 |
| State President Vo Van Thuong meets delegates at the ceremony. (Photo: SGGP) |
The ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the voluntary campaign was attended by State President Vo Van Thuong, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen, Chairman of the Presidential Office of Vietnam Le Khanh Hai, First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee Bui Quang Huy, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dong Thap province Le Quoc Phong, Secretary of the Party Committee cum Chairman of the People’s Council of Tay Ninh Province Nguyen Thanh Tam, Standing Vice Secretary of the Party Committee of the Dak Nong Province Dieu K’Re, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho Nguyen Van Hieu, and Deputy Head of the Central Committee for Mass Mobilization Trieu Tai Vinh.
There were also more than 200 delegates, including members of the management boards, heads of the organization boards of summer volunteer programs and campaigns in HCMC, artists, supporters, and adoptive families who joined the summer voluntary programs and campaigns of the city for many years.
 |
| State President Vo Van Thuong attends the ceremony. (Photo: SGGP) |
The ceremony honored volunteers and adoptive families for their outstanding contributions to the summer volunteer campaigns over the past 30 years. It also provided an exchange and meeting to listen and collect opinions on activities and volunteer movements of the city’s youth in the coming time.
The first campaign called “The Cultural Light in Summer” was launched in 1994, bringing 700 students to organize charity classes for disadvantaged children in Binh Chanh District for nearly three months, contributing to strengthening the progress of the city's education universalization.
At the end of 1996, HCMC achieved the national standard for illiteracy eradication. The standing committee of the HCMC Youth Union decided to develop the campaign into a large-scale event and then the Summer Volunteer Campaign was officially launched in 1997.
 |
| Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen attends the event. (Photo: SGGP) |
Summer volunteer programs and campaigns of the city's youth have constantly grown in quantity and quality, and become one of the outstanding movements that have left a deep impression on people not only in HCMC but also in provinces and cities nationwide as well as foreign countries.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of summer volunteer programs and campaigns of the youth in the southern metropolis, the Youth Union of the city will organize many activities, such as a volunteers allocation map on the “HCMC Youth” app to create a database of voluntary activities of the youngsters and students in the city, an online exhibition of 30 years of summer volunteer programs and campaigns.
 |
| Delegates attend a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of summer volunteer programs and campaigns of the youth in HCMC. (Photo: SGGP) |
Summer volunteer programs and campaigns of the youth in HCMC have implemented 31,000 youth works, repaired 7,720 charity houses, upgraded roads with a total length of 870 kilometers in rural areas, built and repaired 500 bridges in countryside areas, installed lighting systems on 270 rural roads with a total length of 200 kilometers, organized 1,230 movements cleaning up polluted canals, planted 650,000 trees, paid 91,000 visits to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and policy beneficiary families, donated 160,000 units of blood, held 19,000 activities providing instructions for high-tech agriculture to 70,000 people, offered assistance to 2.7 million candidates who take part in colleges and universities entrance exams.
 |
| Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen speaks at the ceremony. (Photo: SGGP) |
Speaking at the event, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen said that after 30 years of stronger development, youth volunteer programs and campaigns have connected millions of young people, realized youth’s aspirations, and actualized their goals in studying and working. The movements affirmed the young people’s role in building, developing, and protecting the country and the city, especially in the city’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
 |
| State President Vo Van Thuong and Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen offer gifts to delegates at the ceremony. (Photo: SGGP) |
He emphasized that Resolution 98 which took effect over one month ago, grants special mechanisms and policies for the development of HCMC. The newly-approved resolution creates favorable conditions and opportunities for the city to exploit its resources to achieve sustainable development. The city’s leaders always believe that the city's youth will continue to follow the glorious tradition of the past generations, and strongly promote their achievements and responsibilities in building and implementing youth union’s activities.
 |
| State President Vo Van Thuong speaks at the event. (Photo: SGGP) |
State President Vo Van Thuong expressed his joy and was deeply touched when he re-met generations of young volunteers of HCMC, adoptive families, and leaders of periods.
The creativity of Youth Union’s leaders in the renewal period, the trust and encouragement of the city’s leaders, and the support of people brought a strong vitality to voluntary movements in HCMC, he noted.
 |
| State President Vo Van Thuong offers a gift to the Youth Union of HCMC. (Photo: SGGP) |
The State President hoped that the Youth Union of HCMC would continue to promote the value of youth volunteer movements to make more contributions to the city’s development. Each member of the municipal Youth Union and young people of the city will develop valuable traditions to gain more new achievements to meet the expectations of the Party, State, and people for the southern economic hub.
