National Volunteer Awards launching ceremony in September
The National Volunteer Awards are organised by the Communist Youth Union and the United Nations Volunteers programme. The ceremony recognises the achievements over the past year and honours voluntary organisations and individuals who have contributed to promoting the country's development.
The ceremony will be held on December 5 at Au Co Art Centre, Huynh Thuc Khang Street, Hanoi.
This year’s nominees include Nguyen The Tieng, a student at HCM City University of Technology and Education. Tieng helped students and their families who attended university entrance exams in the city find routes and accommodation over the past four years.
Bao Minh Tien from the Political Bureau, HCM City Border Guards, has helped find daily manual work for 40 to 50 workers a day. Tien also opened a computer course for people in Thieng Lieng Hamlet.
Truong Tu Minh is also from HCM City. He worked with the local Red Cross Organisation and was raised VND51.6bn (USD2.3m). Since 2007, he has given VND1m per month to 65 households that are victims Agent Orange or have near-poor status. He has also participated in various charitable works for people in rural and mountainous areas.
Even though Nguyen Thai Thanh is deaf, she is director of Thanh Nguyen Beauty Technology Company in Hanoi. She has opened vocational class and found jobs for deaf people in her company.
Director of the Understanding the Heart Fund, Pham Gia Chi Bao, who is also a famous actor and MC, has held various events to raise money for charitable works. He has funded the construction of houses for poor households, gave scholarships to pupils and helped old people with free eye operations. He also established a charity group with aims to have one million members by the end of 2015 and to help 2,000 children suffering from congenital heart diseases have free operations.
Italian professor Roberto Decastro is a paediatric urologist. He has carried out 160 operations and given free advice to over 600 patients while working with the Thien Nhan and friends programme since 2011.
Nguyen Kim Hoang is a former Pencak Silat athlete. After losing his eyesight, Hoang's health weakened and he had to depend a lot on his family for daily activities. However, for the past five years, he has delivered a free Pencak Silat class for children.
The list also includes Lo Thi Chien, a nursery teacher who went to work in mountainous Nam Po District, Dien Bien Province and Nguyen Huu Thuan who has donated blood 86 times since 1993