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"Empowering children with autism through the transformative power of art"
Lao Cai, Vietnam
Our Journey to Sapa
September 16, 2025
Our journey to Sapa was a voyage not just across the rugged landscapes of northern Vietnam, but into the heart of humanity itself. ARTFUL HAVEN’s mission took us far from the comforts of modern life, no Wi-Fi, no cozy hotels, no private showers. Instead, we found ourselves embraced by the simplicity and rawness of a remote village where life is woven with challenges and resilience.
In this mountainous region, where the soil is as tough as the people who tend it, we carried with us humble gifts: coloring sheets, boxes of crayons, and t-shirts drawn by our talented neurodivergent artists. These were tools, yes, but more than that, they were bridges between worlds. Bridges between our autistic children’s creative spirits, who had designed the shirts we brought, and the children and families living in this often overlooked corner of Vietnam.
There was a sacredness in the shared vulnerability of the trip. We showered together under one roof, laughed over meals cooked with care but few ingredients, and learned to listen, not just with our ears, but with our hearts. The absence of distractions allowed a clarity to emerge. We were present with the moment, with each other, and with the people whose lives we were privileged to touch.
One encounter stands out vividly, a man with a physical disability whose strength was not measured by his body, but by his spirit. His eyes told stories of hardship and perseverance, yet there was a warmth and openness that transcended circumstance. Through our coloring sheets, crayons, and especially through the shirts emblazoned with the artwork of our autistic children, we spoke a language beyond words.
Art became our common thread. In the strokes of color and the patterns on fabric, stories unfolded—stories of hope, courage, and connection. We shared laughter as children eagerly colored, their hands moving with joy and freedom. We shared quiet moments of reflection as adults saw their own struggles mirrored in the colors and designs. And we shared a profound sense of belonging.
“Art is a bridge,” one of our team members said quietly, “It lets us speak when words fail.”
A little boy tugged at my shirt and asked, “Why did your kids make these pictures?”
“They show their hearts,” I answered. “And when you wear these shirts, you carry their hearts with you.”
The boy’s smile was wide and full of wonder.
Before we left, the village elders gathered us around. One woman, with gentle eyes and weathered hands, said, “Lá lành đùm lá rách.” The good leaves protect the torn. We are all leaves on the same tree. It is not just a saying, but a way of life. It is a call to kindness, to community, to lifting one another up regardless of differences or difficulties.
Her words wrapped around us like a warm embrace, a reminder that kindness and inclusion are not just ideals but lifelines.
As we departed, the shirts we brought were no longer just clothing; they had become symbols of hope, empathy, and the unbreakable bond between communities. The spirit of our autistic children, carried on fabric and colored paper, was alive and breathing in Sapa’s mountains.
This trip taught us that beauty is not in ease or perfection but in the courage to connect across differences, to share stories, to lift one another up. In Sapa, among mountains, humble homes, and resilient hearts, we saw a reflection of our own hopes: that every person, no matter their story, belongs to this shared human tapestry.
Through art, through stories, through the simple act of giving and receiving, we were reminded that kindness transcends language and circumstance. The spirit of our autistic children, alive in their art and their shirts, found a home in Sapa, and in doing so, they helped us see the world anew: a world where inclusion is not an ideal but a lived reality, and where every person’s light, no matter how quietly it shines, adds to the radiant beauty of us all.
