On October 6, the principal of Dang Tran Con Elementary School in Vinh Hoi Ward, HCMC, launched a fundraising event to lend a hand to storm and flood victims in the central and northern regions of the country. A similar event was launched by Le Van Tho Elementary School in An Hoi Dong Ward, HCMC, on the same day.
The event will last until October 20. After sending letters to students’ parents, the principal of Vo Truong Toan Elementary in Dien Hong Ward launched a fundraising event at the school for recent storm and flood victims of the country. At its fundraising event held on October 6, Bui Thi Xuan Senior High School in Ben Thanh Ward raised VND73 million to help storm and flood victims.
According to plo.vn, before this year’s school opening ceremony (September 5), teachers, students and their parents around HCMC contributed nearly VND17 billion to help natural disaster victims throughout the country via fundraising events held at all schools in HCMC in response to the appeal of the municipal Department of Education and Training.
Con Dao National Park enters IUCN Green List
Con Dao National Park has been admitted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to its Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas.
This is Vietnam’s second national park and the third nature reserve to earn the Green List recognition, following the Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve in Ninh Binh Province and the Cat Tien National Park in Dong Nai Province.
The Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas recognition for the Con Dao National Park has proven the concerted efforts in nature management and conservation for one of the most special ecological systems of Vietnam.
According to hcmcpv.org.vn, the Con Dao National Park covers 15,000 hectares of land and 14,000 hectares of sea. It has a diverse primitive forest ecosystem with 1,077 flora species and 160 fauna species (29 animal species, 85 bird species, 38 reptile species and eight amphibian species). It also has a diverse marine ecosystem with 1,725 sea creature species (over 360 coral species, 11 seagrass species and 46 mangrove flora and fauna species).
It is reported that Con Dao National Park is the first site in Vietnam to join the Indian Ocean-Southeast Asia Marine Turtle Conservation Network.
Vietnamese community in Cambodia helps flood victims
People in the central and northern regions of Vietnam have recently fallen victim to Typhoon Ragasa, Typhoon Bualoi, and Tropical Storm Matmo in a row. On October 9, the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, held an event to raise funds for the flood victims in the country.
Heng LiHong, vice chairman cum general secretary of the Vietnam-Cambodia Business Association (VCBA), told vietnamplus.vn that the VCBA raised US$29,350 for flood victims at this event. Also at this event, all the staff members of the Vietnamese Embassy, the Khmer Vietnamese Association (KVA), the VCBA, Vietnamese businesses and students and philanthropists in Cambodia contributed over VND1 billion to help flood victims in Vietnam.
At the KVA Office in Phnom Penh on the same day, the KVA also held its own event, which raised about US$3,000 for Vietnamese flood victims. The money was contributed by Vietnamese Cambodians who live, work or study in Cambodia. Sim Chy, chairman of the KVA, said fundraising events would be carried out at KVA’s branches around Cambodia to lend a hand to their compatriots who fell victims of the recent floods and storms in Vietnam.
Soldiers serve free meal for the poor on Con Dao
The local authorities of Con Dao Archipelago, a special zone of HCMC, cooperated with the Defense Command Zone 6 of the special zone prepared a free meal for 150 poor people on the island on September 21.
Nguyen Phuoc Loc, deputy secretary of the HCMC Party Committee cum chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of the city, attended the event with leaders of some hospitals and healthcare facilities in HCMC and leaders of Con Dao Special Zone. Loc highly appreciated the idea to cook a free meal for poor people and those from social policy families on the island initiated by the leaders of Con Dao and of the soldiers of Defense Command Zone 6.
Loc and the representatives who attended the free meal with 150 needy people on the island joined hands to support the program in cash and in kind, hoping to continue preparing more free meals for those in need on Con Dao Special Zone in the future, plo.vn reported.
