Joining hands to support people in need

According to the Dong Nai City Red Cross Society, the Dong Nai City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, and the Dong Nai City Charity Association, nearly 7,000 people in particularly difficult circumstances are currently receiving monthly assistance from socialized resources.

Nguyen Thi Thuan, Vice Chairwoman of the Dong Nai City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, presents a monthly allowance to a victim of Agent Orange in Phu Lam Commune. Photo: Kim Nguyen

Together with the State's monthly allowance, this support has helped many poor households, people with disabilities, Agent Orange victims, elderly seniors living alone, and orphans cover part of their living expenses.

Easing the burden of hardship

According to Ha Trung Kien, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai City Red Cross Society, through the campaign "Each organization, each individual linked to a humanitarian address," the Red Cross Society has recently connected many benefactors with more than 5,000 people in difficult circumstances, providing them with regular support in various forms.

Meanwhile, Mai Van Nho, Chairman of the Dong Nai City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, said that Associations for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin at all levels are providing monthly support to many people in particularly difficult circumstances. Since the beginning of this year alone, the associations have mobilized more than 15.3 billion VND to provide monthly allowances to Agent Orange victims.

At the same time, associations, mass organizations, and religious institutions are coordinating with local authorities to provide monthly support to many other individuals and families in difficult circumstances in residential areas. Together with the State’s policies, these efforts have contributed to the implementation of social security work.

In early August 2026, Agent Orange victim Han Hoang Anh, who lives in Tan Trieu Ward, received a visit from the Dong Nai City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin and was presented with a third-quarter support payment of 900,000 VND. The amount was provided by a benefactor connected with Anh by the Dong Nai City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, with support set at 300,000 VND per month. This assistance, together with the State's monthly allowance, has helped Anh and her family cover daily food and living expenses.

Pham Thi Thuy, Anh's mother, said her daughter suffers from cerebral palsy and contracted limbs, is unable to care for herself, and relies on her mother for all daily activities. The living expenses of the two depend on the State’s allowance provided to children of Agent Orange victims who were resistance fighters. Therefore, her family was thrilled when the Dong Nai City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin connected them with a benefactor who could provide regular support.

Similarly, for many years, Dong Thanh Kieu, a person with disabilities in Hung Phuoc Commune, has received a monthly allowance from socialized resources mobilized by the locality.

Kieu said her disability affects her ability to work, making life far from easy. Recently, in addition to the State’s allowance, she has received monthly support from benefactors. She hopes that benefactors will continue to provide assistance, making her life less difficult.

Since the beginning of 2026, social security models implemented by the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations have mobilized approximately 193 billion VND to support poor households, near-poor households, children in difficult circumstances, and other vulnerable groups.

Many people in need of help

Connecting resources and kind-hearted people to maintain stable support for the less fortunate, while extending timely help to those facing unexpected hardship, remains a priority for the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its associations and mass organizations.

These efforts have received even greater attention since May 2026, when the city implemented Resolution No. 05-NQ/TU, dated May 1, 2026, from the Dong Nai City Party Committee’s Executive Board on the special 500-day-and-night emulation campaign themed “Unity – Discipline – Efficiency – Breakthrough, building a civilized and modern Dong Nai." Throughout the campaign, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations have stepped up the mobilization of social resources and reviewed cases in need of assistance to provide regular or emergency support to people with disabilities, poor households, and Agent Orange victims.

According to Mai Van Nho, Chairman of the Dong Nai City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, there are currently more than 13,000 Agent Orange victims across the city. Most families of Agent Orange victims still face many difficulties because the victims suffer from health problems and disabilities that limit their ability to work and place additional economic and emotional burdens on their families. Therefore, mobilizing resources to maintain support for those currently receiving assistance, while seeking additional resources to increase the number of victims receiving monthly support, is one of the three key tasks for associations at all levels in the coming period.

Meanwhile, Ha Trung Kien, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai City Red Cross Society, said many people in difficult circumstances are in dire need of the community's helping hand to improve their lives. Therefore, in implementing the campaign "Each organization, each individual linked to a humanitarian address," the society focuses on mobilizing organizations, individuals, benefactors, and businesses to participate in providing support. At the same time, the campaign is being implemented under the motto of specific support from organizations and individuals for specific groups, aiming for sustainable development through practical forms of assistance, with particular attention paid to supporting poor and near-poor households in remote, border, and ethnic minority areas of the city. The goal is to continue making the "Each organization, each individual linked to a humanitarian address" campaign a regular, in-depth, practical, and sustainable activity, providing assistance based on needs and capabilities while prioritizing livelihood creation solutions.

In tandem with the provision of monthly allowances, localities, associations, and mass organizations also give due attention to providing timely assistance to people facing unexpected hardship. Through these efforts, the city has implemented many effective social security models, including "Raising piggy banks to buy health insurance for disadvantaged households," "Zero-VND Markets," and "Green Houses to collect scrap – sharing love."

These models not only strengthen the core role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations in fulfilling socio-economic development tasks and ensuring national defense and security but also foster a spirit of self-governance and consensus and mobilize resources across all sections of society. The effectiveness of these social security models and the special 500-day-and-night emulation drive has created a powerful ripple effect, contributing to the realization of the goal of building a civilized, modern, and sustainable Dong Nai in the new phase.

By Kim Nguyen, Van Truyen – Translated by Minh Hong, Minho