As one of the largest state-owned corporations, the Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel) is always aware of its mission and responsibility to the community, ensuring no one is left behind. Thus, it has carried out many charity programs over the years.
Heart surgery program for children
In May this year, at Thai Binh University Hospital, many children under 18 in Thai Binh Province received free heart screenings. This event kick-started the 2024 “Heart for You” journey taking in 12 provinces and cities, with Thai Binh and Binh Phuoc being the first to benefit in May. The screening program in Binh Phuoc was organized at Dong Xoai City Medical Center and Binh Long Town Medical Center.
“Heart for You” is a program providing free surgery for poor children under 18 in Vietnam, enhancing medical capacity, and organizing congenital heart disease examinations for children. This program, initiated and managed by Viettel Group and the “Vietnamese Heart” Fund of Vietnam Television since 2008, is one of the longest-running community projects in Vietnam.
Congenital heart disease is a common defect and a leading cause of death among congenital abnormalities in children. Statistics show that eight out of every 1,000 newborns have congenital heart disease, which can lead to serious health complications or even death if not detected and treated early. Understanding this, “Heart for You” has organized free screenings for children under 18 as an annual event nationwide.
The program has partnered with cardiology centers of major hospitals to provide screenings in remote areas, reducing travel costs for families. After the screenings, cases with financial difficulties will receive free surgery/intervention from the program.
Over 16 years, “Heart for You” has funded surgeries for more than 7,000 children and organized 98 free screening programs, detecting congenital heart disease in nearly 160,000 children in underprivileged regions.
In addition to medical and treatment support, nearly 1,000 Viettel stores nationwide have become points for receiving assistance applications, and 20,000 Viettel consultants guide families through the procedures to ensure the children receive timely treatment.
Housing for poor families
Lang Son, a northern border province, has nearly 84% of its population being ethnic minorities. Currently, the province has almost 13,000 crumpling houses and nearly 6,200 poor and near-poor households.
Thus, in April, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh led a program to donate social welfare gifts to poor and near-poor households in Lang Son. Through this program, Viettel Group funded VND5 billion to build 100 houses, contributing to the province’s goal of eradicating temporary and dilapidated houses for poor and near-poor households.
This support of 100 houses for Lang Son is part of Viettel’s ongoing community and social welfare activities. In April, responding to the Prime Minister’s call, Viettel contributed VND10 billion to the movement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in Hoa Binh Province.
Specifically, on April 13, in Da Bac District, Hoa Binh, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh launched a nationwide campaign to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses by 2025. Supporting housing for poor and near-poor households is vital, ensuring no one is left behind. The Prime Minister urged everyone, including businesses, to contribute to this initiative.
Recognizing that business is tied to social responsibility, Viettel Group’s Chairman and CEO Tao Duc Thang attended the launch and donated VND10 billion to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee’s fund, supporting the “Eliminate Temporary and Dilapidated Houses” movement.
And many other programs
The above are two significant programs directly implemented by Viettel Group. Additionally, many subsidiary companies within the group also run various community programs.
In April, Viettel Money donated gifts to students at two schools in Lao Cai Province. Viettel Money collaborated with GiveNow and the “Poor Students in Mountainous Regions” Fund to give gifts to students of A Mu Sung Primary and Secondary Semi-boarding School (I Bat Xat District, Lao Cai) and Ban Ho Primary Semi-boarding School (Sa Pa District). They provided gifts worth hundreds of millions of Vietnam dong to over 800 students at these two schools.
2024 is a year Viettel Money focuses on community activities, cooperating with charitable funds and encouraging users to support via the “Thien Nguyen (Charity)” feature on Viettel Money. This initiative aims for sustainable development, community support, and improving education in poverty-stricken areas.
During the recent Lunar New Year, Viettel Money also partnered with GiveNow and the “Poor Students in Mountainous Regions” Fund to deliver Tet gifts to children in particularly difficult areas. Thousands of gifts were directly given to disadvantaged students, and the community was encouraged to join in supporting millions of other diligent students across Vietnam for a fulfilling Tet.
Viettel Money committed to coordinating with the “Poor Students in Mountainous Regions” Fund to distribute gifts and support at three underprivileged schools in Lao Cai, Lai Chau, and Dien Bien provinces before the new year, providing 3,000 gifts worth VND600 million to the children during the Lunar New Year.
From the beginning, social responsibility has been an integral part of Viettel’s business strategy. Besides maintaining effective business operations, Viettel is strongly aware of its duty to the community and aims for sustainable development.
In 2008, Viettel launched the “Internet for Schools” program. Currently, Viettel provides free fiber optic internet to over 38,000 educational institutions nationwide, including 100% of schools in remote areas, enabling 25 million teachers, students and pupils to access the internet.
Now, beyond blackboards and chalk, Wi-Fi routers, computers, and projectors have become essential equipment in schools. In more remote areas where fiber optic is not available, teachers can use Viettel data SIMs to download lectures and exams.
Previously, teachers in remote regions had to travel treacherous mountain roads to attend training sessions. Now, with laptops, phones, and stable internet connections, they can participate in online training and discussions. The digital divide narrows as teaching information and lesson plans are stored in digital libraries.
Besides “Internet for Schools,” the “For You, Diligent Students” program has been run by Viettel since 2013, supporting diligent but poor students nationwide, especially in difficult areas, border regions, and islands. This scholarship program for underprivileged children has provided over 230,000 scholarships worth nearly VND300 billion in over a decade.
