MR. NGUYEN MANH THUY, A TYPICAL OFFICIAL OF THE ASSOCIATION

 He joined the Army on October 15, 1964, and on June 8, 1965 he went to the Southern battlefield to fight in unit E20, Military Region 5 - Khanh Hoa. He was admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam on the battlefield on February 16, 1968, during the Tet Offensive. During the fighting, he was wounded with a rate of 41% of health, and was exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin at the rate of 71%. Thuy has three sons, two of whom are currently high-ranking officials in the armed forces (one a Senior Colonel in the army and one a Colonel in the police). His youngest son is the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Liet Ward. 

 Mr. Thuy, former President of Hoang Mai District Association, presents donation to the Fatherland Front for victims of Storm No.5

Returning after military service, he participated in local work. From 1982 to 1994, he served as Chairman of the People's Committee of Nguyen Trai, Thinh Quang, and Kim Giang wards. From 1994 to 2006, he was Deputy Head of the Construction Inspection and Management Department of Dong Da District. In 2007, he retired. He is always passionate and dedicated to social work, and deeply concerned about the sacrifices and losses of his comrades in the resistance war against the US, especially those affected by Agent Orange/dioxin. Therefore, after retiring, from 2007 to 2014, he spent much of his time working with his former comrades at E20, Military Region 5, and the families of martyrs who died in the resistance war against the US, searching for and collecting the remains of six comrades in Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa provinces and returned them back to their hometowns.

Since 2014, he has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin of Hoang Mai District, and was elected to Vice President and then President of Hoang Mai District Association. In every role he takes, he is always dedicated, enthusiastic, and wholeheartedly committed to Agent Orange victims. Regardless of night or day, he tirelessly dedicated himself to his work, closely connected with the victims, especially those facing difficult circumstances. Particularly since elected as the President of the District Association, he has consistently fulfilled well the responsibility of a leader, working with the District Association Standing Committee to advise and propose to the Party Committee, government, and Fatherland Front of the District on strengthening and consolidating the organization and membership of the Association. By July 2025, when the district association was dissolved, 12 out of 15 wards in the district had established associations with 559 members who are victims of Agent Orange (including 437 direct victims and 82 indirect victims).

Caring for, supporting, and assisting Agent Orange victims have always been a mission in his heart. He, along with the Executive Committee and Standing Committee, has mobilized agencies, units, businesses in the district, and philanthropists both domestically and internationally to donate money and essential consumer goods to support the victims and their families with difficult circumstances in the district. His results in mobilizing support for the victims are truly admirable. Here are some examples: In 2024, he mobilized the “Intelligent Family with Compassion” to provide 150,000,000 VND in cash and 200 gift packages, worth 300,000 VND each, to Agent Orange victims in the district. To alleviate the impact of Typhoon No. 5, he mobilized the “North - Central – South Gratitude Repayment Group” to support the Hoang Mai District Fatherland Front with 175,000,000 VND in the first phase and 375,000,000 VND in the second phase. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2024, Thanh Phat Pharmaceutical Company presented 250 gift packages, each of which worth 300,000 VND, to victims in extremely difficult circumstances. Most recently, with his prestige, he mobilized the “North, Central, and South Gratitude Repayment Group” to support Agent Orange/dioxin victims in Hanoi with 500,000,000 VND to overcome the impact of typhoons No. 10 and 11…

For his outstanding achievements in association work in 2024, he was awarded a certificate of commendation by the People's Committee of Hoang Mai District and the Hanoi Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin. He is also a distinguished veteran of Hanoi and was invited to attend the Grand Ceremony to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam at Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi.

At the age of 78, with 57 years of Party membership and contributions to the development of the Association and the victims in Hoang Mai district in particular and Hanoi city in general, Thuy is such a typical and responsible cadre of the Association, a shining example of the noble qualities of an “Uncle Ho’s Soldier” for us to follow./.

Senior Colonel, MSc. Tran Van Duong

Vice President of the Hanoi City Association