For a telco, the Covid-19 pandemic does not seem to be a major threat to its business since both input and output have little to do with the material supply chain. VinaPhone as one of the country’s key mobile carriers, however, still rolls up its sleeves during the harsh time for the economy and the people to execute what is described by its leadership as commitment to the community. And its charity actions are far reaching.
The key corporation under State-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), VinaPhone with tens of millions of subscribers has ceaselessly rolled out community programs as gratitude to its customers and a positive contribution to society, especially benefiting poor people hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic as well as front-line people fighting Covid-19.
Free service for front-line fighters
Right after the pandemic surged in the country earlier this year, VinaPhone announced a special policy benefiting frontline people fighting Covid-19. The mobile service company has offered zero-dong packages with 1,500 minutes of free internal network calls and 50 minutes of external calls, plus 60GB of free data each month. The program has been running from April 1 until Vietnam is claimed free of the pandemic.
Front-line workers as well as people quarantined at centralized centers are subject to the incentive, allowing them to contact relatives or friends while staying away from home.
Healthcare workers fighting Covid-19 are also given a strong boon in communication services, as VinaPhone has supplied free Internet services at a capacity of up to 100Mbps, plus the free television app MyTV Net for their daily communication use.
Concert for charity
Aiming to lend a helping hand to Covid-19-affected residents, VinaPhone teamed up with Beauty Magazine and songwriter Huy Tuan to organize an online concert title Revival on May 30 with the participation of over 30 artists to raise funds for disadvantaged people.
The songs performed at the concert were aimed at encouraging the Vietnamese to be strong and optimistic about the combat against Covid-19, and taking a pride in Vietnamese people’s positive spirit.
Speaking of the charity concert, Nguyen Truong Giang, deputy general director of VinaPhone, said that the event was meant to promote the Vietnamese spirit “Good leaves cover torn leaves” in the battle against Covid-19.
“The impact of the pandemic, which has crippled multiple sectors, has made life tougher for those living in difficult conditions due to their lost income and unbearable financial burden. The concert connected kind-hearted people and acted as a bridge for them to do charity and share difficulties with the poor,” he said.
The fund raised from the concert was used for charity programs, including the zero-dong minimart initiated by Apec Group, the charity program “Revival Connection” and a program to support the disabled launched by the Ha Dong Association for Disabled People.
VNPT joining forces
Meanwhile, VinaPhone’s parent firm VNPT has also lent a helping hand. The group has launched a VND300-billion program to support its Covid-19-hit customers who were listed as underprivileged people by the provincial and municipal departments of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.
Besides this, VNPT cut cable Internet service charges by 20% in May, June and July for customers who are poor and near-poor households, and household businesses which had to suspend their operations due to the pandemic.
Also, VNPT has stepped up its corporate social responsibility activity in education by building a charitable kindergarten in the mountainous northwest province of Lao Cai.
The group and VinaPhone on October 31, 2019 cooperated with the Lao Cai Department of Education and Training and grassroots authorities to inaugurate the kindergarten located in Sin Chai A Hamlet in Muong Khuong District’s La Pan Tan Commune.
The fund for the construction of the kindergarten was mainly raised from employees at VNPT. The meaningful action has contributed to improving the quality of education in the hamlet, which is one of the poorest hamlets in Muong Khuong District.
In fact, VNPT and VinaPhone have over the years made tireless contributions to education in Lao Cai Province. In 2017, VinaPhone made donations to build a kindergarten worth VND450 million in Vai Sieu Hamlet in the province’s Bao Yen District, while VNPT from 2015 to 2019 financed a series of charity programs in Lao Cai Province such as the Science and Technology Contest for high-school students.
By Van Ly
