The annual golf tournament, Swing for the Kids 2016, has teed off, marking the 10th year journey of a creditable charity event to support underprivileged students.
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This morning, former deputy prime minister Vu Khoan, former ministers of planning and investment Vo Hong Phuc and Bui Quang Vinh, chairwoman of BRG Group Nguyen Thi Nga, and general director of Samsung Electronics Vietnam Han Myoung Sup teed off first to start the tournament at Legend Hill Golf Resort in Hanoi’s Soc Son district, about 30 kilometres from the centre of Hanoi. Members of diplomatic corps, government agencies and business communities also got into swinging.
Swing for the Kids 2016 tournament is divided into morning and afternoon sessions, welcoming 150 domestic and international golfers. According to VIR’s editor-in-chief Le Trong Minh, the tournament has raised VND1.5 billion ($67,300) to give scholarships to poor students from around Vietnam and help improve the facilities of many schools around the country. The organisers also gave the Vietnam Learning Promotion Association VND400 million ($18,000) from the above sum.
Kicked-off by VIR in coordination with the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency in June 2007, Swing for the Kids has seen the eager participation of over 1,000 golfers, including senior government officials, diplomats and businesspeople.
During the last nine years, the tournament has given over 12,000 scholarships with the total value of VND10.5 billion ($470,000) to poor but excellent students in Vietnam including about 17 full scholarships of VND10 million ($463) each. In particular, over 2,000 scholarships of totally about VND1.1 billion ($49,000) were given out in 2015. The scholarships enabled poor students to continue their education and become contributing members of society.
“The tournament this year is an important landmark in VIR’s history of a quarter of the century. Its success is going to be a meaningful present to celebrate VIR’s 25th anniversary on September 27, 2016,” said Nguyen Anh Tuan, chief organiser of the tournament, and VIR’s former editor-in-chief.
“The tournament, besides being a meaningful activity that contributes to society, is a bridge linking Vietnamese companies with international investors, international organisations, local authorities and government agencies, especially the Ministry of Planning and Investment,” said Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment.
This year, Swing for the Kids tournament has Diamond Sponsor Samsung Electronics Vietnam, Platinum Sponsor Vingroup, Gold Sponsors KinderWorld, Pegasus, and Cocacola.
By Van Khanh
The article "VIR’s Swing for the Kids 2016 teed off" was originally published on http://www.talkvietnam.com/2016/04/virs-swing-for-the-kids-2016-teed-off/
