Heading to the south
Support from across Vietnam has once again headed south where local authorities and residents are struggling against COVID-19. The number of infections and deaths has increased beyond forecasts in recent days, worrying residents and administration officials in many localities, especially Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Dong Nai.
As part of the efforts to support southern localities in the fight against the pandemic, while implementing economic tasks and ensuring social welfare and safety, Vietnamese people across the country, along with organisations and businesses, have joined hands with the administrations in southern localities to push back the pandemic and care for those hit hardest by the pandemic, especially the poor.
Since the pandemic broke out, locals in the central region have sent tens of tonnes of dried fish, vegetable and fruit to their fellows in HCM City, while many cities and provinces have donated food, foodstuff and cash and sent doctors and medical workers to the city.
According to the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Committee in HCM City, as of August 15, ite had received over 908.6 billion VND (39.74 million USD) in cash and goods donated to the city fund for COVID-19 prevention and control. Individuals, organisations, businesses and localities have also made significant contributions to fight the pandemic in the city.
These include companies that have voluntarily given up land, trade centres and factories to set up COVID-19 treatment hospitals. Many firms have contributed financial and human resources to the fight to protect public health.
Joining hands with frontline forces
Hoang Mai Quynh Hoa, head of the HCM City VFF Committee’s Office, said that since the beginning of the pandemic, the VFF has been storing vegetables, drinking water, milk and medical supplies donated by localities and businesses.
“There are no words to describe the sentiment the city has received amid this hard time. We have received shipments of thousands of tonnes of goods from across the country. All what we can do in response is to try our best to deliver the goods to the needy as soon as possible, helping them to overcome the pandemic,” said Hoa.
Hoa said that recently, the committee had received a shipment of 72,000 products contained in 1,000 packages of fresh milk and 1,000 packages of natural tea from TH True Tea under TH Group, which will be delivered to medical workers in the city.
This is not the first shipment that TH Group has sent to the city. At the launch of a campaign to mobilise efforts from the community and open a centre to receive goods donated to pandemic-hit people in the city, TH Group and Bac A Bank as well as the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation supplied 72,000 cups of fresh milk and healthy drinks to locals and frontline forces in HCM City.
On August 25, Bac A Bank and TH Group donated 500,000 products worth over 4 billion VND, including fresh milk, TH true juice milk, TH true juice and TH true water.
TH Group Founder Thai Huong said it reflected the efforts of individuals and businesses to help the Government and the army to implement the “stay where you are” policy to overcome COVID-19.
The nutritional support includes fresh milk and natural TH true TEA, which is a new product. With completely natural ingredients, TH true TEA is rich in antioxidants and active elements, helping reduce stress and support immunity.
Since COVID-19 broke out, TH Group and Bac A Bank, through the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, have conducted many giveaways of milk and healthy drinks with a total of over 3.2 million glasses of milk and other beverages to health workers, frontline forces and people in COVID-19 quarantine and pandemic hot spots across the country, including HCM City, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hanoi, Da Nang and Nghe An, helping the health sector combat the pandemic.
In 2020, thousands of glasses of fresh milk and necessities such as rice, masks, hand sanitisers and throat rinses were presented by the group to frontline forces and children from poor and pandemic-hit families.
Accompanying with the Government
In 2020 and 2021 when the global and Vietnamese economies were seriously hit by COVID-19, TH Group was also greatly impacted. However, as a business with a high sense of social responsibility that is led by a businesswoman who is active in charitable activities, Thai Huong and TH Group have been pioneers in joining hands with the Government in caring for the community.
At the to launch the National COVID-19 Vaccine Fund, TH and Bac A Bank, through the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, announced a donation of 46 billion VND to the National COVID-19 Vaccine Fund.
Attending the ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said he was moved by the solidarity and joint efforts of all people and businesses in the fight.
“This is a fund founded on humanity, solidarity, trust and a connection between all of us that will help us overcome these difficulties together, contributing to a victorious Vietnam and adding a new victory to the nation’s glorious history – victory against COVID-19. In order to resume normal life soon, the Party and State aim to provide free vaccine shots to all people to reach herd immunity each year. Vaccination is a long-term, decisive and strategic solution to bring Vietnam out of the pandemic.”
Tran Thi Nhu Trang, Director of the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, said: “We highly value the efforts made by the Government to prevent and fight COVID-19, while maintaining production and business activities for economic development. We, Bac A Bank, TH Group and the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, as well as many other companies, organisations and individuals, with all our hearts and responsibility for public health and the nation, are determined to join hands with the whole country to overcome all difficulties and challenges to push back the pandemic.”
TH Group Founder Thai Huong said that she felt a strong solidarity and determination, regardless of their age, income and qualifications.
“Apart from this voluntary spirit, for me, this is part of private and corporate responsibility to accompany the Government and the community in this hard time. What we are doing with TH Group and Bac A Bank for the community are not only part of our annual plan but also a kind of happiness that we wish to spread,” Huong said.
In August 2021, TH Group introduced new products – natural lemon flavored green tea and TH true TEA natural Oolong. These products are made with completely natural ingredients, without synthetic additives and preservatives. Meanwhile, Bac A Bank has invested in a project to upgrade its e-banking service with a completely new version of Internet Banking and Mobile Banking to help customers process payments conveniently in the context of social distancing and more popular electronic payment methods.
“What we are doing with TH Group and Bac A Bank for the community are not only part of our annual plan but also a kind of happiness that we wish to spread“
— TH Group Founder Thai Huong —
While contributing to maintaining the firm’s own survival, TH Group’s projects boast significant meaning in social welfare, helping increase incomes for local residents and contributing to stamping out the pandemic. In addition to nutritious milk and nut milk products, new beverage products such as lemon tea and herbal tea have been present in gift bags sent to frontline forces in the COVID-19 fight as well as to poor households and children in mountainous and remote areas.
“When you treasure Mother Nature, she will give you everything”, or “Do not maximise profits but seek harmony of interests”, and “For public health”, “Environmentally friendly” are business philosophies full of social responsibility given by the group’s founder, which have made up the trademark of TH. The ideology is derived from the mind and heart of a mother.
As a mother, Huong has strong empathy for disadvantaged persons, especially during the pandemic. Recently, TH Group and Bac A Bank, through the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, donated 2,000 COVID-19 rapid test kits worth nearly 400 million VND to the Department of Health of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. The group also presented 2 billion VND to pandemic-hit locals in central Nghe An province.
In the time to come, TH Goup and Bac A Bank plan to present 24 respirators to hospitals in Hanoi and HCM City to serve COVID-19 treatment.
Amid difficulties of the whole country, businesses like TH have not only worked hard to maintain jobs and incomes for employees and fighted for their own survival, but also joined hands with the Government in stamping out the pandemic.
Despite the difficulties and challenges ahead, and losses of human lives, but with determination and unity across the political system, mutual support from the people and businesses across the nation, Vietnam will overcome the pandemic and resume normal life./.