(VOVworld) -  The Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association has celebrated 20 years of the Vietnam Entrepreneur Movement and a decade of the Vietnam Gold Star award, a prestigious honor to raise the profile of Vietnamese companies in the country’s international economic integration.

200 outstanding Vietnamese brands honored at 2013 Gold Star Award (Photo: VNA)

Established in 2003 with just 15 members, the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association now has 10.000 members in all cities and provinces involved in 4 economic sectors. Member businesses have created jobs for more than 2.5 million people and their total annual turnover has reached 25 billion USD.

Over the past 20 years, the association has contributed to raising social awareness about the position and role of young entrepreneurs in the country’s future.  Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh addressed a ceremony to mark the association’s founding anniversary:

"The Association should continue to rally young businessmen under the auspices of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Federation. The association should diversify ways of gathering young entrepreneurs, and helping them to overcome difficulties, contributing more to the country’s sustainable growth. I hope that with your intellect, enthusiasm, ambition, and national pride, young businessmen will better themselves for future development.”

Also established in 2003, the Vietnam Gold Star Award has attracted the participation of more than 5,400 brands and companies, one third of which have been honoured over the past decade. Mai Huu Tin, President of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association, says:

“We’ve set a target to turn the Vietnam Gold Star Award into a prestigious reward not only at home but also at the global level. To realize this, we’ll continue to research and supplement more criteria.”