Chi tiết tin - Sở Ngoại vụ

In 1995, the Zhi Shan Foundation took its first humanitarian steps in Ho Chi Minh City. By 1998, its activities were gradually expanded to the central region of Viet Nam, and in 2004, the project office in Hue City was officially established. This marked an important milestone, laying a solid foundation for the Zhi Shan Foundation to further expand and deepen its support programs in the fields of education and healthcare for disadvantaged children in central Viet Nam. Over the years, the Foundation has implemented many notable initiatives, including support for children in especially difficult circumstances, scholarships for underprivileged students, free reconstructive surgeries, initiatives to improve the quality of early childhood education, reading promotion programs such as “Making Friends with Books,” as well as disaster relief and emergency response activities in times of natural disasters and epidemics.

The Zhi Shan Foundation began its cooperation with Quang Trị Province in 1998, focusing on projects such as providing scholarships for disadvantaged children, corrective surgery for children with disabilities from poor families, and support for early childhood education, with a total funding value of over VND 86 billion. The projects funded by the Zhi Shan Foundation target children in disadvantaged areas across the province, creating opportunities for them to access education and healthcare, thereby supporting their growth and ability to become self-reliant. At present, the Zhi Shan Foundation is working with the South Quang Trị Social Work Center (formerly the Quang Trị Provincial Child Protection Fund) to implement the project “Support for Children in Difficult Circumstances in Quang Trị Province for the Period 2023-2025.” The project was approved by the Quang Trị Provincial People’s Committee under Decision No. 581/QD-UBND dated March 29, 2023, and its adjustment was approved under Decision No. 1820/QD-UBND dated June 3, 2025, with total funding of over VND 17.5 billion. In addition, the Foundation is cooperating with the North Quang Trị Social Work Center (formerly under the Quang Binh Provincial Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs) to implement the project “Assistance for Children in Difficult Circumstances in Quang Binh Province for the Period 2023-2025,” approved by the former Quang Binh Provincial People’s Committee under Decision No. 938/QD-UBND dated April 25, 2023, with funding exceeding USD 280,000.

At the ceremony, the Zhi Shan Foundation was honored to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister in recognition of its positive contributions to the protection, care, and education of children in difficult circumstances in several provinces in Central Vietnam during the 1995-2025 period. In addition, Ms. Pia Lenore Giammasi, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Zhi Shan Foundation; Mr. Hong Tri Kiet, Executive Director of the Foundation; and Mr. Hoang Trong Thuy, Chief Representative of the Zhi Shan Foundation in Vietnam, were honored with the commemorative medal “For Peace and Friendship among Nations” awarded by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations.

Mr. Dong Huy Cuong, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, presents the Certificate of Merit of the Prime Minister to the Zhi Shan Foundation.

These prestigious awards are not only a well-deserved recognition of the Foundation’s quiet yet steadfast efforts over the past three decades, but also a powerful source of encouragement, reinforcing confidence and motivation for the Zhi Shan Foundation to remain steadfast in its journey of accompanying children in difficult circumstances and communities in Vietnam in the years ahead.

Source: International Cooperation Division

View the Vietnamese version at https://sngv.quangtri.gov.vn/el/chi-tiet-tin/-/view article/1/442011382601115302/1766658706553

Author: Uyên Nhi

Translator: Bảo Ngọc