Charity art programme to help AO victims

The sixth “Justice and Heart” art programme was held in Hanoi on August 8 in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong, and Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.

Speaking at the event, co-sponsored by the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA), Vietnam Television, and Thang Long Cultural Joint Stock Company, Deputy PM Nhan expressed his sympathy for Agent Orange (AO) victims and thanked individuals and organisations for their generous donations to help AO victims continue their struggle for justice.

During the programme, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, VAVA Vice President, Nguyen Thi Hien, President of the Da Nang Association of Victims of Agent Orange, and two AO victims Tran Thi Hoan and Pham The Minh, told stories of their “journey for justice” in the US.

At the end of the programme, VAVA raised more than VND8 billion for its provincial chapters in Ha Tinh, Quang Nam, Hai Phong, Bac Giang, and Nghe An.

On the same day, the “Action Month for AO Victims’ was launched by the Vietnam Red Cross in Ho Chi Minh City, raising more than VND30 billion for AO victims and disabled people living in poverty.

After the launch, 10,000 people took part in a charity walk for AO victims and disabled people, and 30 businesses in Ho Chi Minh City donated more than VND1 billion to the cause.

The Vietnam Red Cross and the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross presented 100 wheelchairs and 150 scholarships to AO victims and disabled people in southeastern provinces.