Deputy Ambassador of Việt Nam to the UK Tô Minh Thu and the winners of the Việt Nam International Awards. — VNA/VNS Photo

LONDON — The award ceremony of the Việt Nam International Awards took place in London on October 20 to honour Vietnamese and foreign organisations and individuals with outstanding contributions to the community.

This year's Việt Nam International Awards includes 12 categories with 60 nominations that are organisations and individuals from the UK, Vietnam and European countries, focusing on the fields of health, education, law, business, innovation as well as community and volunteer activities.

The Community Ambassador award came to Quỳnh Nguyễn, Executive Director of the Vietnamese Family Association (VFP), a charity organisation that teaches Vietnamese, holds activities to promote the Vietnamese culture, and provides support services to Vietnamese people in the UK.

The excellent education award went to The Project Darts, a project that trains, mentors, and supports Vietnamese students in the UK in their career development.

Kevin Nguyễn, an 8-grader from Nantes, France, won the young achiever award. Currently in his sixth year of studying saxophone at the Nantes Conservatory of Music, Kevin has contributed to promoting Vietnamese culture through his musical talent as well as fundraising activities to support disadvantaged children.

The outstanding global charity award was presented to Rồng Xanh (Blue Dragon) Children’s Foundation, an Australian charity that has been working in Việt Nam since 2002 to support disabled children, street children, and victims of human trafficking.

Katrin Kandel, CEO of Facing the World (FTW), received the innovation of the year award. FTW is a charity organisation founded in 2002 in the UK, specialising in supporting surgery for Vietnamese children with congenital facial deformities, providing professional training for Vietnamese surgeons, and sponsoring medical equipment and technology for remote medical examination and treatment for Vietnamese hospitals.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency, Professor Michael Mainelli, recipient of the lifetime achievement special award, underlined the significance of the award in creating connections among communities. He highly valued the contributions by the Vietnamese community in the UK to the diversity and richness of London's life and culture.

At the award ceremony, participants had a chance to enjoy a Vietnamese traditional Ao dai performance, and an art performance to introduce the beauty of Vietnamese culture to international friends, while joining charity auction activities.

The annual award, launched in 2022, aims to promote the image, understanding, and contributions of overseas Vietnamese, and foster connections among their communities in countries as well as connectivity between the communities and outside partners.

The award was co-founded by Hoàng Hà, Vice President of the Vietnam Women Union of in Europe, and Nguyễn Như Thoại, Founding President of the Association of Vietnamese Women and Children in the UK. — VNS