The tenth National Congress of the Vietnam Students’ Association (VSA) officially opened on December 10, featuring the participation of nearly 700 delegates representing over 2.4 million students both in the country and abroad.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the Congress. Source: Tuoi Tre News

This is an important political event, marking a new development of the Association and the students’ movement. The Congress takes place in the context of the whole Party and people trying to successfully implement the Resolution of the 12^th National Party Congress. The year 2018 is also the first year that the Resolution of the 11th National Youth Union Congress has been implemented.

The Congress will review the results of the implementation of the Resolution of the ninth National VSA Congress for the 2013-2018 tenure and define tasks for the Association and the students’ movement during the 2018-2023 tenure, towards building a strong association. The event will create conditions for the training of students with firm political stance, good ethics and lifestyle, and physical strength as well as encourage them to actively study and promote their spirit of creativity, pioneering, volunteering and integration to contribute to the cause of national construction.

During the development process of the country, under the leadership of the Party, State and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU) Central Committee, Vietnamese students have always been elite, knowledgeable and creative youths with great dreams and ambitions. They have been important forces that have inherited and promoted the revolutionary achievements of the Party and nation. Most Vietnamese students have always held a deep patriotic spirit and been active and proactive in studying and training as well as thoroughly grasp and strictly observe the Party's guidelines and State’s policies and laws.

In the past tenure, the students’ associations at all levels around the country followed closely, concretising and effectively implementing the Resolution of the ninth National Congress. The methods and contents of the association’s activities have been increasingly perse, creative and practical, in accordance with students’ demands and actual situations.

The movement titled “Students with Five Good Performances” has stronglydeveloped, creating an environment for them to strive and train. The students’ associations at all levels have proactively held numerous activities for students to study and train, many of which brought practical effects. The consultancy and support for their material and spiritual lives have been enhanced. The VSA has also continued to make progress in terms of both scale and quality.

Currently, the situations in the world and region are complicated, while the country’s socio-economic situation still faces numerous difficulties and challenges. There are four risks that the Party has shown still remain, particularly the economic lag behind other countries in the region and world, as well as threats of ‘peaceful evolution’ by hostile forces. Meanwhile, some students are indifferent to the challenges and difficulties of the country and some others are induced to participate in illegal activities. A number of students lack a sense of training their political stance; live selfishly and pragmatically; and follow negative trends.

Brilliant faces participating in the 10^th Congress. Source: Tuoi Tre News

In addition, the movement “Students with Five Good Performances” has not implemented effectively at several students’ associations at grassroots-level; meanwhile the work of public opinion orientation among students has not seen interest. Activities promoting a favourable environment for students to study, create and research have not created breakthroughs in inspiring their strength and potential. Furthermore, the role of students’ associations in several localities and units has been blurred. The operation modes of many organisations have lacked creativity, not meeting the legitimate and perse needs of the youths.

The practical challenges require the HCMCYU Central Committee and the VSA to implement many drastic and synchronous measures to orient and accompany students in training professional skills and ethics; joining volunteering, creative and integration activities and scientific research, contributing to building the country to be more prosperous and civilised. It is crucial to inspire the patriotism among students as well as encourage them to train firm political stance through useful programmes and develop systems of support for students in studying, researching and mastering technology and foreign languages.

The association should also renovate their major movements and activities, towards meeting legitimate demands of students. The Party Committee and the Board of Directors of universities and colleges should further promote the role of the students’ associations, creating favourable conditions for theassociations to expand their activities.

The tenth National Congress of the VSA is a congress ofpolitics, knowledge, creativity, volunteering, integration and development. Its decisions will show the will and aspirations of Vietnamese students through patriotic emulation, studying, creation, volunteering, integration, and training to become high-quality human resources for the national construction and development./.

( VNF/NDO )