Caravelle Saigon holds endurance cycling event to raise fund for newborn care

‘Bright Lights’ is a 24-hour static bike ride to keep the hotel sign on Dong Khoi Street lit by pedal power. The cycling takes place in the Champagne Corner. 24 executives from the British, international and Vietnamese business community are cycling through the night for 24 hours to help raise funds for Newborns Vietnam, which will be used to bring UK university and hospitals specialists to Vietnam train and work with Vietnamese nurses to drive improvement in survival chances of pre-term and sick newborns.

In Vietnam about 60 per cent of under-five deaths are newborns in their first month of life. But most newborn deaths are preventable.

“The Newborns Vietnam programme is helping nurses in central Vietnam and beyond to develop their professional skills to improve the survival chances of newborn infants,” said Ian Gibbons, British Consul General to Vietnam, who launched the event and will cycle for the first hour.

“This is a wonderful example of a British-Vietnamese partnership in action, and I am proud to show my support by cycling to keep the ‘Lights Bright at the Caravelle Saigon’ to give every newborn infant the best possible start in life,” he said.

British specialist training for nurses and doctors at the Danang Hospital for Women and Children is already making a big difference. In three years neonatal mortality has reduced by half.

Actor Kim Ly, the star of action romance Huong Ga and highly anticipated Saigon Bodyguards is going to cycle the final hour of this 24-hour marathon.

“I passionately believe that every newborn baby should have an equal chance of surviving no matter where in the world they are born. International partnerships are helping bring newborn care in Vietnam closer to the standard of care every parent experiences in Sweden. I am proud to keep the lights burning for newborns,” he said.

In 2016 the charity has extended its nursing programmes to district hospitals in the central region and in 2017 will support the National Paediatric Hospital in Hanoi with training for neonatal doctors and nurses.

“We are proud to support ‘Bright Lights’, a great effort from the Ho Chi Minh business community, to support a charity whose work has touched the hearts of us all at the Caravelle,” said John Gardner, general manager of Caravelle Saigon.

The target of ‘Bright Lights’ is to raise $10,000. Moet & Chandon will give a magnum of Champagne hand embossed with the event details to the highest fund raiser with a bottle for the second and third highest.

“We are delighted to partner with Newborns Vietnam. We are using our worldwide flight network to save newborn lives by bringing international doctors and nurses to support the advancement of neonatal care in Vietnam,” said Trinh Ngoc Thanh, deputy general director of Vietnam Airlines.

Caravelle Saigon opened in 1959 with modern design combining French and Vietnamese architecture. At that time, Caravelle was home to the Australian Embassy, New Zealand Embassy, Saigon Bureau of NBC, ABC and CBS. Since then, Caravelle has been the city’s premier venue for grand balls and events, plus fabulous wining and dining options.

Newborns Vietnam is a UK registered charity, licensed to operate in Vietnam and dedicated to improving the survival chances of newborn infants and promoting the health of newborns and their mothers.