18 December 2013 - The Association of Vietnamese Refugees in France held a Day of Solidarity for Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) survivors at the 8th district in Paris, France.

After a brief program and cultural presentation, the public was invited to take part in a raffle whose proceeds were going to the Fondation de France -- a French NGO with a program for Typhoon Yolanda survivors.

During the brief program, the president of the association, Mr. Duong Nguyen, thanked the Philippines for its "warm welcome" in the 70s when Vietnamese boat people arrived in the hundreds in Palawan. Mr. Nguyen said that the day of solidarity they organized was only a "small action" after the warmth and kindness shown by the Philippines, particularly the archipelago of Palawan, to Vietnamese refugees.

In her remarks, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Rapunzel Acop thanked the Vietnamese refugees for their solidarity and initiative and said that it was often the "small actions" that touched the heart the most.

The event was able to raise 4,345 EUR, or almost 6,000 USD.

There are currently 300,000 Vietnamese refugees living in France, thousands of whom transited in the Philippines in the 70s. Some of the Vietnamese refugees in the event had family and friends who lived in the Philippines First Asylum Camp in Palawan.END