Truong Thi Kim Xuyen (1st, L), vice chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of HCMC’s District 5, represents local households to receive Covid-19 relief gifts from the Saigon Times - Great Circle 2021 program - PHOTOS: PHUNG MY

HCMC – With efforts to leave no one behind during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Saigon Times - Great Circle 2021 program, an initiative of the Saigon Times Group, continued to reach out to disadvantaged residents and those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic in HCMC and neighboring localities.

Yesterday morning, August 7, the program provided medical supplies and necessities to poor people in locked down areas and boarding houses in HCMC’s District 5.

The Saigon Times Group’s Youth Union in coordination with the district’s Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee donated 100 gifts, with each comprising instant noodles, fresh milk, fish sauce, chicken eggs, and face masks, to the needy in the district.

Despite being old, Quan Thieu Cao and his child, who has Down syndrome and needs a wheelchair to get around, take turns to stand in front of a small grocery store every day to sell lottery tickets for a living. When the pandemic broke out, they could not sell lottery tickets anymore and have had to rely on donations from local authorities and their neighbors.