Golden Heart Charity Fund and the most beautiful youth

Recalling their vibrant youth, they remember standing on the top of Hai Van Pass in storms, remembering sleepless nights at Hanoi Railway Station looking after relief goods, remembering carrying bags of rice wading deep in the water for hours to reach their compatriots... They defined, "that is the most beautiful youth".

Going South and North

Former Head of the Reader Department of Lao Dong Newspaper - Nguyen Minh Quang, one of the first people to participate in operating and managing the Golden Heart Fund, recounted: "In the early days of establishment, the Fund was assigned to the Reader Department for management. In 1996 - 1997, storms and floods occurred continuously, news about people in storm-affected areas was continuously brought to the editorial office. In addition, there were letters from workers and laborers sent to the editorial office hoping for support and help, very sympathetic. We realize that the establishment of a charity fund is urgent.

However, to mobilize social resources, the Golden Heart Fund needs to have widespread spread, must create a strong effect in the community, but at the time of its establishment, the Fund did not immediately have that influence.

I had a meeting with the Readers' Board, mobilizing reporters and editors of the board to contribute to the Fund. Everyone immediately agreed, participating in contributing to the Fund, 100,000 VND to 200,000 VND, deducted from personal income. From that amount, we started to list the "readers" who contributed (but in fact, the newspaper's reporters and editors took their family members' names to contribute to the Fund).

Then, based on readers' letters sent back, we thoroughly investigate difficult circumstances and transfer them the first amounts of support money.

In the period from October 1996 to early 1997, those involved in operation found many ways to develop and expand the influence of the Fund.

At the end of 1997, the biggest turning point marking an unexpected transformation was when Typhoon Linda made landfall in the South, causing damage to 21 provinces and cities, which was the most catastrophic storm in southern Vietnam at that time.

Lao Dong Newspaper published a call for urgent support for people in storm-affected areas. Just one day later, readers from all over came to queue in front of the Lao Dong Newspaper office to contribute to supporting people in storm-affected areas.

Many businesses and corporations transferred hundreds of millions of VND to the Golden Heart Fund (a very large amount at that time). Readers from all over sent goods from rice, noodles, clothes, sugar, milk... turning the editorial office into a warehouse containing essential goods.

The entire editorial office mobilized personnel to receive goods, record, count, and immediately contact transportation parties to request support to urgently transfer goods to the Mekong Delta.

With the support of a large number of readers and businesses from all over the country, in just one night, the scale and influence of the Golden Heart Fund completely changed.

The Golden Heart Fund over 30 years has gone to the South and the North, going through remote villages, from high mountains to plains to fulfill its mission.

When the Fund grew stronger, had widespread influence, and became a reputable brand, the Fund did not stop at storm and flood relief, supporting difficult circumstances, the Fund participated in building houses, building schools, building bridges and roads, building socially meaningful works, and paying tribute to heroic martyrs in Truong Sa and Hoang Sa...

Lao Dong Newspaper and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor have mobilized all resources to bring the Golden Heart Fund to the places it needs to go, appear at the right time, promptly, and do the most meaningful thing at the most necessary time.

The most beautiful youth

In 30 years, many reporters and journalists in Lao Dong have not only done journalism simply, they are like philanthropists who know how to hold a pen.

Countless reports full of emotions, with great social impact, touching the deep emotions of readers, have been published. The genre of reports has become a "specialty" of Lao Dong Newspaper. Many generations of journalists have joined the relief delegation to remote areas, to places devastated by natural disasters and storms, to places where poverty still rages, to places where human tears have dried up from grief and adversity...

Journalist Phan Thanh Hai occasionally returns to "Chanchu village", where the name of a storm has become the name of the village, where each house has an altar placed with portraits of men who have never returned.

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai once came here, 20 years ago, when Typhoon Chanchu swept right into the shelter of offshore fishermen in the North East Sea. 266 people died and went missing, only 20 bodies were recovered, the rest are forever under the seabed.

Like many Lao Dong reporters, journalist Phan Thanh Hai lived here 20 years ago, standing next to each house immersed in mourning, sending money and goods from the Golden Heart Fund to support each family.

In addition to billions of VND in timely support for families, the Golden Heart Fund has rebuilt dozens of new houses in Thanh Khe, Lien Chieu, Binh Minh coastal villages (Da Nang City according to the old main cargo unit) for widows and awarded scholarships (giving bank savings books) to orphaned children.

Many years later, journalist Phan Thanh Hai still came here, sometimes just to see the fishing village revive, to see the children of that year grow up, steadfast.

The "most beautiful youth" of many generations of journalists, of many generations of trade union officials together with the Golden Heart Fund has been left in the coastal or rural areas, remote villages, where the word "most beautiful" is defined in the way "doing the most meaningful things", "helping the most lives".

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