The scholarship presentation ceremony in HCM City on June 2. (Photo: VNA)

The Consulate General of Thailand in HCM City and the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ThaiCham) presented 140 scholarships worth 700 million VND (nearly 30,200 USD) in total to the targeted students via the city’s support association for poor patients.

Thai Consul General Wiraka Moodhitaporon said the aid, donated by Thai businesses and people in Vietnam, was a practical activity showing the spirit of working for the sake of the community, as well as their wish to contribute to the two countries’ friendship.

Tran Thanh Long, Chairman of the support association for poor patients, called the assistance a meaningful deed reflecting the attention of the young local generation, including those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and helping nurture the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Thailand.

He expressed his hope that the wholehearted support from domestic and foreign philanthropists will be a great source of spiritual encouragement for the children orphaned by COVID-19 to surmount difficulties and move forwards.

Since 2010, through the HCM City association, the Consulate General, businesses, and people of Thailand in Vietnam have provided annual funding worth over 4 billion VND for treatment and surgeries for poor cataract patients and children with birth defects.