The Vietnamese community in Australia has pledged to provide half a million dollars to the local arm of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) towards the refugee crisis.

A cheque of $250,000 was presented to UNHCR’s national partner in Australia at a ceremony in Sydney on Tuesday.

The money was donated by more than 800 people who attended a Vietnamese community fundraising dinner in Sydney.

A further $250,000 has been pledged by Vietnamese communities in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.

Speaking at the event, UNHCR National Director Naomi Steer said the current refugee crisis has forced more than 65 million people to flee their homes due to conflict and violence with children accounting for nearly a half of that number.

– with other agencies