Vietnamese youth make worthy contributions to national construction, defence

In the struggle for national independence, young people were at the forefront of movements against hunger, illiteracy and foreign invaders.

Throughout the country's history, Vietnamese youth, always upholding the nation's patriotic tradition and heroic and indomitable spirit, have enthusiastically pioneered in all fields and made numerous contributions to the national construction and defence cause.

In the struggle for national independence, young people were at the forefront of movements against hunger, illiteracy and foreign invaders. During the resistance war against the French colonialists, many courageous youths went down in history. Shining examples include Trần Văn Ơn, Võ Thị Sáu, La Văn Cầu, Cù Chính Lan, Nguyễn Thị Chiên, Bế Văn Đàn, Phan Đình Giót, and Tô Vĩnh Diện.

During the resistance war against the US, tens of thousands of young people participated in the construction of irrigation works, reclaiming and restoring land in the North. In the South, given their political movements brutally suppressed by the American imperialists and their henchmen, Vietnamese students did not waver.

Teams named ‘Trung Kiên’ (Loyalty) and ‘Xung Phong' (Volunteer) undertaken by young people were established everywhere, conducting sieges, taking over stations, and destroying strategic hamlets. Such works contributed significantly to the success of the historical Hồ Chí Minh Campaign, which had led to the ultimate victory of the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising to liberate the South and reunify the nation after decades of devastating wars.

Ushering in the Đổi mới (Renewal) period, following the tradition in the fields of socio-economic and cultural development, defence and security, Vietnamese youth have always been a strong and creative force, making an important contribution to the common achievements of the country.

Young workers have enthusiastically and creatively created a lot of materials and wealth for society; young farmers strived to increase labour productivity to enrich the homeland; young intellectuals promoted their creative intelligence; and young entrepreneurs accepted challenges with aspiration for national self-reliance and international integration.

In the past five years, more than 12 million youths participated in volunteer activities, performing more than 800,000 projects and proposing 2.2 million ideas and initiatives. More than VNĐ10 trillion (US$422,000) has been spent on loans and over 1 million consulting and training activities on start-ups launched, while over 3,000 innovative start-up projects were supported.

Many young volunteers ignored hardships to reach the people in highlands, remote areas, and revolutionary bases and carry out practical assistance activities such as teaching, house repair, medical examination and treatment. Many young intellectuals have come to difficult places to help farmers and local people develop their economy and escape poverty.

In particular, during more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of members of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) and students lent their helping hands to join the frontline forces in the fight against the virus outbreaks.

Throughout revolutionary history, the Party and State have always upheld the role and position of the youth, identifying the group as the pioneer force of revolution, and placing them at the centre of the strategies for fostering and promoting Vietnamese human resources. The Government has so far issued many guidelines and policies to take care of young people’s legitimate interests, and education and training, creating conditions for them to cultivate themselves, and contribute to the cause of national construction, protection and development.

In the 2016-2021 period, nearly 560,000 of some 940,000 HCYU members introduced to the Communist Party of Việt Nam for consideration were admitted. Meanwhile, more than 9 million people were honoured and awarded prizes of the HCYU and Việt Nam Youth Federation.

However, apart from outcomes achieved, the group is still facing a number of shortcomings and limitations at the moment. Some have reduced faith, pragmatic living, with complicated crime and social evils recorded in the group.

To aid youth in their study and self-development, a series of support activities have been implemented, promoting their volunteer, creativity, and participation in scientific research and other aspects of society.