Ambassador of Italy to Việt Nam, Marco della Seta (left), gives the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic to Greig Craft on Tuesday night in Hà Nội.— Photo courtesy of the AIP Foundation

HÀ NỘI — Greig Craft, President of the AIP Foundation, godfather of Thiện Nhân and co-founder of the Thiện Nhân & Friends programme for children with urogenital malformations, has been conferred the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by its Government, recognising his decades of humanitarian commitment and profound impact on young lives in Việt Nam.

The award is Italy’s highest civilian honour for exceptional contributions to humanitarian and social causes.

The official award ceremony was held on Tuesday night in Hà Nội in the presence of Marco della Seta, Ambassador of Italy to Việt Nam.

The honour acknowledges Craft’s long-standing work in fostering medical cooperation between Italy and Việt Nam, particularly his collaboration with Italian doctors to assist patients in need and support exchange programmes that strengthen medical expertise between the two countries.

The award also highlights Craft’s unwavering dedication and the enduring difference his efforts have made to Vietnamese children.

“Greig Craft is not only a great friend of Việt Nam and Italy but a symbol of enduring connection between medicine, compassion and international friendship,” said Ambassador Marco della Seta.

“From organising life-changing surgeries to building cross-border training networks, he has helped create a humanitarian ecosystem that has truly transformed the lives of thousands of Vietnamese families.”

For more than three decades, Craft has been closely involved in humanitarian and diplomatic activities in Việt Nam.

He has supported Thiện Nhân, a baby who was abandoned and severely injured in a tragic incident yet survived, along with his foster mother Trần Mai Anh, from the early stages of their medical journey spanning Singapore, the United States, Italy and Belgium.

He was a pioneer in normalising US–Việt Nam relations, the founder of AmCham Vietnam and the visionary behind Protec, the world’s first nonprofit helmet factory created to help protect millions of children and motorcyclists.

In 2011, he was awarded the Order of Friendship by the President of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam.

Driven by deep compassion for Thiện Nhân and a commitment to supporting children born with or affected by urogenital malformations, Craft, together with Mai Anh, Na Hương and Italian surgeon Roberto De Castro, co-founded the Thiện Nhân & Friends programme in 2011.

After 15 years of continuous work, the programme has provided free medical consultations and reconstructive surgeries to thousands of children across Việt Nam.

Working with leading Vietnamese hospitals and a network of volunteer doctors, mainly from Italy and also from the United Kingdom, Turkey, the United States and Việt Nam, it has expanded access to treatment for families nationwide.

Beyond surgery, the programme organises professional workshops, supports international training for Vietnamese doctors and donates essential medical equipment to local hospitals, contributing to long-term improvements in Việt Nam’s healthcare capacity. — VNS