Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 1 handed over a ball and football shirt with signatures of the all U23 footballers to the Ministries of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and Information and Communications for an auction to raise funds for the poor.

Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung and Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan receive the ball and football shirt 

The ball and shirt were presented to the Government leader when he hosted a welcome on January 28 for the U23 Vietnam team - the runner-up of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship.

He required the two ministries to coordinate in organising the public auction. The money collected will be delivered to policy beneficiaries and poor households.

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung said that the auction will be held ahead of the lunar New Year (Tet) festival. 

The Prime Minister will make his autograph on the ball and shirt, Dung said, adding that the event reflects the Government leader’s attention to the sector’s work, especially in caring for people who rendered service to the nation and the poor.

U23 Vietnam surprised the world when they only lost out in the last minute of the final match to Uzbekistan at the AFC U23 Championship.

The team defeated Australia 1-0 in the group stage. They won over Iraq in the quarterfinals and Qatar in the semifinals with penalty shootouts.-VNA