Children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds,
always received the highest priority and attention from the Party and the State,
affirmed President Nguyen Minh Triet when receiving 55 disadvantaged children in
Ha Noi yesterday, May 31.

President Nguyen Minh Triet hands gifts to children in Ha Noi on the occasion of International Children’s Day which is being celebrated today.

Expressing his happiness, Triet applauded the children for their high academic
achievements in spite of their difficulties as they demonstrated their
indomitable spirit. He told the children, who came from 11 different provinces,
to keep up the good work.

During
the meeting, the President handed a gift and VND3 million (US$145) in cash to
each student as a symbol of encouragement.

On this
occasion, Triet spoke highly of the contributions made by the Children’s
Protection Fund of Viet Nam which had provided significant aid to children in
need in its 19 years of operation.

He
requested relevant agencies and the whole society to strengthen the child
protection and care movement and grant special care to children in far-flung
areas to provide them with timely support.

On
Monday evening, a warm reception for the 55 children was held by the Ministry of
Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. The ceremony was an opportunity for the
children to share inspiring stories of how they overcame difficulties to follow
their dreams.

One
exemplary child was Kpa Kho, from the Jrai minority group in the Central
Highland province of Gia Lai. Although he was living in an orphanage because he
had lost his mother and his father was suffering from a mental illness, he still
consistently earned high marks. Kho also won first prize in a singing contest
held by the local authorities.

Elsewhere around the nation, many other activities were held yesterday to
celebrate Children’s Day which falls on today.

In the
northern province of Bac Giang, the provincial branch of the Children’s
Protection Fund of Viet Nam announced it had raised VND1.57 billion ($766,000).
On this occasion, VND1.4 billion of the funds were given to support schools and
disadvantaged students in the province. About half of the funds were designated
for the construction of a new kindergarten in Viet Yen District’s Tien Son
Commune.

Local
authorities in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong over the last two days
also visited and handed out 437 gift packages to disadvantaged children.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News