On January 28, the “Gieo Xuan Mua 3” program themed “Hanh Phuc Nay Mam” kicked off at Cho Ray Hospital in HCMC. The program, now in its third season, handed over 150 Tet (Lunar New Year) gifts to underprivileged patients, young and old alike, under treatment at the hospital.
This program, jointly organized by the Khoi Su Tu Tam Foundation and the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund, kickstarts the presentation of 1,000 Tet gifts to needy patients at hospitals in southern and central Vietnam.
Truong My Hoa, former vice state president, chairwoman of the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund and head of the For the Beloved Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands Club, told vietnamplus.vn that the cooperation between the two funds in supporting young and poor patients has lasted for over a decade. On the same day, representatives of the Khoi Su Tu Tam Foundation handed over 150 Tet gifts to needy inpatients at the HCMC Oncology Hospital-Campus 2.
The program, taking place from January 28 to February 15, will present 1,000 Tet gifts to patients at seven hospitals in HCMC, Dong Nai Province and Hue City. The program also visited and presented gifts to orphans, blind and disadvantaged people in HCMC, Hue City, Dong Nai and Dak Lak provinces.
Special barbershops in Hanoi
Thao A Chong, 31, was born into a poor family with illiterate parents in Lao Chai Commune, Lao Cai Province. Only two of the six children of the Mong family could go to school, including Chong. He later graduated from a medical college.
However, Chong could not apply for a job in his hometown, so he decided to go to Hanoi to learn to be a barber. With almost no money in his pocket, he asked to do manual work at a construction site for a few days to earn some money. Then he applied to work for Honda Vietnam in Vinh Phuc Province for six months.
Saving enough money to pay tuition fee, Chong managed to learn haircutting. He also tried to learn speaking Vietnamese to improve communication with guests. After being good at the job, he began to learn financial management and marketing to open his own barbershop.
Chong is now owning two barbershops in Hanoi. It is noteworthy that all the barbers and apprentices at his shops are Mong ethnic people, to whom he offered free apprenticeship. He has employed six young men to work at his shops and taught haircutting for 40 others, dantocphattrien.vietnamnet.vn reported.
Successful liver transplant on a baby girl
On January 28, Vinmec Times City Int
ernational Hospital in Hanoi announced that its doctors had succeeded in performing liver transplant on a one-year-old girl weighing just 5.3kg.
The little girl, Thien Di, was born in November 2024, weighing 3kg at that time. Given the newborn’s jaundice, doctors in HCMC diagnosed her with biliary atresia, which could cause cirrhosis and end-stage liver failure if she did not undergo surgery early.
At three months old, Thien Di underwent Kasai surgery but her condition did not improve. In October 2025, at 11 months old and weighing 5.3kg, the baby was brought to Vinmec Times City International Hospital for liver transplant. The liver donor was the mother.
Associate Professor Le Van Thanh, deputy general director of the Surgery Department, Vinmec Healthcare System, performed the liver transplant on the little girl. The surgery lasted more than 12 hours. After over a month in the intensive care unit, the baby girl’s lungs functioned normally and her grafted liver was stable, vietnamplus.vn reported.
Vietnamese community in New Zealand promotes traditional cultural values
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and New Zealand, the Vietnamese Embassy in Wellington, capital of New Zealand, coordinated with the Vietnamese Student Association in Wellington (VSAW) to organize the Vietnam Day 2025.
Phan Minh Giang, Vietnamese ambassador to New Zealand, appreciated the efforts of VSAW in initiating and maintaining the Vietnam Day annually, asserting that this event is a chance for the Vietnamese community in Wellington in particular and in New Zealand in general to gather and promote the Vietnamese cultural identity in this country, enhance mutual understanding and pave the way for bilateral cooperation.
At the event, a conclusion ceremony was held to award prizes for the winners of the Crossroads 50 Quiz Challenge, which was jointly organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand and the Vietnamese Student Association in New Zealand (VSANZ) to mark the 50-year ties between the two nations. The quiz challenge attracted the participation of many students in New Zealand. The Vietnamese Embassy also announced the decision to commend the VSAW and VSANZ for their outstanding contributions to student and community activities.
Aside from traditional and modern art performances at the Vietnam Day 2025, participants also visited a photo exhibition on the two countries’ relations and Vietnam’s country and people, and tasted traditional Vietnamese dishes, nhandan.vn reported.
