Responsibility, compassion

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - Seventy-five years ago, on July 15, 1950, at Hong Mountain, Yen Lang commune, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province, the first Central Youth Volunteer Team (the predecessor of the Youth Volunteer Force) was established under the direction of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh to serve the 1950 Autumn-Winter Border Campaign. President Ho Chi Minh presented the Youth Volunteer Force with four lines of poetry: “Nothing is difficult / Only fear of a lack of perseverance / Digging mountains and filling seas / With determination, success will be achieved.”

The Association of Former Youth Volunteers of Ham Rong Ward held a traditional talk with union members and young people at the Ham Rong Youth Volunteer Victory Monument.

Imbued with President Ho Chi Minh's teachings and the spirit of "three readinesses"—going wherever the Fatherland needs, doing whatever the Fatherland demands, and sacrificing anywhere for independence, freedom, and the building of socialism—generations of Youth Volunteers have been present in the most difficult places and have always excellently fulfilled their assigned tasks. Specifically for the Thanh Hoa Youth Volunteer force, during the two wars of resistance, there were 641 martyrs, nearly 4,000 wounded soldiers, 3 Heroic Collectives, and 9 Heroes of the People's Armed Forces.

In April 2005, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province issued a decision to establish the Thanh Hoa Former Youth Volunteers Association. Over 20 years of operation, the Provincial Former Youth Volunteers Association has held four congresses and currently has more than 52,000 members active in 166 wards and communes throughout the province. Thanh Hoa's Youth Volunteers are also proud to be recognized by the Central Association of Former Youth Volunteers of Vietnam as a unit with five top achievements nationwide: having the largest number of Youth Volunteers in the country (75,000 resistance Youth Volunteers, 26,000 local concentrated Youth Volunteers), fighting in the most fiercely contested areas, having the earliest Youth Volunteer representative committee, being the locality with the earliest Youth Volunteer force awarded the title of Hero of the Armed Forces by the State (2009), and being the best unit of the Vietnamese Youth Volunteers for 20 consecutive years.

Chairman of the Provincial Association of Former Youth Volunteers, Le Van Thanh, stated: Upholding the traditions of Uncle Ho's soldiers, generations of former youth volunteers in Thanh Hoa have undertaken many practical actions to learn from and follow Ho Chi Minh's ideology, ethics, and style. The focus has been on fostering camaraderie and mutual support among comrades; educating the younger generation about patriotic traditions; setting a good example and actively participating in the association's and local activities with the spirit of "Living happily, living healthily, and living for the sake of camaraderie"; and setting a bright example of following Uncle Ho's teachings in many areas. Typical examples include actively participating in building new rural areas and civilized urban areas through activities such as environmental sanitation, caring for flower-lined roads and green spaces; building irrigation systems to raise funds for charitable activities and support agricultural production; saving money in piggy banks; donating livestock, introducing and creating jobs for members' children; giving gifts to disadvantaged members; and participating in resolving issues related to benefits and policies for members...

Notably, the Association of Former Youth Volunteers has played a significant role as a historical witness, closely coordinating the resolution of policies for its members and officials. To date, over 50,000 former youth volunteers have received a one-time allowance (1.5 million or 2.5 million VND per person), over 1,000 have received regular allowances, thousands have received funeral expenses, nearly 100% of youth volunteers who participated before April 30, 1975, have health insurance, and the Association is continuing to request the Party and State to develop policies for former youth volunteers who participated in overcoming the consequences of war and building the new economy after April 30, 1975; 3,627 people have received war invalid benefits, 641 youth volunteers have been recognized as martyrs, 381 people have received benefits for dioxin exposure, and 6 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers are relatives of fallen youth volunteers.

Former Youth Volunteer Corps member Nguyen Van Thuan from Quang Binh commune shared: “After many years of losing our documents, I and many of my comrades received dedicated assistance from the association to complete the procedures and receive our one-time benefits, including health insurance cards for medical examinations. We deeply appreciate the kindness and care shown by the association for its members.”

Building the "Comradeship Fund" is one of the core activities of the former Youth Volunteer Corps (TNXP) organizations at all levels. As of early July 2025, the grassroots branches had built up over 95 billion VND in the fund, averaging 1.8 million VND per member. This money is deposited into savings accounts or lent to members for production and business development, contributing to poverty reduction. The interest is used to visit and assist members who are sick or in difficulty. In addition, the branches also participate in the piggy bank savings campaign initiated by the Women's Affairs Committee at all levels to help each other.

In implementing social welfare programs, the Provincial Association of Former Youth Volunteers actively mobilizes collective support and contributions from benefactors such as: the Bau Oi Fund, the Thien Tam Fund - Vingroup Group, the Charity Fund of the Vietnam Transport and Communications Trade Union, Thanh Hoa Electrical Construction Joint Stock Company, Tien Phong Newspaper, etc. Simultaneously, it encourages members to contribute to the fund for building houses of compassion. Over the past 20 years, the association at all levels has supported the construction of more than 1,000 houses of compassion, each costing between 30 and 60 million VND; repaired 200 houses, each worth between 5 and 25 million VND; and distributed 2,700 savings accounts, each worth between 2 and 5 million VND, along with thousands of gifts for lonely, sick, and disadvantaged former youth volunteers, families of war invalids and martyrs, and Vietnamese Heroic Mothers.

To preserve and promote the fine traditions of the Youth Volunteer Force, the association proactively coordinates and organizes many trips to revisit former battlefields; undertakes projects and tasks of the Youth Volunteer Force such as caring for cemeteries, memorials to martyrs, and revolutionary historical sites; and propagates and educates the younger generation about the glorious historical traditions of the Party, the army, and the Youth Volunteer Force. Through this, it entrusts opportunities and places confidence in the younger generation – those who will inherit the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

Building on its 20-year tradition, the Provincial Association of Former Youth Volunteers has been awarded the Third-Class Labor Medal, received two Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister, received the Excellent Emulation Flag from the Central Association for 20 consecutive years, and has received Certificates of Merit from the Central Association, the Provincial People's Committee, and the Fatherland Front at all levels for many consecutive years.

Text and photos: Le Ha

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/trach-nhiem-nghia-tinh-254855.htm