Zero-dong fair for the poor held ahead of Tet in HCM City
Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)’s Executive Council Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon opened a zero-dong fair in support of the poor on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival at Minh Dao pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City, on January 8.
HCM City (VNA) – Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)’sExecutive Council Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon opened a zero-dong fairin support of the poor on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet)festival at Minh Dao pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City, on January 8.
The fair, held fromJanuary 8-16, is expected to serve about 100-150 people per day. Apart ofnecessities and traditional goods for Tet, visitors will have a chance to receive an envelope of "luckymoney" worth 200,000 VND
Head of Minh Daopagoda Venerable Thich Minh An said the pagoda will partner with other Buddhistmonasteries in the city to join social and charity activities launched by themunicipal Vietnam Fatherland Front, such as visiting and presenting gifts to needy people as well as holding traditional Tet celebrations.
It has become a tradition for Buddhist establishments in HCM City to organise charity activities to help needy people have a warm and sufficient Tet, which is the most important traditional celebration for Vietnamese in a year.
On January 5, the municipal VBS’s executive-charity board launched theprogramme “Xuan Yeu Thuong” (Spring of Love) and presented 1,200 Tet gifts tothe disadvantaged in District 10.
Most recently on January 7, the VBS’🎐s Cu Chi district chapter handed over giftsto 4,600 people in needy in the locality./.
The ao dai is a traditional local outfit that honours the beauty of Vietnamese women. Not every woman, however, can afford to buy one. With a desire to help disadvantaged women and to spread the value of the traditional outfit, one ao dai tailor in Ho Chi Minh City has worked on a programme called “Zero dong Ao dai”.
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A series of activities to the benefit of the poor ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival, and “zero dong supermarket” programme with a combined funding of 46.5 billion VND (nearly 2 million USD), kick started at a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on January 5.
The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and the Phu Nhuan Jewelry JSC (PNJ) have jointly launched a “zero-dong mini supermarket” programme as part of the efforts to care for the needy in the city ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet), the most important annual festival of Vietnamese people that falls in late January.
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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) 
