State President Nguyen Minh Triet attended a programme to call for national support for the poor in the midland province of Phu Tho in Viet Tri city, on April 22.
President Triet called upon individuals and organisations at home and abroad to take a positive part in social activities for hunger alleviation and poverty reduction to contribute to lowering the national poverty rate.
He also commended organisations and enterprises for their kindness in helping the poor in Phu Tho province.
Though the war is over and people have lived in peace for 35 years, many Vietnamese families and individuals still suffer from poverty, partly due to the effects of war, President Triet said, adding that national assistance to the poor will help them live a better life.
The charitable programme is part of a provincial project to remove unsafe housing and reduce poverty.
Over the last 10 years, Phu Tho has replaced 12,000 unsafe houses, built infrastructure facilities for poor people and reduced the poverty rate to 13 percent.
For 2010, the province has targeted pushing its poverty rate down under 10 percent.
The same day, President Nguyen Minh Triet witnessed a signing ceremony for investment agreements on key industrial-service projects between Phu Tho and several giant economic groups and banks of Vietnam .
He also attended an event for a tree growing campaign, undertaken both in commemoration of the Hung Kings--the founders of the nation—as well as ramping up towards the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi./.
