Young volunteers help build rural roads

The Summer Youth Volunteer Campaign is a key activity of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union. This year’s campaign, themed “Young people work together to build new rural areas and urban civilization”, targets 111 extremely poor hamlets in 12 poor provinces, provinces frequently affected by saline intrusion and droughts, and on islands. The campaign has provided vocational training to 30,000 people in rural areas and free medical check-ups for 400,000 people.

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communications and Education, Vo Van Thuong, said: “We have 6 million youth union members and over 20 million young people. Although they have different family conditions and educational levels, they share a strong enthusiasm. Young people nationwide have joined the Summer Youth Volunteer Campaign, which sends teams of volunteers to remote areas. We have cooperated with international volunteer organizations to have a bigger impact.”

A number of ministries and sectors host regular volunteer programs. The Vietnam Red Cross Society, which has conducted blood donation drives in Hanoi and 16 other cities and provinces, expects to collect 7,000 units of blood this year. Duong Thi Thu Tham, a student at the Hanoi University of Mining, recently donated blood for the first time: “Blood donations help people in need. I’m happy that my blood can help someone. It’s meaningful.”

Volunteer activities have been part of several international events in Vietnam. At the 5^th Asian Beach Games (ABG5) in Da Nang in September, young volunteers were on hand to provide assistance to foreigners and athletes.

Nguyen Thi My Huyen, a student at Da Nang University of Foreign Languages, said: “I’m proud to have been a part of volunteer activities at ABG5. It was an opportunity for me to contribute to the nation and improve my knowledge of foreign languages.”

Young Vietnamese deem volunteering a social responsibility. Their good deeds have rallied other people to national construction and development.