The Hanoi Run for Children 2014 will take place at Thien Quang Lake, Hanoi, on November 9.
Addressing a press briefing in Hanoi on October 30, Canadian Ambassador David Devine called on local residents and those working in the city to join the run to raise fund to treat children with cancer and heart diseases.
The activity will also contribute to promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the Vietnamese and Canadian people, said Nguyen Thuy Anh, deputy head of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs and Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association.
Establish in 2000 (formerly known as the Terry Fox Run Hanoi before a change of format in 2009), the event is recognised as a popular corporate/family team building activity that promotes social responsibility while raising awareness about healthcare issues in Vietnam.
Over the past 15 years, the annual event drew thousands of Hanoians and foreigners and raised about 1 billion VND each year, which was used to treat poor children at the Hospital of Pediatrics, the Hanoi Heart Hospital and the Heart Beat Vietnam Programme.
The 2013 run drew over 3,000 capital residents and raised nearly 1.5 million VND (70,000 USD).
The event was jointly held by the Canadian Embassy in Vietnam, the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Organisation, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations’ Hanoi Chapter and the Canadian Business Association in Vietnam.-VNA
