HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam Red Cross Society (VNRC) has launched a humanitarian campaign to help the poor and Agent Orange (AO) victims prepare for the upcoming traditional Tết (Lunar New Year) festival.

The annual campaign, called "Tết for the poor and Agent Orange victims 2017," aims to mobilise support from local and international communities to provide 1-1.5 million Tết gifts, worth at least VNĐ300,000 (US$14) each, to poor families and AO victims nationwide, VNRC Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Xuân Thu said.

Thu said by mid-December, the VNRC at all levels registered to provide nearly 1,153 million gifts and mobilised more than VNĐ52.124 billion ($2.27 million), including money and goods, from local and international donors.

On the occasion, the society also launched an SMS campaign to mobilise funding for the campaign. People can support the campaign by texting TET to 1402 from December 10, 2016 to February 8, 2017. Each SMS costs VNĐ20,000 ($0.85).

VNRC today received nearly VNĐ15 billion (over $652,000) as donations from several groups and companies, such as Vingroup, Tình người Red Cross Assistance Society branch, PVPower Service JSC, and Coca Cola Vietnam, as well as Frisland Campina, Prudential Vietnam.

According to VNRC’s statistics, the society has mobilised more than VNĐ4.5 trillion ($196 million) to help more than 17 million poor households and AO victims over the past 18 years since the first campaign was launched in Việt Nam in 1999.

Last year, VNRC mobilised more than 2.17 million gifts, worth over VNĐ852 billion ($37.8 million), to help the poor and AO victims in the country. — VNS