Over 50 children at an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City will now be able to travel to school safely thanks to $50,000 raised by over a hundred people in Singapore.

A charity event was held over the weekend at Michelangelo's Italian Restaurant to raise $20,000 to purchase a school bus for 55 children at Truyen Tin Orphanage in Vietnam.

The orphanage was established in 1995 by Ms Cu when she opened her doors to 20 children. It provides education, medical care and psychological support to the children.

Since its establishment, the orphanage has doubled the number of children it cares for. It has no major donors and relies upon financial and contributions from friends, volunteers and tourists.

Event organiser Tim Graham, whose family has been involved with the orphanage for the last 11 years, said he was overwhelmed by the support of the Singapore community.

"It is humbling to see so many people rally around this cause and show their support for Truyen Tin Orphanage.

It provides a home and a family for 55 children today and has helped raise 100 children since its establishment. The new school bus, purchased through funds raised over the weekend, will help these children get to school safely."

Guests at the charity dinner were entertained by an opera performance and took part in an auction which included prizes donated by a number of companies and private donors.

Mr Graham said the charity is the first of many Singapore-based events to support the orphanage.

"We want to encourage the Singapore community to get involved in this cause. We also thank all the sponsors who so generously donated to the evening and we look forward to hosting another event next year."