Belgian delegation visits and works in Dong Nai

(ĐN) – On July 23, Vice Chairman Le Truong Son of the Dong Nai provincial People’s Committee hosted a delegation led by Karl Van Den Bossche, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Belgium to Vietnam, and Lieutenant General Nguyen Huu Chinh, President of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) during their visit and working session with the provincial government.

Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche and Vice Chairman Le Truong Son visit AO victim Mai Yen Phuong and her family in Tran Bien ward.

At the meeting, Vice Chairman Le Truong Son briefed the delegation on Dong Nai’s socio-economic and administrative landscape following the new administrative boundary as of July 1, 2025. He also highlighted the province’s strengths in industry and agriculture, along with key transport infrastructure projects currently being prioritized by the Vietnamese Government and Dong Nai province. He expressed hope that Belgian businesses would continue exploring investment opportunities in Dong Nai.

He added that the province is implementing various policies to support more than 13,000 AO victims. Dong Nai is also mobilizing social resources to provide assistance through various forms.

Through Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche, the Vice Chairman conveyed his gratitude to the Kingdom of Belgium for being the first country to pass a resolution in support of Vietnamese AO victims in 2023. He also hoped Belgium would continue launching projects and initiatives to support victims in Vietnam, especially in Dong Nai.

Vice Chairman Le Truong Son and Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche handed over a symbolic donation board to support the "convenience store" model for AO victim Mai Yen Phuong’s family in Tran Bien Ward.

According to Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche, Belgium has paid significant attention to AO victims in Vietnam through contributions to environmental and public health recovery initiatives. The country is currently rolling out the “convenience store” model to help the AO victims and their families create their own jobs and achieve stable incomes.

Family of AO victim Dang Van Nai in Long Binh ward was moved to tears upon receiving donation for “convenience store” from Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche.

This July in Dong Nai, three families received funding for the "convenience store" model, covering purchases of display shelves, storage cabinets, various goods, and business licensing costs, with a total value of nearly VND400 million. In the near future, more stores under this model will be supported by the Kingdom of Belgium for AO victims in Dong Nai and across Vietnam.

Vice Chairman Le Truong Son and Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche listen to life story of Dang Van Nai’s family, AO victim in Long Binh ward.

Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche also emphasized that Dong Nai has great potential. During his tenure as Belgium’s Ambassador to Vietnam, he pledged to connect Belgian businesses with the province for investment opportunities and to implement further social welfare activities in the region.

Reported by V. Truyen