ON THE OCCASION OF THE 94TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE PARTY (3/2/1930-3/2/2024) AND IN CELEBRATION OF THE NEW YEAR, HAPPY HOME FUND VISITED HO CHI MINH’S HOMETOWN TO EXTEND LUNAR NEW YEAR GREETINGS, AND DISTRIBUTE GIFTS TO NEARLY 2,000 HOUSEHOLDS

On the occasion of the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (3/2/1930-3/2/2024) and in celebration of the New Year, on February 3 and 4, 2024 (Saturday and Sunday), the Happy Home Fund visited Ho Chi Minh's hometown to extend Lunar New Year greetings, and distribute gifts to nearly 2,000 households and individuals, with a total contribution of approximately 1.5 billion VND

          1. Lunar New Year Gift Distribution to 289 Households and Individuals in Nam Thai Commune, Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province.

          On the occasion of the 94th anniversary of the Party's founding (February 3, 1930 - February 3, 2024), with the arrival of the Lunar New Year and the transition from the Year of the Dragon to the Year of the Snake, Happy Home Fund collaborated with local government leaders and officials from Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province, to visit and distribute Lunar New Year gifts. A total of 227 struggling families and individuals from Hong Minh Hamlet, including 10 poor households and 25 near-poor households, received 600,000 VND each. Additionally, 27 families and individuals were honored with 1 million VND each. In total, 289 households and individuals were gifted, amounting to a sum of 184,200,000 VND.

The delegation also paid their respects and offered flowers at the temple dedicated to King Mai Hac De and his mother in Nam Dan, Nghe An. King Mai Hac De, born Mai Thuc Loan in the year of the Horse (670 AD) in Nam Thai, was a national hero who led a rebellion against the Tang Dynasty's occupation in early 8th century Vietnam.

The Happy Home Fund visited and offered incense and flowers at the home of Nguyen Sinh Sac, the father of President Ho Chi Minh, located at the ancestral homeland site in Kim Lien Village. Happy Fund also paid their respects at the memorial house of Hoàng Xuân Đường and at the ancestral maternal site of President Ho Hoang Tru Village, Nam Lien Commune, Nam Đan District, Nghe An Province. Additionally, the Fund toured a house of gratitude that they contributed to constructing in President Ho's homeland in 2023.

2. Lunar New Year Gift Distribution to 341 Households and Individuals in Thanh Khai Commune, Thanh Chuong District.

          On February 3, 2024, the Happy Home Fund continued its mission by visiting and delivering Lunar New Year gifts to 318 households in Ngoc Chua Hamlet, Thanh Khai Commune, including poor, near-poor, disabled, and elderly individuals, each receiving 600,000 VND. Additionally, 27 families and individuals were honored with 1 million VND each, totaling 204,600,000 VND distributed across the commune.

        The Happy Home Fund visited and offered incense and flowers at Giai Temple, located in Ngoc Chua Hamlet, Thanh Khai Commune, Thanh Chuong District. Giai Temple is a historic and venerable architectural structure, formerly known as Van Hoa Tu. During the reign of Emperor Thieu Tri, its name was changed to Van Giai Temple. The temple preserves many valuable ancient artifacts, notably three Buddha statues. The statues of Buddha Shakyamuni and the infant Buddha Shakyamuni are ancient relics of Giai Temple; meanwhile, the statue of Amitabha was brought from Linh Sam Temple in Thanh Yen Commune, Thanh Chuong District when Linh Sam was dismantled in the 1950s. Giai Temple was recognized as a provincial historical site in 2013. It is currently undergoing restoration and construction, expected to be completed in 2024, promising to be a beautiful and sacred site.

3. Lunar New Year Gift Distribution to Over 600 Households and Individuals in Thanh Yen Commune, Thanh Chuong District

          On February 3, 2024, the Happy Home Fund visited, extended New Year's greetings, and distributed Lunar New Year gifts in My Son and Trung Long hamlets, Thanh Yen Commune, Thanh Chuong District, Nghe An Province. They visited and greeted elderly residents, poor and near-poor households, individuals with disabilities, and those facing difficult circumstances; they also expressed their gratitude to families and individuals in Thanh Yen Commune. In total, over 600 individuals visited and received New Year's gifts, with the total amount exceeding 400 million VND.

At the commune's People's Committee headquarters, leaders from the Happy Home Fund together with representatives from the District Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, Fatherland Front, District Mass Mobilization Committee of Thanh Chuong, and local leaders from My Son Hamlet delivered New Year's greetings and distributed 253 gift packages, each valued at 600,000 VND.

The Happy Home Fund paid respects with incense and flowers at the local Temple of Duke Saint Nguyen Canh Hoan (Den Huu). Constructed during the Later Le Dynasty, Den Huu is an ancient structure valued for its unique architectural and artistic significance. The temple was designated as a National Historical-Architectural Site in 2009.

On the same day, in collaboration with leaders from Thanh Chuong District and Thanh Yen Commune, the Fund distributed 269 Lunar New Year gift packages to families in Trung Long Hamlet, Thanh Yen Commune.

That evening, at the Quan Am Bodhisattva Shrine in Thanh Yen Commune, Thanh Chuong District, the Happy Home Fund, together with local leaders from Nam Dan and Thanh Chuong Districts and the three communes of Nam Thai, Thanh Yen, and Thanh Khai, offered incense and flowers to the Buddha. They organized a year-end party and distributed New Year's gifts, showing gratitude to families and individuals who have significantly contributed to local charitable activities. The Fund honored six temple guardians from Van Giai Temple, one from Den Duc Thanh Cao, and eight from the Quan Am Bodhisattva Shrine; awarded 2 million VND each to representatives of ten family temples from the Bui, Nguyen Duy, and Van families; and presented gifts to ten elderly individuals, 35 people from Thanh Yen Commune, 27 from Thanh Khai Commune, 27 from Nam Thai Commune, and many others across Nam Dan and Thanh Chuong Districts. During the ceremony, a representative from the Happy Home Fund remarked that the Quan The Am Bodhisattva Shrine in Thanh Yen Commune was inaugurated in 2023, blessed by the Vice Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Most Venerable Thich Thanh Dung, along with many high-ranking monks, contributing to the spiritual peace of the local community.

4. Lunar New Year Gift Distribution and Tribute at Le Van Family Church, Thanh Hung Commune, Thanh Chuong District, Nghe An Province.

          On the morning of February 4, 2024, the fund honored the Le Van family church and paid tribute to the late teacher Le Van De, a renowned educator from Nghe An, at his home village in Thanh Hung (now Dai Dong Commune).

The fund distributed 200 gift packages worth 600,000 VND each to poor and near-poor households and acknowledged families and individuals of the Le Van lineage with a total amount exceeding 120 million VND.

5. Visit to the Vietnam-Laos International Martyrs' Cemetery in Anh Son District, Gift Distribution in Phuc Son Commune, Anh Son District, Nghe An Province.

          On the afternoon of February 4, 2024, the Happy Home Fund offered incense and flowers at the Ho Chi Minh Temple; they also held a ceremony and offered flowers at the Temple of the Fallen Heroes at the Vietnam-Laos International Martyrs' Cemetery in Anh Son District, Nghe An Province. This cemetery is the resting place for over 11,000 Vietnamese volunteers and military experts who sacrificed their lives on the battlefields of Laos.

The delegation visited and paid respects to the family of the late educator Bui Thi Lai in Thach Son Commune, Anh Son District.

Representatives of the Happy Home Fund, alongside the Secretary of the Anh Son District Party Committee, Nguyen Huu Sang, visited and extended New Year's greetings, health wishes, and distributed Lunar New Year gifts to 200 impoverished and disadvantaged households, including revolutionary families in Phuc Son Commune, Anh Son District. Each household received 600,000 VND, totaling 120 million VND. Phuc Son Commune, a border area between Vietnam and Laos, is known for its deep-rooted patriotic and revolutionary traditions. Historically known as Yen Phuc Village, it was one of the villages featured in the renowned book "Famous Villages of Vietnam," published by Youth Publishing House in 2005. Yen Phuc, established by General Nguyen Xi of the Lam Son uprising forces, served as a strategic base during significant battles tied to Tra Lan region, Pha Luong fields, and Mien Bridge, marking its place in the national history. The commune spans a large area, stretching 42 km from the Vietnam-Laos border to the right bank of the Lam River, including Cao Ve village near the border, with 90% of its population being of the Thai ethnic group. From 1925 to 1929, the people of Phuc Son organized 19 struggles against the feudal and colonial governments, notably earning the title "Red Village." The local Communist Party cell was established here in 1930 with eight members.