(Left to right) SIF Chairman, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Ambassador of Singapore to VN Catherine Wong, SIF Executive Director Jean Tan, VSFA Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hung and VUFO President Nguyen Phuong Nga at the signing ceremony.
MOU was co-signed by SIF Executive Director Ms Jean Tan and VSFA Vice President Ambassador Nguyen Duc Hung. The ceremony was witnessed by Singapore’s Ambassador to Vietnam Ambassador Catherine Wong and the President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisation Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga.
Speaking at the event, SIF Chairman, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong acknowledged the support from the Vietnamese community and partners, including VSFA in facilitating SIF’s endeavors in the country.
VSFA Chairman Mr Vu Viet Ngoan said, “The VSFA is pleased to extend our partnership with the SIF after two successful years of working closely together.The renewal serves as testament to the friendship and cooperation Singapore has committed to the people of Vietnam through the SIF’s active initiatives in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. We look forward to deepening this friendship over the next five years.”
MOU was first signed in 2017, will pave the way for further cross-border collaboration between the two communities, in the areas of healthcare, education, arts and culture, and social entrepreneurship.
Over the last 25 years, the SIF has collaborated on various projects with different Vietnamese partners. In 2018, the SIF launched a three-year Haemodialysis Care Project in Hanoi in partnership with the Hanoi Medical University to improve the overall quality of haemodialysis care in North Vietnam. As of today, the project has trained over 180 healthcare professionals and is expected to benefit over 5,000 kidney patients in the region.
The SIF also embarked on a second run of its signature Words on Wheels (WoW) programme in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The project aims to inculcate the joy of reading and lifelong learning to over 7,000 Vietnamese schoolchildren by 2020. It builds on the success of WoW HCMC’s first edition which empowered over 11,000 schoolchildren between 2014 to 2017. WoW HCMC is conducted in partnership with The General Sciences Library of Ho Chi Minh City and sponsored by Keppel Land Limited.
Since 2014, the VSFA has held various initiatives in Vietnam and Singapore to strengthen cross-cultural understanding between the peoples of both countries. These initiatives are in the areas of cultural exchange, education and training, business and investment promotion, and volunteer activities.
In 2018, the VSFA, together with Singaporean partners, carried a series of activities in Singapore in celebration of 45 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Activities included the Viet Nam – Singapore Art Exhibition titled A Glance, as well as business networking seminars and roundtables.
Q.H t.h
.png)
