What did Doraemon creator do for Vietnamese children before his death?

Katsumata Hinako has shared an emotional memory of one of her father's final major undertakings 30 years ago: establishing the Doraemon Fund to support education for Vietnamese children.

The fund has been renamed the Smart Robot Cat Scholarship Fund.

At a ceremony on Wednesday marking the fund's 30th anniversary, scholarships were awarded to elementary and middle school students in eight localities in northern Vietnam. 

The story of the creator's trip to Vietnam to establish the fund moved many attendees.

Donating all Doraemon royalties for 3 years to Vietnamese students

In late 1992, Kim Dong Publishing House introduced Fujiko F. Fujio's famous Doraemon manga series to Vietnamese readers for the first time.

From 1993 to 1995, the publisher released most of the series, which was warmly welcomed by Vietnamese children.

Kim Dong Publishing House sent a letter to Fujiko F. Fujio and Japanese publisher Shogakukan, the exclusive publisher of Doraemon, offering to pay VND1 billion (US$38,707) in royalties, even though Vietnam had not yet joined international copyright conventions at the time.

In 1996, at the invitation of Kim Dong Publishing House, Fujiko F. Fujio and representatives of Shogakukan visited Vietnam for a working trip.

Fujiko F. Fujio and Shogakukan agreed to donate the VND1 billion in royalties to establish the Doraemon Fund for supporting education for Vietnamese children.

During the visit, Fujiko F. Fujio was also received by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Khanh and received the “For the Cause of Vietnamese Culture” medal from the Ministry of Culture and Information.

Doraemon creator’s precious smile

Katsumata Hinako accompanied her father on his trip to Vietnam. She recalled that he was ill and in poor health at the time.

Although he had significantly reduced his manga work, he decided to make the trip to Vietnam.

After the fund's establishment ceremony, Katsumata Hinako and her father visited a children's activity center. She still remembers how the children gathered around him and how happy he looked.

“I remember how my father listened to the children talking and responded with a smile. He seemed quite different from the father I usually saw at home.

“His gentle smile at that moment remains deeply etched in my heart, even after 30 years,” Katsumata Hinako recalled, reflecting on the precious moments of happiness Vietnamese children had brought her father.

He passed away eight months later, making the Doraemon Fund one of the last projects the manga creator participated in.

Nguyen Thang Vu, former director of Kim Dong Publishing House, also made a significant contribution to establishing and maintaining the Doraemon Fund.

In addition to co-founding the fund, Vu donated VND1 billion to it in 2010. The fund's capital has since grown to VND5 billion ($193,539).

Over its 30 years of operation, the Doraemon Fund has awarded 14,794 scholarships worth nearly VND11.5 billion ($445,140) in total.