Works to upgrade Truong Sa (Spratly) Town Clinic in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea has been initiated recently. The clinic is located in Truong Sa Town of the islands, which serve as a district under the administration of the south-central Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa. The clinic upgrade is done with the coordination between Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, the Hospital 175, and the People’s Committee of Truong Sa Town. Tang Huu Phong, Tuoi Tre editor-in-chief, handed to local authorities VND20 billion (US$919,000), donated by his newspaper’s readers, for the upgrade at a recent ceremony. “The upgrade of the clinic is a small piece of work done by Tuoi Tre readers to show gratitude to those soldiers and people who are protecting a part of our country’s territory amid the open sea,” Phong said.

Tuoi Tre's editor-in-chief Tang Huu Phong (L) hands a board showing the contribution of VND20 billion (US$919,000) for the upgrade of Truong Sa Town Clinic to a naval officer in Truong Sa Town. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The upgrade is among many activities that have been carried out by Tuoi Tre since it launched a program that calls on everyone to contribute to the protection of Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Vietnam Sea on May 10, 2014, the editor-in-chief added.  To date, the program has received a total of over VND55 billion ($2.52 million) from the newspaper’s readers at home and abroad. Than Thi Thu, head of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee’s Commission for Propaganda and Education, said, “Truong Sa and Hoang Sa (Paracels) [another archipelago under Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Vietnam Sea] are two sacred names in the heart and mind of every one of us. Today, we are very happy to be present in this loved and sacred land to share a significant piece of work: giving a start to the upgrade of Truong Sa Town Clinic.” In recent years, Truong Sa Town Clinic has successfully treated hundreds of patients, said Dr. Nguyen Hong Son, director of the Hospital 175, which offers professional assistance the clinic.

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