This is one of the meaningful activities launched by the national dairy brand to honour previous generations on the occasion of the 78th Day of War Invalids and Martyrs (July 27, 1947-2025).
After one month, the campaign collected more than 100 paintings created by children of Vinamilk staff across the country, as well as by children benefiting from the “Vuon Cao Viet Nam” Milk Fund programme.
Strokes of gratitude
The painting given to Tuong depicts a war veteran with a prosthetic leg and a head wound, standing before an easel. Inside his painting is the image of a smiling pupil in the embrace of her teacher, alongside a flock of doves – a symbol of the longing for peace.
Master Sergeant Tuong said with a laugh that he saw himself in the picture. He is classified as a severely wounded soldier, with a disability rate of 81%. In addition to a prosthetic leg, his right arm is shorter than his left due to contracture from an old injury, and numerous pieces of shrapnel remain embedded deep in his head and spine.
“Every wounded or sick soldier here is like a ‘human weather forecast station’. We may not predict intensity accurately, but we always know whether it will rain or shine tomorrow. The pain flares up whenever the weather changes – making it impossible to sleep, especially for those like me with amputations or for comrades with traumatic brain injuries,” he shared.
Yet he considers himself one of the healthier residents of the centre. Forty-five other wounded and sick soldiers with special classifications live there, with disability rates between 81% and 100%. Returning from the battlefields of the resistance war against the US and from the defence of the southwestern border, they carry the harsh aftermath of war. Beneath their uniforms are bodies marked by bullets, bombs, or prosthetic limbs.
“Our health may be diminished, but we are shown the greatest affection. Having the children of Vinamilk employees visit today makes me feel as though my own grandchildren have come home after a long time,” he said.
Doctor Tong Duc Binh, Director of the Centre, likened the paintings brought by Vinamilk to “embraces that bind together the past and the future”. He said the initiative offered a practical way to teach young people gratitude towards those who sacrificed their youth and part of their bodies for the nation’s independence.
“Every time Vinamilk visits, they leave a special mark in the hearts of the veterans. Beyond nutritional products that help care for their physical health, these drawings by the second and third generations of Vinamilk staff are a precious tonic for the spirit, supporting them in their ongoing battle against pain and their efforts to live joyfully. For us, the veterans are not only soldiers returning from former battlefields but also living witnesses to the sacrifices of earlier generations,” Doctor Binh said.
Honouring the past, looking to the future
Not only at the Long Dat Centre, but more than 100 drawings, naive yet sincere, have been sent to three centres for wounded soldiers in Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City. Each picture is a message of thanks, a dream of peace, and a bridge connecting today’s generation with those who gave their youth for the country.
At the Nho Quan Centre for the Care of Wounded Soldiers (Ninh Binh), Pham Tuyen, Director of Vinamilk’s Ha Noi Branch, presented the artworks to 143 wounded and sick soldiers and the relatives of people who rendered meritorious service to the nation.
He shared emotionally: “We believe each painting the children have created is not only a message of gratitude to those who came before, but also a gentle way of planting the seed of thankfulness in young hearts.”
Alongside the art initiative, marking the 78th Day of War Invalids and Martyrs, Vinamilk has also donated more than 18,000 nutritional products to support the health of former soldiers and families of those who contributed to the revolution.
In Vinh Long, Vinamilk also supported a “Gratitude Market for Contributors to the Revolution” held in Dong Khoi Commune. At this market, where all goods were free of charge, the company offered thousands of nutritional gifts to around 1,700 local residents.
Beyond the July 27 commemorations, Vinamilk has carried out activities honouring earlier generations throughout nearly half a century of operations. These include a 30-year programme caring for Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and support for employees’ families whose parents or relatives are martyrs.
Most recently, to mark the 50th anniversary of national reunification, Vinamilk visited and donated 12,000 nutritional products to more than 650 wounded and sick soldiers at care centres in Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh, Nghe An and Ha Noi.
The company also accompanied the commemoration ceremony of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification organised in Tay Ninh by the Standing Committee of the Traditional Liaison Board of the Central Office for South Viet Nam.
