Delegates join the first session of the 13th National Congress of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union for the 2026–31 term. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Đức

HÀ NỘI — Nearly 800 outstanding delegates representing almost 22 million young people across Việt Nam on Wednesday attended the first session of the 13th National Congress of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union for the 2026–31 term.

The congress is an important political event for the union and a major national festival for young people.

It is an occasion to review the union's work over the previous term and a significant milestone for setting out a vision along with objectives and tasks for the new term, as well as promoting the pioneering role of youth.

The congress is taking place on Wednesday and Thursday under the slogan 'Resilient Determination – Pioneering Creativity – Aspiration to Serve – Mastering the Future'.

The 2022–26 term saw many innovations in the union’s work and the youth movement. Although the term’s duration was shortened and the organisational structure underwent many changes, the entire union still completed and exceeded its main targets.

Numerous campaigns and programmes for young people were effectively implemented, confirming the role of youth in study, labour, creativity, community volunteering, digital transformation and international integration.

70,000 messages from youths

Entering the new term as the country steps up the development of science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and international integration, delegates at the congress widely expect the union to continue to innovate its methods of operation and to further its role in supporting young people.

As an official working in the field of technology, secretary of the Youth Union of Việt Nam Posts and Telecommunications Group Nguyễn Quang Long said the 13th National Congress will likely continue to promote the pioneering role of youth in developing science and technology, innovation and the nation’s digital transformation.

According to Long, the union should intensify training in digital skills, artificial intelligence and information security for members and young people, foster teams that support community digital transformation and guide citizens in accessing and using digital products and services effectively.

Alongside content on digital transformation and the renewal of union activities, many delegates also hope the new term will continue to emphasise education in revolutionary ideals and the cultivation of cultural lifestyles for young people.

Delegate Lê Minh Đức, secretary of the Youth Union of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the union should take the lead in nurturing ideals and the aspiration to serve, while also building more creative spaces for young people to participate in preserving heritage values and promoting Vietnamese culture.

In his view, amid rapid digital transformation, the union needs to continue innovating the ways it brings young people together, applying digital technology and artificial intelligence so activities become more relatable and attractive to the younger generation.

At the same time, union officials and members should work to improve their digital capabilities and technological skills to meet the demands of the new development stage.

Many delegates have not only placed expectations on the union’s pioneering role in digital transformation, innovation and safeguarding national cultural identity, but have also expressed hope the union will renew methods of education and youth mobilisation, given the rapidly changing living and working environment.

Major Nguyễn Duy Hưng, head of the Youth Committee of Hưng Yên Provincial Police, said that the union must continue to renew its content and methods of operation, closely following the needs and trends of youth in the digital age.

An ideal education must be more connected to practical realities and focus on local youths, those in disadvantaged areas and vulnerable youth groups, he said.

In addition, the union should help bring the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws to young people on digital platforms and strengthen communication and education in cyberspace.

According to the Central Youth Union, as of the middle of this month, the system had received more than 70,000 messages from union members and young Vietnamese people studying and working abroad.

This figure not only reflects young people’s interest in the congress, but also demonstrates their desire to be heard, to participate and contribute opinions on the major directions of the union in the next term.

Among the messages received, many members and young people expressed confidence in the union’s role in guiding them through study, establishing themselves professionally and contributing to society.

Văn An Khánh, a union member from Hà An Ward, Quảng Ninh Province, said that faced with the digital era and new opportunities, the younger generation hopes the congress will set breakthrough policies and continue to lead young people in promoting the spirit of 'pioneering, resilience, creativity and service'.

Lê Phúc Lâm, a student at Phenikaa University, said youth should be judged not by years lived but by the values they contribute. Lâm said young people should live with ideals, responsibility and ambition, adding that every good deed and act of sharing helps spread positive values in the community.

Beyond reflections on the responsibilities of youth, many messages also expressed a desire to preserve the nation's cultural identity amid international integration.

In a message to the congress, singer Phương Mỹ Chi, a Promising Young Vietnamese Face in 2025, shared that the more she meets international friends, the more she recognises national cultural values as a distinctive factor and a unique imprint for each young Vietnamese person.

The singer expressed her hope that the congress will continue to inspire a pioneering spirit, creativity and aspiration to serve among young people, so that each youth can confidently integrate internationally while helping to spread the positive values of Vietnamese culture.

The messages sent to the congress show that despite working in different fields – from study and labour to culture and the arts – many union members and young people share a common wish to contribute to the country’s development and to uphold the role of their generation in the new era. — VNS