Nguyen Xuan Tu, Managing Director of the Hope Foundation, said the fourth COVID-19 wave have left thousands of children under 18 years old orphaned, with many losing both their parents. Some lost their mothers at birth.

HCM City, the epicenter of the fourth coronavirus wave, reported more than 1,400 children losing parents to COVID-19.

The programme is carried out with the hope of bringing a warm Tet (Lunar New Year) festival to the children, she added.

Around 1,100 packages were delivered to children in different districts of HCM City, and nearly 400 others were given out in neighbouring Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces.

Each package consists of 1 million VND (44 USD) in cash, a schoolbag and food items.

Since its inception five years ago, the foundation run by VnExpress e-newspaper and FPT Group has given out more than 5,000 gifts worth over 5 billion VND to needy children and poor, disabled and vulnerable people./.VNA