Vietnam always attaches importance to contributions of social organisations, including help from the SOS Children's Villages International, for Vietnam, said Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh.

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh (second from right) at the reception (Source: VNA)

Thinh made the statement during a reception for President of the SOS Children’s Villages International Siddhartha Kaul in Hanoi on December 19, during which she congratulated the organization on its upcoming 70th founding anniversary.

The organisation has so far helped Vietnam develop 67 projects in 17 provinces and cities, she said, stressing that those have shown the great humanitarian significance.

Thinh thanked Kaul for his concern and affection for Vietnam, expressing her hope that the organisation will continue to support Vietnam in expanding more SOS children's villages in the coming time.

She promised that the Vietnam will do its best to ensure preferential treatment for those who are working in SOS children's villages in Vietnam.

For his part, Kaul expressed his belief that the cooperation model between the SOS Children's Villages International and Vietnam will be closer, thus promoting effective coordination between the village with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), and departments of labour, invalids and social affairs in localities in raising funds and improving the quality of SOS children's villages in the country.

SOS Children’s Villages International has provided Vietnam with nearly 120 million USD to develop infrastructure in SOS villages in the past 30 years.

It helped Vietnam build 17 SOS children's villages, which has raised, cared for, and educated nearly 6,000 children, of which 2,800 have grown up and have stable lives. Some 3,100 others are being brought up in SOS villages by a total of 1,300 employees.

SOS Children's Villages have been implemented in 134 countries and territories.

VNF/VNA