In Da Nang, the work of "repaying favour", ensuring social welfare is carefully implemented by the city authorities at all levels annually. Especially, this is remarkably reflected in the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic till now, and the local authorities, with quick response, to enthusiastically help people stabilize their lives during the pandemic.

Taking thorough care of the family with meritorious services

The 80-year-old lady Tran Thi Khom's family, residing in Gian Bi Hamlet, Hoa Bac Commune, Hoa Vang District, belongs to the family with revolutionary merits in the Co Tu ethnic minority area. Because of her family’s difficult circumstances, she did not have enough money to repair her downgraded house built via the financial support from the municipal budget more than 10 years ago.

Having heard that, the Hoa Bac Commune People's Committee proposed the city's functional departments and agencies to support VND 50 million in funding for Mrs Khom to repair the house and it had been completed in the past July

Living in the newly repaired house still retaining the smell of lime, Mr Nguyen Van Dung, Mrs Khom's son, is overjoyed due to this precious support and attention to his family amid COVID-19 tough time

Apart from Mrs Khom's family, Da Nang has also still supported most of the policy families and people with meritorious services to repair and build new houses in recent years. Every year, an amount of over VND100 billion has been spent on people with meritorious services, of which more than VND 60 billion is for specific support policies. In particular, the city authorities always pay special attention to people often having illnesses or suffering from serious diseases, and poor households having no working capacity and receiving monthly and unexpected hardship allowances.

In the period of 2018-2020, 223 families of people who gave meritorious services to the national revolution across the city were supported land-use fees with a total of VND 7,454 billion and 4,117 families of meritorious people were supported to repair and build new houses with a total of VND 134,53 billion. Since 2019, although having no longer receive the national budget to repair houses, the city's budget for these activities is still guaranteed.

Moreover, for over the past two years of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 and 2021, Da Nang city has promptly implemented funding support packages to help people, including people with meritorious services and social policy beneficiaries stabilize their lives as well as overcoming difficulties as the result of this serious pandemic. In addition, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has also proposed a plan for families of people who gave meritorious services on escaping poverty programs, adopted livelihoods support programmes and vocational training with a budget of VND 10-15 million per household.

Let's fight against the pandemic together

During the tough days of fighting COVID-19 pandemic, whole political system has urgently taken strong measures to prevent and control the pandemic with the motto "Leave no one behind". At the same time, the city has tried the utmost to ensure social welfare for locals, helping them feel secure at home to join hands fighting against the pandemic as soon as possible.

Notably, Da Nang residents have already been accessed to a host of support packages in assist to reduce their economic burden, such as tuition support for preschool children and high school pupils in the school year 2021-2022 with an amount of over VND 87 billion; support for service fees to use sales space for 19,741 stallholders affected by the epidemic from May to October with a total amount of VND 30.13 billion; support of food and essential goods for people in the medical quarantine areas in Son Tra district; support for the cost of testing for SARS-CoV-2 with more than VND 37 billion for specific subjects in the city; 100% support for meals for Vietnamese people having to stay in designated quarantine places, etc.

In addition, the city authorities at all levels have also quickly mobilized businesses to support hundreds of tons of food and essential items to make sure no one goes hungry during the strict social distancing period.

All in all, Da Nang authorities at all levels have paid special attention to social welfare to ensure locals’ living for over years, especially during the outbreak of COVID-19. With the strong implementation of social security programs, it is hoped that Da Nang residents will feel secure to join hands with the city in complying with effective pandemic prevention and control measures to succeed in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic

Reporting by PHƯƠNG CHI- Translating by T.VY