Attending the program were Mr. Nguyen Long Hai, Alternate Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Mr. Nguyen Dang Quang, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Mr. Ha Sy Dong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Acting Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Dao Manh Hung, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee; other members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee; permanent members of Provincial People's Council, Provincial People's Committee, and Provincial Fatherland Front Committee; representatives from departments, agencies, unions, and humanitarian organizations in the province.

Opening the program, Mr. Dao Manh Hung, Chairman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, emphasized that over the past 20 years, when new years come, the “Connecting Hands of Love” program has received the sympathy and support of organizations, units, armed forces, enterprises, international organizations, humanitarian organizations, and philanthropists inside and outside the province. This support has timely assisted and encouraged poor households, victims of Agent Orange, and disadvantaged people in the province, bringing them joy to celebrate Tet and showcasing the solidarity of the Vietnamese people. In that spirit, the program “Connecting Hands of Love” 2025 has taken on a nobler mission, which is to respond to the nationwide call by the Prime Minister to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in 2025.

In the past five years, with the joint efforts of organizations and individuals inside and outside the province through the program “Connecting Hands of Love”  and the fund “For the Poor”, Quang Tri Province has constructed 1,860 homes for poor families, donated over 335,000 Tet gifts, 21,000 winter coats for children from poor households, and provided many other practical support for Agent Orange victims, people with disabilities, and families affected by natural disasters and epidemics, totaling over 310 billion VND.

Currently, there are over 23,000 poor and near-poor households in the province, with more than 4,000 households in particularly difficult circumstances that require the assistance of the entire society. In order to effectively implement the movement “Join hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses across the nation in 2025,” the Provincial Party Standing Committee has committed to eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses for poor households and meritorious people in the province by the end of 2025, with the principle “Everyone contributes according to what they have, those with resources contribute resources, those with labor contribute labor, those with more contribute more, those with less contribute less.” This creates a great strength of solidarity, supporting every poor household and every family of war veterans facing difficulties, ensuring they have a prosperous and happy life, with no one left behind in the nation’s advancement.

According to the statistics, by the end of the program, the organizing committee had received many donations and contributions from organizations and individuals, both inside and outside the province, amounting to about 170 billion VND and 30,000 Tet gifts for the poor. During the program, the organizing committee presented 15 houses to 15 poor households (60 million VND per house in the plains and 70 million VND per house in the mountains) and gave Tet gifts to 20 families in particularly difficult situations. In addition to the households receiving gifts directly at the program, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee will cooperate with sponsors and localities to review and select other poor households to directly deliver Tet gifts before the Lunar New Year of 2025. 

At the program, Mr. Thai Huu Lieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Quang Tri Province, represented civil servants, employees of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and foreign non-governmental organizations and projects in the province to present an amount of 92,818,000 VND. This is the result of the active response from the leaders and staff working at the organizations and projects, along with the Department of Foreign Affairs, in bringing a warmer and more fulfilling spring to disadvantaged people, reflecting the compassion and providing practical support for the poor in the province.

Source: International Cooperation Division