Vietnamese expatriates in Australia towards Hoang Sa, Truong Sa archipelagoes

Continuing to respond the campaign to support poor students, who are kids of soldiers on duty on Truong Sa island and fishermen, the Vietnamese community in Australia raised nearly AUD25,000 through campaigns in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane from September 23rd to October 5th.

In Melbourne, Overseas Vietnamese Businessmen Association in Australia raised AUD15,000. In Canberra, the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia mobilized approximately AUD3,000. In Sydney and New South Wales, the Consulate General of Vietnam, the Vietnam’s Trade Office in Australia and Vietnam-Sydney Business Association organized a meeting and raised nearly AUD5,200.

In addition, at the Vietnamese Cultural Festival 2015 held by the Vietnamese Student Association in Canberra and the Vietnamese Student Association at the University of Australia on October 8th, the organizing board also raised fund to support the club “For beloved Hoang Sa and Truong Sa” and Vu A Dinh scholarship fund by selling Vietnamese goods and food.

At the campaigns, former Vice State President Truong My Hoa briefed the results of 16 years of operation of the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund and over one year of club “For beloved Hoang Sa and Truong Sa”. Over the past 16 years, the fund has presented 60,000 scholarships to ethnic minority students with good study results and help many good students to continue to go to school.

In addition to Vu A Dinh scholarships and awards, the fund also has many practical projects on education such as in collaboration with schools to take care of ethnic minority and poor students, in island districts and children of naval soldiers from grade 6 to grade 12; mobilizing businesses and inpiduals to grant monthly scholarships to ethnic minority students in difficult circumstances in localities; or building schools, charity houses, toilets, clean water works, concrete bridges for mountainous areas and islands in order to create the best infrastructure for areas with difficult economic conditions.

The club "For beloved Hoang Sa and Truong Sa" was established in August 2014 by the Vu A Dinh scholarship fund to do more significant activities towards the sea and islands of Vietnam. There have been hundreds of inpiduals and collectives participating in the club with donation amount to nearly VND2 billion.

The club has chosen 38 students who are children of naval soldiers and fishermen in South and South Central regions to go to school in Ho Chi Minh city.

In addition, the club has also presented hundreds of scholarships to children of the Vietnam Coast Guard, Fisheries Surveillance Force in region 2 and fishermen in difficult circumstance in South Central region.

On this occasion, Ms. Truong My Hoa, Chairwoman of the Vu A Dinh scholarship fund and Head of the club “For beloved Hoang Sa and Truong Sa”, presented certificates of merit of the Central Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to the Consulate General of Vietnam in Sydney, the Vietnamese Businessmen Association in Australia, the Vietnamese Student Association in Queensland and some inpiduals for their positive and effective contributions to the Vu A Dinh scholarship fund in 2014 and 2015./.