Strengthening solidarity among youths

Mr Mai, who is also Vice President of the Vietnam Youth Union’s Central Committee, emphasised this during an interview granted to a VOVNews reporter.

Reporter: What are the foremost achievements the Vietnam Youth Union has made during its fifth term?

Mr Mai: During the last term, the Vietnam Youth Union launched many effective programmes and movements to meet the needs and interests of young people nationwide. These activities have created an ideal environment for young people to study and work, as well as encouraging them to take part in the nation’s socio-economic development. The Union’s activities have attracted a large number of young people who are eager to contribute as much as they can to the current process of national construction.

The Union is currently focused on vocational training for young Vietnamese people, including those living abroad and has developed several offshoots such as the Young Entrepreneurs Association and the Young Doctors Association.

The 6th Representative Congress of the Vietnam Youth Union, the 2010-2015 term, took place in Hanoi on April 26-27. The event was attended by more than 1,000 leading members representing young people from 54 ethnic groups across the country.

Reporter: Could you point out some of the shortcomings in the Union’s activities that should be resolved in the next term?

Phan Van Mai

Mr Mai: In the next term, we plan to introduce a range measures to attract more members and consolidate unity among young people. We aim to build the Union into an extensive social organisation for all young Vietnamese people both inside and outside the country.

At present, youth movements have not yet managed to attract young people from every social strata and sectors. There remain some shortcomings in protecting the legitimate rights of young people, as well as in creating the right environment for them to tap into their full potential.

Reporter: In your opinion, what is the Union’s key task in its 6^th term?

Mr Mai: The Union’s key task in the next term is to make full use of young people’s advantages. The Union will submit an action plan to the 6^th Congress to introduce three nationwide programmes, namely “Young people live a beautiful and meaningful life”, “Young volunteers for social welfare and environmental protection”, and “Young people set themselves up in business and get rich”. The action plan will include two programmes entitled “Meet the country’s needs” and “Build a powerful organisation, expand solidarity and attract more young people”.

Reporter: Some young business people are not very interested in the union’s campaign. What, in your opinion, should we do to involve them in the activities?

Mr Mai: In order to attract more young people, the union’s activities must meet their demands and benefit them.

In the next term, we will try to be innovative in our operations, take better care of young people by providing them with training, help them improve their professional skills, and make it easier for them to take part in our activities.

Reporter: Many young people do not return home to work for the country after they finish their studies overseas? What do you think you can do to prevent the “brain-drain”?

Mr Mai: After the National Young Talent festival in September 2009, the Vietnam Youth Unions advised the Young Talent Council proposed mechanisms and policies to develop young talents for the Party and the States. Once we have the right policies, young people can either directly or indirectly contribute the nation’s development.

Reporter: We now have a large pool of overseas academics that can make a great contribution to the country’s modernisation and industrialisation. What measures does the union propose taking to add them to our domestic academics for the cause of construction and development.

Mr Mai: The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Union always consider young overseas intellectuals an important part of the country’s contribution. They are well-qualified people who have been educated in a developed and competitive environment. Many of them have succeeded in various fields such as science and technology, electronics, and biology.

We have run a number of campaigns to attract these young people like inviting them to participate in the union’s activities. The establishment of the Association of Young Business people can also help to unite domestic and overseas business people and intellectuals to help with country’s socio-economic development.

As well as that, we have also had exchanges and forums where they are provided with information on the Party and State’s policies that support them in their studies and where their desires and aspirations are taken into consideration.

In the future, attracting young overseas academics will become an important part of the union.

Reporter: Thank you very much.

In the past five-year period, the union granted scholarships to more than 375,000 young people, helped 1.3 million people get access to preferential loans worth VND6,000 billion, provided chances for 1,000 businesses to share their experiences through E-learning, put into action nearly 115,000 youth projects at a cost of VND654 billion, deliver free medical examinations and medicines to more than 1.3 million people, collected nearly 1.3 million units of blood, and admitted 988,321 new members, bringing the total number of its members to nearly 8 million.