nu. I'm sure there are more of you out there and many more to come. All the volunteers, local students from Trung Vuong or other schools, people just passing by, or anyone that works at the center you are welcomed to post here and share your thoughts. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and the top of my heart to all the special people mentioned above, most notably Mrs. Thuy, I love you with all my heart for your generosity and kindness. I'm a photographer not a writer so I'm at a loss for the right words here, but it's quite special and magical that Nu has inspired so many people to help her and to bring out the best in people in her own way. You can see the photo story that I made about Nu back in 2007 here. http://www.justinmott.com/stories/nu-a-child-in-isolation/Justin_Mott_Nu_s_Story001/

Some small things I feel Nu enjoys, please share yours.
-Walks holding her hand
-Feeding her oranges or tangerines in small chewable bites.
-Going on the swing
-Making small circles on her palm
-I've noticed her teeth getting worse, she definitely doesn't like this but please brush and floss her teeth for her she needs it. I should also mention this page is not a charitable entity and we don't accept donations directly at the moment. If you want to donate money, items, or your time please contact the Friendship Village directly. http://www.vietnamfriendship.org/wordpress/get-involved/visit-the-village

This page will not tolerate vulgar posts and some of our community are children so please be respectful of that.

17/06/2020

After several months of living back at her home in the countryside due to COVID-19, we were able to return Nu back to The Friendship Village where she receives daily care.
I can’t believe it’s been over a decade for this project, thank you everyone who helped at our charity event 10 years ago. Your money is still being put to great use, I can’t thank you enough for your generosity and warm hearts.
Thank you to the Friendship Village and to Nu's Friends as well.
For those of you not familiar with Nu, she is blind, mostly deaf, can’t communicate verbally, and is autistic. Nu is a 3rd generation victim of agent orange passed down from her grandfather who fought in the war.
We are still looking for an autism specialist living in Hanoi who could spend some time with Nu, please PM if you know anyone willing to help. Also looking for a dentist who can come to her , we have money for treatment.
Thank you to our team of Nguyen Thuy and Tuan, who every year make the trip with me and help act as a liaison with the Friendship Village and Nu’s family.

26/02/2019

Today we are bringing Nu back to the Friendship Village after Tet Holiday. Her grandparents are quite elderly and it’s so hard for them take care of her so I can’t stress enough how thankful we are that the Friendship Village looks after her throughout the year.

07/02/2019

Happy Lunar New Year everyone. We recently brought Nu back to her grandparents house in the countryside for Tet holiday. She looked healthy and giggled a lot. She will return to the Friendship Village after the holiday. Here are some pictures of the trip.
As always if anyone knows anyone who is an Autism specialist that could work with Nu living in Hanoi let us know.

08/03/2018

More from our trip yesterday bringing Nu back to the Friendship Village after the Tet holiday break. Thank you everyone for all your support.

08/02/2018

Chuc mung nam moi everyone (Happy Lunar New Year).
It's that time of year, today picked up Nu from the Friendship Village to bring her home to her grandparents for Tet. She seemed to be in good health and good spirits. Thanks everyone for all your support with her and happy holidays to you and yours.

13/10/2017

Great visit today to check up on Nu at the Friendship Village, thank you everyone for your support through the years. Special thanks to Mrs. Thuy , Mr. Tuan, Trung Vuong School, and of course the wonderful staff at the Friendship Village.

For anyone volunteering there ,
please check on her dental health.

11/03/2017

Agent Orange Vietnam by Justin Mott

This the story I shot when I first met Nu back in 2006. This album is my photo story documenting Nu's life at the Friendship Village.
Photos by Justin Mott http://www.justinmott.com

14/02/2017

Today w the help of Mrs. Thuy and Mr Tuan we are bringing Nu back to the Friendship Village after spending Tet w her grandparents. She smiled and giggled a lot :). Thanks for all your support.

22/01/2017

Nu often likes to have her palms rubbed if she gets to know you well.

22/01/2017

Videos by occupational therapy student Allana Pengilley who volunteered working with Nu at the friendship village. Allana noticed that Nu really loves to listen to music so if you go visit here play her some. I'm looking into a way to get her music on a regular basis. Thanks for these Allana. Also, below is Allana's list of things that she noticed Nu enjoys.

- Dancing, singing and listening to Justin Timberlake's "Can't stop the feeling" and "Send me on my way" by Rusted Root.
- Jumping, sitting or standing on the trampoline in the rehab room.
- Being tickled on her arms, around her shoulders and having the palms of her hands tickled or massaged lightly.
- Nu LOVES going for walks around the village and will often hold your hand as you do this. I found playing music whilst we walked and just talking to Nu also brought enjoyment to Nu. Nu will often squeeze your hand when she is excited, happy or content.
- Nu will jump occasionally if you try to initiate with her, an upbeat song will usually help this be achieved.
- Nu also likes to sit on an (medium sized) gym/exercise ball and do some swaying or bouncing, I suggest you assist her by stabilising her at her shoulders, hands or hips as she may slide off.
- Nu enjoyed sitting under the parachute whilst it is raised and lowered above her, she may be hesitant at first but if you sit on the floor with her as the parachute is waved over her she will be more relaxed. (- the parachute is stored in the rehab room).
- Nu also likes walking/weaving through obstacle courses and in particular through hula hoops placed on the floor.
- Nu will also sit in the spinning dome playground toys and rock back and fourth (time this well so she doesn't get dizzy though)