Vietnam/ More Hanoi, a tailor-made start-up model for the visually impaired

Located at number one, Nguyên Thi Duê street, in the Câu Giây district, the More Hanoi café is the first in the country with visually impaired people at the counter. It was inaugurated in November 2024 by the Training Center for Rehabilitation Agents for the Blind (Vietnamese Association of the Visually Impaired).

The coffee is part of a project entitled "Beverage blending training and job creation for the blind in Vietnam", implemented by the Vietnam Association of the Visually Impaired, with support from Siloam International, and with funding from the South Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).implemented by the Vietnam Association of the Visually Impaired, with the support of Siloam International, and funding from the South Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). For Dinh Viêt Anh, vice-president of the Vietnamese Association of the Visually Impaired, this is first and foremost an experiment.

"This is the first beverage blending training and job creation project for the visually impaired in Vietnam. Students are not only trained in beverage preparation techniques, they are also trained in customer and social communication skills," she tells us.

The aim is to train 36 blind people through 6 training workshops in 3 years, from 2024 to 2026, and to open 3 cafés, as Pham Xuân Truong, Director of the Training Center for Rehabilitation Agents for the Blind, attached to the Vietnamese Association for the Visually Impaired, explains to us.

"Our center will continue to develop this training program, along with a coffee chain, the idea being toThe idea is to increase career opportunities for blind people, not only in Hanoi, but throughout the country", he explains.

Each drink prepared by a visually impaired person is the result of efforts to overcome many difficulties.

Pouring water into the bottle to mix is difficult for me because I can't see the quantity of water clearly. I have to count in my head the time it takes to reach the desired quantity at this or that flow rate: it takes practice", says Thân Thuy Hang, a More Hanoi employee.

Vocational training and job creation in the field of beverage mixing for the blind not only benefits the blind, but also has a positive impact on society in general.

The visually impaired not only learn a new trade, but are also offered opportunities to open cafés, improve their lives and become financially independent. For Lê Thi Tuong Thu, Chairman of the Union of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, this is one of the most interesting aspects of the project.

"With their efforts, blind and disabled people can own businesses and create jobs for other blind and disabled people. So they encourage other people with difficulties to progress in life," she notes.

The friendly, warm and leafy space of the More Hanoi café makes every guest feel relaxed. Each drink contains the efforts and affection of the staff, as well as a message of love and belief in the abilities of the blind. Luu Minh Hoa, who is a customer, is particularly sensitive to this...

"I was quite surprised to find that this café was run by blind people. I must say that the drinks served here are really excellent, in any case...", she confides.

More Hanoi is not just a café, but a creative business model, offering a humane working environment and creating more employment opportunities for the blind.

Source: lecourrier.vn/