Studying to serve the nation: General Secretary and President To Lam's message on the responsibility of young people
WVR - As a Vietnamese student studying in China, Nguyen Huy Son is always aware of the responsibility of young people to the mission of serving the nation through the advice of General Secretary, President To Lam.
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| General Secretary, President To Lam delivering a directive speech at the 13th National Congress of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, term 2026-2031. (Source: VNA) |
Our forefathers sacrificed their blood and bones for the independence and unification of the country. Our young generation is committed to continuing this history with knowledge and creativity, so that one day, Vietnam will not only be known as a heroic epic or a tourist destination but also as a beacon of science and technology on the regional and global map.
Lifelong learning: The key to a new era
“A revolutionary must learn for life, learn from books, learn from each other, and learn from the people; the 'ocean of knowledge' is vast and never-ending.” Uncle Ho's teachings resonate through the years, like a torch lighting the way for generations of Vietnamese youth. Looking back on the 95 glorious years of building and growing the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, we are even prouder of the tradition of Vietnamese youth. Throughout the periods of struggle for national independence, defending the nation, building, and developing the country, the youth have always been the vanguard, ready to devote themselves to the revolutionary cause.
Today, in a constantly changing world, in a new era and new opportunities for the nation, the mission of the youth has taken on a new form. No longer wielding swords, guns, or standing in the trenches of youth volunteers, the struggle for the country's future continues every day, on every page of a book, in the AI algorithms being written, in the renewable energy projects being tested, in the smart urban models being created, and in the cross-border knowledge connections.
In the article "Youth and the Future of the Country", General Secretary, President To Lam emphasized a truth: “National strength is increasingly measured by creative capacity, scientific and technological proficiency, the quality of human resources, and the ability to adapt to major global changes.”
In this context, we, the Vietnamese youth, must be a generation of lifelong learners. Learning is not just to gain knowledge, skills, employment, or advancement. Today's learning carries a deeper meaning: it is how each of us young people prepares our "baggage" to serve the nation and the people.
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| Representatives of the overseas Vietnamese community and students in China welcome General Secretary, President To Lam and his spouse at Beijing International Airport. (Source: VNA) |
Guiding principles from Resolution 57
Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation has identified science and technology and innovation as important drivers for rapid and sustainable national development, enhancing the competitiveness of the economy, while strengthening the strategic autonomy and capacity of the nation in the new era.
With their sensitivity, enthusiasm, and ability to absorb new things, the youth are the vanguard, playing a core role in this revolution. As General Secretary, President To Lam emphasized: “Patriotism in the new era is not only expressed through emotions but must be demonstrated through knowledge, action capacity, the spirit of conquering new heights of science and technology, and the will to master the future of the country.”
The journey of studying to serve the nation is not confined within national borders but is being written in prestigious universities worldwide. There, Vietnamese students are tirelessly transforming global knowledge into intrinsic strength for their homeland.
According to information from Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh, as of April 2026, there are about 23,000 Vietnamese students and researchers studying in China. The Ambassador assessed that the community has a tradition of solidarity, attachment, patriotism, and always looks towards the homeland; actively participates in and contributes to common activities; always trusts in the leadership of the Party and the State, as well as in the major orientations set out at the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, leading the country into a new era of development.
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| General Secretary, President To Lam meets with staff, embassy officials, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in China during a state visit to China, April 2026. |
From Beijing, Shanghai to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Vietnamese youth are present at leading schools in China, Asia, and the world, pursuing key fields identified in Resolution 57 such as basic science and high technology, digital economy, or modern management, and even traditional fields being strongly renewed like education, language, economics, culture, or law. It can be seen that innovation is not only happening in laboratories but also in the way problems are perceived, the way of thinking, and the way knowledge from different fields is connected to serve the country.
In those lecture halls, regardless of the field of study, Vietnamese students are diligently studying and researching with a special mindset: learning to understand, learning to serve, and learning to build bridges, connecting knowledge with action, connecting China with Vietnam, connecting the present with the future, so that the country can be self-reliant and stand shoulder to shoulder with the great powers in science and technology.
Moreover, the Vietnam-China Forum on Higher Education, Science and Technology, and Innovation Cooperation at Tsinghua University, held in April 2026 as part of General Secretary, President To Lam's state visit to China, sent a strong message: the two countries have all the conditions to become strategic partners in building the knowledge and innovation ecosystem of the region, entering a "phase of substantive, in-depth cooperation and co-creation of value".
Vietnamese students in Beijing in particular and in China in general are the "pioneers" carrying out this mission every day, through their study efforts, research projects, and aspiration to contribute.
There, the care, encouragement, and dedicated guidance of the Embassy leadership and the Party Committee in China are always a solid support, adding confidence and aspiration to contribute to each of us students on every learning journey.
| General Secretary, President To Lam wishes the Vietnamese community in China to continue to unite, help each other, actively integrate, comply with the law, and contribute to the development of the host country; at the same time, always look towards the homeland, actively making new, practical, and effective contributions to the cause of building and developing the country as well as the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and China, especially as both countries are entering a new phase of development. |
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| Nguyen Huy Son is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China. |
The responsibility of Vietnamese students in China
First and foremost, we understand that learning is not confined to the years spent in the classroom but must become a lifelong quality. As young people accessing one of the world's advanced education systems, the homeland requires us to proactively update new knowledge, continuously improve digital skills, foreign languages, and the ability to work in multi-disciplinary, multicultural environments.
For Vietnamese youth in China, this responsibility is even greater and more sacred. We are not just students but also "knowledge ambassadors", living bridges of friendship between the Vietnamese and Chinese cultures.
Every class session, every research project, every conversation with international friends carries a mission: not only to enrich our own knowledge but also to learn to understand the country, the people, and the scientific and technological achievements of China, so that we can bring that knowledge back to serve our homeland.
We are also deeply aware that relationships built on sincerity, understanding, and mutual trust are the "small seeds" but contain a vigorous life force for the "field of friendship" between Vietnam and China.
And more importantly, we always strive to uphold ideals, political courage, social responsibility, and patriotism. As General Secretary, President To Lam advised: “The more adept the youth are with technology, the quicker they access new things, the more they must uphold ideals, political courage, social responsibility, and patriotism. This is the guarantee for innovation to go in the right direction, develop healthily and sustainably.”
Every Vietnamese student in China carries within them a flame ignited by the advice and expectations of General Secretary, President To Lam: “There is no sustainable success without serious labor; no great work without persistent accumulation; no true achievement if it relies solely on luck or temporary inspiration.” We believe that after completing our studies in China, each graduate will return not only with a degree but also with a vision, a mindset, and a heart full of aspiration and dedication.
The Vietnamese youth in Beijing in particular and China in general are striving to write history in the new language of the era: the language of artificial intelligence, big data, and the aspiration for innovation. If the previous generation transformed into "monuments standing tall amidst storms", then our young generation today is committed to making a mark for Vietnam in the global science and technology field, becoming bridges of knowledge between the country and international friends.
So that one day, the name Vietnam will not only be a heroic epic or an attractive tourist destination but also a beacon of science and technology on the regional and global map.
