Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Don Tuan Phong presented the award to Margaret Gaynor in Hanoi on June 19.

Over the past three years, Margaret Gaynor has played a key role in building aid programmes for Vietnam in the 2011-2015 period, focusing on reducing poverty for ethnic minority people, boosting economic development, and supporting the participation of foreign non-governmental organisations in Vietnam’s development.

She has made great contributions to Vietnam’s programme on socio-economic development in specially difficult communes (Programme 135) through Irish-funded projects.

She has directly joined the “One-UN” programme during her working time in Vietnam, helping foster relations between UN organisations and the Vietnamese Government.

She has also taken part in various activities to boost education and training cooperation and cultural exchanges between Ireland and Vietnam.