Over these days leading to the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival 2019, programmes for presenting gifts and giving financial aids to those in need have taken place across Da Nang with the hope of bringing them a warm and joyful festival.

Tet gifts being presented to local AO victims

The municipal Association of Agent Orange (AO)/ Dioxin Victims has joined forces with local philanthropies to present 520 Tet gifts, worth 500,000 VND each, and provide regular financial support to AO victims across the city. Total value of gifts and cash stood at 340 million VND.

Likewise, the district-level associations have given 1,570 gifts, valuing 785 million VND in a total, to the needy.

According to Ms Phan Thi Ngan, the Vice Chairman of the An Khe Ward Viet Nam Fatherland Front Committee, a total of 300 gifts, with each worth 400,000 VND - 500,000 VND, have gone to the poor to help them enjoy a cozy and jubilant Tet festival.

Ms Nguyen Thi Van, the Vice Chairman of the Hoa Tien Commune People's Committee in Hoa Vang District, said, up to now, besides funding from its own budget, the commune has appealed for the general public to present 160 Tet gifts, worth 300,000 VND - 500,000 VND each, for poor and handicapped people.

“We are appealing for more donations from generous philanthropists so that all poor households across the commune received Tet gifts”, Ms Van said.

According to Mr Thai Dinh Hoang, the Deputy Director of municipal Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, a sum of nearly 44 billion VND from the municipal People’s Committee budge has been given to more than 90,000 social policy beneficiaries, wounded soldiers and heroic Vietnamese mothers, and poor families across the city.

Besides, many specific support policies have been released for the sake of the needy in a bid to help them overcome their difficulties.

Besides, a total of 514 poor families whose members suffer from life-threatening diseases have received monthly allowances of 500,000 VND each.

Also, 3,988 poor residents who are social protection beneficiaries, elderly and sick people have been eligible for monthly grants of 300,000 VND-500,000 VND each. 

Furthermore, in 2018 alone, a total of nearly 7.1 billion VND from the city budget and public donations was spent on building 126 new houses and repairing downgraded ones.

In addition, following the approval by the municipal administration, 206 apartments have been allocated to very poor families in the city.