The annual programme entitled "Joining hands for the poor" was broadcast live on TV with the aim of mobilizing resources from the whole of society to help needy people.

In his message, Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong expressed his deepest condolences and sympathy to soldiers and people in flood-hit areas. Mr. Trong urged immediate measures to prevent flooding and help affected people resume production and stabilize their lives. He called on Vietnamese inside and outside the country to be united and support victims of natural disasters.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the Party and State always consider poverty reduction a central and urgent task to ensure sustainable development.