OVs, foreign friends give helping hands to storm victims
President of the Vietnam Fatherland (VFF) Central Committee Do Van Chien on September 20 received support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic missions, and foreign enterprises to people affected by recent Typhoon Yagi and its subsequent floods in some northern localities.
The aid included VND4 billion (US$162,568) from the Chinese Business Association in Vietnam, nearly BHT2 million (US$60,740) from the Thai Government, US$1 million from India's Adani Group, VND2 billion from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and VND19.3 billion from the Vietnamese associations in Angola, Belarus, Laos, Thailand, Japan, Russia, Australia, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, USA, Hong Kong (China), Macau (China), the Czech Republic, and Ukraine.
Addressing the ceremony, Chien noted that he is moved when receiving the support for the storm victims, and expressed gratitude to the donors, pledging to use the fund to directly assist the affected communities in an effective, transparent, and open manner under the supervision of the people and society.
According to Chien, Typhoon Yagi hit 26 localities in the northern region, especially Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Hai Phong, and Quang Ninh. It killed and left missing 356 people and injured thousands others, while destroying tens of thousands of houses, and hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops.
Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers from armed forces have been mobilised to support affected people to overcome the storm's consequences, he said, adding that the VFF has called for support from businesses, collectives, and individuals at home and abroad as well as international friends for the affected communities.
He cited a preliminary report as showing that 10 days after the call, the VFF Central Committee's Relief Board received more than VND1.62 trillion from donors, and VND1.03 billion from the amount has been distributed to 26 localities.
He stressed that in hard times, the tradition of solidarity and mutual support of Vietnamese people has been promoted strongly.
Chien said that currently, fund-raising activities have been continuously carried out among the overseas Vietnamese community. As of September 20, over VND31 billion had been collected, of which VND21 billion has been sent home.
Earlier on September 13, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs handed over more than VND600 million to the VFF Central Committee.
