Laura Mattarella, the daughter of Italian President Sergio Mattarella, on Sunday visited a school for street children in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

The visit, led by Mattarella who succeeded her mother as Italy’s First Lady after she passed away several years ago, was made during an official visit of President Sergio Mattarella to Vietnam.

During the visit of the Italian First Lady, accompanied by a team of doctors from Ho Chi Minh City-based Human Medicine International Clinic, over 100 students, many of whom are underprivileged children, received free healthcare counseling and medicine for treatment.

Mattarella also presented gifts to those students with outstanding academic achievements.

Many of the children studying at the school come from broken families while others have previously sold lottery tickets on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, she said in her opening remarks.

The school has been gradually built up with support from many sources, including the Italian community and businesses operating in Vietnam, which have funded the establishment of multi-purpose facilities serving as classrooms, dormitories, dining rooms and restrooms, she added.

Thanks to the support of Laura Mattarella, a group of teachers and students of the academy of fine arts of Brera, better known as Brera Academy, came to the school to build an art room for the kids there two years ago.

President Sergio Mattarella addressed the Vietnam-Italy Strategic Dialogue in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday, the last day of his official visit to the Southeast Asian country that started on November 5.

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