The Journey of beauty in Africa by Pham Quang Linh – Quang Ling Vlogs.

Quang Linh Vlogs' real name is Pham Quang Linh, a male YouTuber living and working in Africa. Quang Linh Vlogs is known to many people for volunteering and spreading good things in distant Africa.

A photo of Pham Quang Linh and his life in Africa

A guy from Nghe An, Vietnam to set foot in Africa. Quang Linh has organized many charity and community-oriented activities, spreading the beautiful image of Vietnamese people in Africa and helping to make Africa more developed. He and his group of friends have pocketed the money to support the essentials for the people, drill fresh water wells, support farmers to produce, and focus on cooking pure Vietnamese dishes. "I went to Africa because of the economy. No one wants to be away from their family without having to work hard," Linh said about his fate when he arrived in Angola. Coming to a completely different horizon when he had just passed his twenties, the Vietnamese young man worked as an extraordinary construction worker. At this time, Linh began to have new friends who were native and had been with him until now. They work together, rely on each other to live, and share less sad and happy moments. Being welcomed by the people and helping his squinting modifier is the biggest reason help Linh becomes more assertive in his life in exile. Friends like Manuel Arlindo (commonly known as Lindo) gradually became relatives there, accompanying Linh during his later journey. Having accumulated a little capital, Linh opened for refrigeration in a small street on the coast of Luanda. He invited Lindo to work with many others. In his spare time, when managing soil and rock, an imaginary idea of setting up his own YouTube channel was born because Linh realized that life in Angola has many colors and characteristics, and this experience needs to record back in some form.

A video of Quang Linh's team and African people

"The original purpose I wanted to post videos on the internet was not to make money, but just to have a place to save my memories in this remote, completely different culture," Linh said.

From entertaining moments to introducing Vietnamese culture to African friends, Linh gradually realized many thoughts in each person after each exchange and deeper conversation. They all had a low starting point and had to leave their hometown to go to big cities in Angola to do manual work and accumulate every penny to send back to their families.

When he gave extra money to his colleagues to send back to their hometowns to provide rice to a killed neighbor, Linh thought about finding a way to help more because there were so many poor people in Angola: "If you decide to direct yourself from earning prospects to community activities, life affects quite a lot. However, gradually I don't put too much emphasis on money, but the bigger goal is to want to experience more myself. At the same time, when I help others, I feel happier."

With more capital from Stone, Linh opened an online shoe store. The images on two YouTube channels: Quang Linh Vlogs and African Cuisine, gradually attracted many viewers and enabled monetization. At that time, the income was not much, but it was enough for the young man to choose a new and strange path in the low-income of Africa. It's the journey of doing "A YouTuber" and making money through the business to do valuable things for the local community.

Quang Linh switched to developing the ice industry and started recording clips with locals in Angola making ice at the end of 2018 (Source: CafeBiz)

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic appeared in Angola. "When the epidemic appeared, I did not have enough money to return home, not to mention it was not easy to return. So, I chose to stay," Linh said.

This decision is an opportunity for the young man to make the journey to visit the hometown of his companions; from there, he witnesses the harsh life of rural Angola. Linh sympathizes with the farmers of many ethnic minorities here as he felt when he first came to Africa, having to work hard to earn a living. The locals need more materially. Buying them from a cake or candy box is enough to create a "party" for the children, older people, and even the village.

Quang Linh and people celebrated Lôi Con's birthday

Lindo is from the remote volcanic village of Sanzala (in the Bailundo district, Huambo province - one of the poorest localities of Angola). People here have never had access to clean water because rowing drilling costs too much for their entry. Linh and a group of companions (including Vietnamese and Angolans - commonly known as Team Africa) decided to spend money and hire in Luanda (about 200km from Sanzala village) to drill for fresh water. And after only three hours, the dream of having clean water for the first time in life came true to the people's amazement.

With clean water, Linh wants to help poor friends who have followed her along the way to build a house, get married, and settle down.

Knowing that Lindo plans to have a wedding in his hometown, the situation is challenging, so Linh's group decides to help. And then a typical Vietnamese wedding ceremony took place right in the heart worth remembering.

Lindo shared: "Delighted when Linh gave my wife and me from wedding dresses to wedding rings. Linh did important things in my life on behalf of my parents."

"The ceremony cast includes African girls; the male cast is young Vietnamese. The girls wear beautiful pink dresses. The young men dress in white shirts with red ties. The image is not inferior to that in Vietnam."

After the wedding, the young couple continued to be supported to buy land and build a spacious house. Lindo's father said: "Looking at the house Linh built for Lindo, I don't believe it's true. I consider Linh as my son. I am thrilled and touched by what Linh has done with us. I hope Linh always has a lot of luck."

Quang Linh shared: "Lindo and I have known each other since we were construction workers. I consider Lindo and all the other things as friends."

With both personal income and donations, Linh's group continues to support the construction of four more houses for the remaining "black brothers" in the group, Donating rice to the people of Bailundo mountain villages...

After a period of helping and supporting people experiencing poverty in Angola in kind, Quang Linh's group realized that they could not keep giving "fish" but had to help them get "fishing rods."

Agriculture in Bailundo is currently very underdeveloped, partly because of production conditions and partly because of a lack of experience and qualifications. They mainly grow corn, almost need to learn how to grow green vegetables, and the land is vacant. Linh shared: "The corn has been planted for five months until the harvest date, but the corn is very small, and the grass is all around. The low yield of corn is because people sow the seeds instinctively, plant them very thickly, and don't fertilize the soil.

Quang Linh's team is growing Vietnamese vegetables

The group of friends started experimenting with growing Vietnamese vegetables in Africa and found the results were outstanding because it rains a lot, and the soil is quite fertile.

Since then, their farming experience in Vietnam has guided people on properly growing and harvesting vegetables. Even the way to process vegetables into dishes. The first batches of cucumbers and vegetables were sold to the market, earning money for replanting. Currently, the "Africa Team" and local people have brought spring water to rinse vegetables, hoping to continue to expand the vegetable growing model to more households and other suitable areas in the region.

Quang Linh's team is harvesting cucumbers

After helping people in farming, Linh's team started working on a future-oriented project: In 2021, support 5,000 mountainous students here eligible for school. If funds are available, they will be kept for three to five years, even longer if possible.

Linh said: "The Angolan state frees school fees for children, but the family has to take care of the school uniforms, books, and meals. But for them, money for food must be earned daily, where there is not enough money to send their children to school." Even the school in this area, built in 1987, is old and badly damaged. The school can't even afford to buy tables and chairs, so students have to go to school by themselves and take the chairs home.

Pham Quang Linh (center) hands school uniforms and bags to support children in Sanzala village (Bailundo district, Huambo province, Angola). (Source: People)

"The project has only started for a short time, so currently, the group is temporarily supporting 15 children in remote villages to buy clothes and school bags to help them qualify for school," Linh said. The young people decided to stop building houses for about three weeks to transfer human resources to repair the old school. Shortly, the group will split up into each neighborhood, supporting more students to attend school.

Quang Linh's team gave a hand to build up the school for African students

The image of Quang Linh and his friends in Africa is helping the community full of emotions and pride of the shining Vietnamese hearts, contributing to warming up the problematic life in Africa.

Linh expressed: "I will help people around me while I can. If people still want to follow and support, we will continue to do these meaningful things."

With his valuable volunteer journeys and his group of friends, Quang Linh is honored to be among the top inspirational characters of 2020 of the Wechoice Awards program. He also appeared in "Returning Day - Sunny Heart" on Vietnam Television on the occasion of the last Lunar New Year of the Ox in 2021 as a worthy recognition after many efforts to help the people of Angola in particular and Europe. Africa, in general.

Author: Phạm Thị Khánh Linh