On 27 December 2012,  Ms. Panpimon Suwannapongse, Thai Consul-General in Ho Chi Minh City,  attended the opening ceremony of the “Bring Back Eyesight for Poor Blind People” at Hau Nghia Town General Hospital, Long An Province. The event is part of the Ho Chi Minh City Sponsoring  Association for Poor People’s Cataract Surgery for Poor People programme for which the Royal Thai Consulate-General has continuously provided financial support. 

     In 2012, the Royal Thai Consulate – General, together with the Thai Community including Thai business people in soutern Vietnam donated a fund worth VND 378 million (about USD 18,000) to the Ho Chi Minh City Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients in order to support the above-mentioned programme.  As a result,  335 patients  in Ho Chi Minh City and 78 patients in Long An Province have been able to regain their visions.