Former US President Obama visits HCMC

Former U.S. President Barack Obama, who was on his second visit to Vietnam, on Monday called on Ho Chi Minh City Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan. The meeting took place at the city Party office, where Nhan praised Obama for his contribution to bilateral ties during his presidency, particularly to the establishment of a comprehensive partnership between the two nations in 2013. He also thanked him for the establishment of the Fulbright University Vietnam, and his and his family’s efforts to help education in Vietnam, especially for girl children. He hoped that the Obama Foundation would continue to support developmental projects in Vietnam’s rural areas. In reply, Obama said he would continue to help develop ties between the U.S. and Vietnam, and connect American investors and corporations with Vietnam.

He had arrived in HCMC on Sunday during what was his first visit after he relinquished office. He visited Hanoi and HCMC during presidency in May 2016. He is accompanied by his wife, Michelle. Michelle, a representative of the Girls Opportunity Alliance, visited Can Giuoc High School in Long An Province in the Mekong Delta on Monday to promote girls’ education. She was accompanied by Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush, and actresses Julia Roberts, Ngo Thanh Van and Lana Condor. The Obamas left HCMC on Tuesday for Malaysia, where they will attend the Obama Foundation’s inaugural “Leaders: Asia-Pacific” event in Kuala Lumpur from December 10 to 14.

https://www.vietnamup.com/2019/12/former-us-president-obama-visits-hcmc/

>>7481936

Michelle Obama visits Mekong Delta, promotes girls’ continued education

Former US first lady Michelle Obama visited the Mekong Delta Monday, stressing the importance of continued education for girls and young women. Obama went to the southern province of Long An on behalf of the Girls Opportunity Alliance to talk with local organizations and authorities and promote continued education for girls. She was accompanied by American actresses Julia Roberts and Lana Condor, NBC’s Today Show’s co-anchor Jenna Bush Hager and Vietnamese actress Ngo Thanh Van.

She said she would like to see more contributions from the society to support teenage girls and would work with more celebrities to inspire people. “I want to support local educational organizations because they know clearly the challenges that local girls have to face. We will come up with the most feasible, sustainable solutions,” Obama said at the Can Giuoc High School in Long An. She also joined a soft skills class for girls and talked with local members of Room To Read, a non-profit organization focusing on girls’ education and children’s literacy in Asia and Africa about how they overcame difficulties to achieve success.

The Obama Foundation had stated that she would donate more than $500,000 in proceeds from merchandise around her memoir “Becoming” to support girls’ education worldwide. The Girls Opportunity Alliance, which was set up by the Obama Foundation in 2018, aims to support international efforts to ensure more girls have lasting access to education. The program has contributed to providing more than 1,500 bicycles for girls in Vietnam’s rural areas, allowing them to attend school more easily, thereby decreasing the dropout rate.

Obama will depart for Malaysia to attend an Obama Foundation event, set to gather 200 civic leaders from the Asia-Pacific region in Kuala Lumpur from December 10-14. Together with actress Julia Roberts, she will discuss her time in Vietnam and the journey to becoming a successful woman.

https://www.vietnamup.com/2019/12/michelle-obama-visits-mekong-delta-promotes-girls-continued-education/

>>7482015

Trying to create another money laundering avenue..imho among other things…They were there from Dec 8 - 10. Now in Malaysia so time to see what's happening there.