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

The annual campaign, called "Tết for the poor and Agent Orange victims 2018," aims to mobilise support from local and international communities to provide at least two million Tết gifts, worth at least VNĐ300,000 (US$14) each, to poor and AO families nationwide, VNRC President Nguyễn Thị Xuân Thu said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“VNRC will organise an art performance programme, titled “Humanitarian Strength - Tết for the poor and Agent Orange victims,” to call for support from all sources to help needy people, Agent Orange victims and disadvantaged residents in mountainous and remote areas, flood and storm-hit regions nationwide.

The programme will be broadcast live at 8pm by Việt Nam Television at Âu Cơ Theatre, on January 7.

On the occasion, the society in collaboration with the National Humanitarian Portal 1400 also launched an SMS campaign to mobilise funding for the campaign. People can support the campaign by texting TET to 1409 from December 27, 2017 to February 4, 2018. Each mobile text message will contribute VNĐ20,000 ($0.85) to the fund.

VNRC said it has mobilised and provided nearly 10 million Tết gifts worth more than VNĐ3.464 trillion (nearly $154 million) in total to needy people and families over the past five years. — VNS