Chapters of the Vietnam Journalists Association across the country have presented gifts worth over 81 billion VND (3.8 million USD) to social welfare beneficiaries, poor people and those from ethnic minority groups in 2013.

According to preliminary reports, they built 189 houses of gratitude for families of martyrs and wounded soldiers, while presenting 720 scholarships and many gifts to disadvantaged people in the country.

On the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, the chapters, scattered across 63 provinces and cities, gave away over 8,000 gift packages worth four billion VND (188,000 USD) to the beneficiaries.

To raise funds for their activities, the chapters of the association worked with relevant sectors and enterprises to organise many charity programmes to support underprivileged people.

The chapters in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City also took many meaningful activities to collect money to help poor citizens.-VNA