Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called on the Vietnamese youth to take the lead in key areas to drive national development, urging stronger dedication, innovation and a pioneering spirit in building and safeguarding the nation.
The PM made the call at a meeting on March 26 with outstanding Vietnamese youths, promising young talents and 100 exemplary Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) officials honoured with the 2026 Ly Tu Trong Award, along with representatives of the Government's HCYU.
He called on the HCYU to launch practical, effective and human-centred emulation movements, alongside concrete programmes and solutions to create favourable conditions for young people to contribute across all sectors.
The PM praised the “Vietnamese Outstanding Young Faces” and Ly Tu Trong awards as meaningful recognitions with strong nationwide impacts, honouring young individuals with exceptional achievements across multiple fields. This year’s awards recognised 10 outstanding and nine promising young people whose contributions have earned broad community recognition.
PM Chinh stressed that the Vietnamese youth must maintain firm political resolve, remain steadfast in their ideals and continuously innovate in both mindset and action. He encouraged young people to strive to realise their aspirations and ambitions.
Highlighting the need for leadership in innovation, the government leader urged the youth to break away from outdated mindsets, strengthen critical and system thinking, embrace new ideas and act decisively with a long-term vision.
He also called on young people to take the lead in emerging fields such as science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, creating groundbreaking products, boosting productivity and fostering high-growth enterprises, including potential “unicorn” startups to support rapid and sustainable development.
In addition, PM Chinh encouraged the youth to drive cultural innovation by developing distinctive products rooted in Vietnamese identity while selectively absorbing global cultural values, contributing to the growth of the cultural and entertainment industries with regional and international reach.
The PM emphasised the importance of the youth taking the lead in serving the nation and the people, ensuring social welfare, safeguarding national security and being ready to go wherever the country needs them.
He also underscored the need to improve foreign language proficiency and international engagement, enabling the Vietnamese youth to enhance their global competitiveness and contribute to elevating the country’s standing.
Furthermore, he called for stronger solidarity among young people in study, research, work and daily life, contributing to national unity.
At the meeting, Bui Quang Huy, First Secretary of the HCYU Central Committee, said 2026 marks the 95th anniversary of the union (March 26, 1931–2026). During the Youth Month, more than 20,000 volunteer activities have been organised nationwide, engaging around 1.5 million young participants, supporting over 1.4 million people and planting more than 3.1 million trees.
The Vietnamese Outstanding Young Faces Award honours individuals under 35 with exceptional achievements across various fields, while the Ly Tu Trong Award recognises exemplary youth union officials for their contributions to the youth work and movements.
At the event, young delegates also shared proposals and expressed their aspirations to contribute to the country’s development.
