Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan extended New Year greetings to the northern Ha Nam provincial Party Committee and residents in a visit to the locality on February 12.

The Vice President praised the remarkable achievements made by the provincial authorities and people over the past year despite national economic difficulties.

The province recorded good economic growth last year while further reducing the number of poor households. Substantial results were seen in the culture, education, and healthcare sectors as well as in caring for social policy beneficiaries.

In line with the traditions on the occasion of the lunar New Year, Vice President Doan and provincial leaders visited and presented gifts to revolutionary veterans, wounded soldiers, policy beneficiaries, and impoverished households in Phu Ly city and Ly Nhan district.

The same day, Politburo member and Party Central Committee Secretary To Huy Rua went to the northern province of Bac Ninh, where he presented gifts to 92-year-old Heroic Mother Vu Thi Loi and the families of some fallen soldiers and war veterans in Gia Binh district.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Nguyen Thien Nhan visited the southern province of Tra Vinh. He delivered gifts to 50 poor families and scholarships to poor students, and called at the provincial Patriotic Monk Association to wish them a happy New Year.

Also on Feb. 12, the military telecom group Viettel and An Binh Commercial Joint Stock Bank donated 3.5 billion VND (164,000 USD) and 200 million VND (9,300 USD), respectively, to a scholarship fund established by Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh for deprived students in Tra Vinh.-VNA