The 2026 Summer Volunteer Youth Campaign in Dong Thap Province takes place from May to August, with its main focus on six border communes and wards along the mainland frontier. Each project and activity in the campaign is carried out with an emphasis on practicality, effectiveness, and sustainability.
Student volunteers together with Border Guard soldiers and Police officers participated in building a green plant nurseryin Thuong Lac ward, Dong Thap province. (Photo: HUU NGHIA)
July marks the peak period of the Summer Volunteer Youth Campaign. Young volunteers are dedicating their full efforts to completing projects and activities that closely align with the actual needs of local communities, contributing together to the development of border areas.
Bringing hopes and dreams to children in border communities
After nearly two hours of travel, the bus carrying volunteer students from Dong Thap University completed a 70km journey to reach Thuong Lac Ward early in the morning. Welcoming the lecturers and students were local leaders, residents, and teachers and students of Thuong Lac Primary and Secondary School.
Nguyen Thao Nhi, Student Affairs Manager and Secretary of the Youth Union of the Faculty of Natural Sciences Education at Dong Thap University, together with 30 student volunteers, began their first tasks immediately after settling in. Their activities included building a “Friendly Restroom” at Thuong Lac Primary and Secondary School, awarding scholarships to disadvantaged students in border areas, and cleaning up waste hotspots.
“From plain walls that had become unsightly over time, the students cleaned and painted them into bright, aesthetically pleasing murals, helping children feel more comfortable and clean when using the restroom. The project also teaches students to be more conscious about maintaining public hygiene,” Thao Nhi shared.
Life in Thuong Lac, a border ward, remains difficult. When residents learned that student volunteers were coming, people of all ages—from children to the elderly—enthusiastically joined summer activities. The population in border areas is sparse and scattered, with some households located 10–15km away from summer activity site, yet families eagerly traveled by motorbike or bicycle to bring their children to participate.
Nguyen Trong Phuc, a student from the 24A Technology Education Class of the Faculty of Natural Science Education, originally from An Ninh Commune in Tay Ninh Province, joined the border-area Green Summer Campaign for the first time. Upon arriving in Thuong Lac, Phuc and his friends immediately organized activities for children, including English skill-building sessions and practical learning programs. “I will always remember these days, and this borderland where we contributed our small efforts to help local residents and children have a better life,” Phuc said.
Ho Van Ngang, Principal of Thuong Lac Primary and Secondary School, shared that this was the first time the school had welcomed student volunteers. Their presence inspired the children, helping them become more confident and motivated to continue studying and pursuing their dreams.
Thuong Lac remains a border area with many challenges. Infrastructure in some locations is still incomplete, investment resources are limited, and mobilizing social contributions remains difficult. Comrade Nguyen The Trung, Vice Chairman of the Thuong Lac Ward People’s Committee, said: “The projects and activities carried out by the volunteer youth force closely match local needs and have shown clear effectiveness. Notable efforts include solar-powered lighting systems, friendly restrooms at schools, environmental sanitation, waste hotspot removal, establishing green nurseries, building playgrounds and summer activity spaces for children, and awarding scholarships.”
This year’s Green Summer Campaign by Dong Thap University involves 600 student participants. Activities are carried out in several localities, with resources concentrated in border areas through social welfare programs, English teaching, music and art classes, physical education, and swimming lessons for children.
Nguyen Tri Tuc, Secretary of the Dong Thap University Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, said that this year marks the first implementation of the “Borderland Melodies” program and an art-painting fundraising initiative. Accorrdingly, students formed performance teams to visit communes and wards, coordinating with local authorities to organize art nights and sell paintings to raise funds, which were then donated to local Fatherland Front committees to support social welfare activities. Additionally, the Dong Thap University Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union is collaborating with the Dong Thap Provincial Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (Dong Thap HCYU) and the Department of Education and Training to implement a “Career Orientation for Older Youth Members” project, aimed at students entering grade 10 who choose not to continue academic study but pursue vocational training or other work.
In 2026, the Standing Committee of the Dong Thap HCYU identified border areas as priority zones for social welfare activities and for implementing new development models linked to science–technology, innovation, and digital transformation.
At the launch ceremony of the 2026 Dong Thap Summer Volunteer Youth Campaign, universities, colleges, businesses inside and outside the province, and the Dong Thap HCYU contributed resources to support numerous projects and social welfare activities across the province, with a total value of nearly 10 billion VND. The campaign is expected to mobilize 2,000–3,000 student volunteers from universities and colleges within and beyond the province, forming nearly 50 volunteer teams operating across Dong Thap.
Le Hoang Quyet, Secretary of the Dong Thap HCYU, said: “All projects and activities in the campaign are surveyed beforehand and selected based on actual needs, leveraging students’ strengths and ensuring long-term effectiveness even after the campaign ends. For border areas, our goal is to complete foundational projects that enable sustainable development for local communities.”
Huynh Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Dong Thap Province People’s Committee, stated that the province has directed HCYU organizations at all levels to implement the campaign in a practical, effective, and sustainable manner—selecting the right tasks that meet the real needs of localities and residents. The campaign continues to prioritize resources for remote, disadvantaged, and border areas.
Source:Huu Nghia - Nhan Dan NewspaperTranslation: Chanh Truc