Ho Chi Minh City youth launch 'Digital Summer'

This year, a new image has emerged alongside traditional tasks: young people assisting citizens with smartphone operations, guiding them on the use of digital citizen applications, filling out online forms, or accessing electronic administrative services.

(Photo from left to right) Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union Ngo Minh Hai; Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dang Minh Thong; Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong; Director of the Department of Science and Technology Lam Dinh Thang attending the summer volunteer campaign launch ceremony - Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union

Besides the familiar campaigns that have become trademarks of Ho Chi Minh City's youth, this year marks a new turning point for the youth volunteer movement with the appearance of the "Digital Summer" team - a volunteer force supporting people in accessing technology, online public services, and digital skills.

On the morning of May 31st, at Van Lang Park (An Dong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, formerly District 5), more than 5,000 youth union members officially launched the 2026 summer volunteer program at the opening ceremony for summer volunteer programs and campaigns organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, the Vietnam Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh City, and the Vietnam Student Union of Ho Chi Minh City.

A desire to serve, to be a pioneer in challenging tasks.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dang Minh Thong emphasized that 2026 marks a new phase of development for the city with very high demands on governance innovation, digital transformation, and international integration. According to him, the city's youth need to continue to play a pioneering role in this journey.

Besides social welfare activities, caring for children, protecting the environment, building new rural areas, modern rural areas, and civilized urban areas, volunteer teams have gradually become more deeply involved in new tasks such as supporting the digital transformation of communities, guiding people to access online public services, improving digital skills, contributing to building digital citizens, a digital society, and a digital community, and pioneering in solving difficult problems and bottlenecks in the city's development process.

According to Mr. Thong, the actions of the volunteer soldiers today are proof of the pioneering and creative spirit of Ho Chi Minh City's youth in accompanying the government and the people. Not only limited to social welfare activities, this year's summer volunteer program is also closely linked to the city's development tasks.

Exciting launch ceremony for the 2026 summer volunteer programs and campaigns - Photo: LE HUY

The "Digital Summer" teams will be deployed in various localities, supporting citizens in using the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Citizen application, guiding them in accessing online public services, assisting with data digitization, popularizing digital skills, and raising awareness of information security in cyberspace. Simultaneously, traditional campaigns will continue to implement many specific projects and tasks.

Accordingly, the Green Summer campaign will focus on building new rural areas, protecting the environment, and implementing youth projects in remote areas. The Pink Holiday campaign will leverage the expertise of young officials and civil servants in activities supporting people and businesses. And the Red Phoenix Flower campaign will create a training environment for high school students through community service activities...

Immediately after the send-off ceremony, the volunteer soldiers got to work. From organizing summer playgrounds for children, building public works, assisting people with administrative procedures, to guiding them in the use of digital technology , all shared a common spirit: bringing the energy of youth to where it is most needed.

Young people today should not only volunteer in building bridges and houses, but also open up digital spaces, enhance people's digital capabilities, help people access technology, and adapt to the digital administration, digital economy , and digital society.

Mr. DANG MINH THONG (Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee)

Young people join hands to build a digital society.

Elderly people receive guidance and support at the "Digital Party Member" station of the "Digital Touchpoint" association, which is also the first activity of this year's "Digital Summer" following the launch ceremony of the summer volunteer campaigns on May 31st - Photo: LE HUY

This year, the launching ceremony takes place in the context of Ho Chi Minh City, along with the rest of the country, entering a new phase after the reorganization of administrative units and the implementation of a two-tiered local government model. This is also the year the city is looking forward to many important milestones such as the 115th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's departure to seek a path to national salvation and the 50th anniversary of Saigon - Gia Dinh officially being honored with the name of President Ho Chi Minh.

According to Ngo Minh Hai, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, volunteering is not just a movement but has become a beautiful tradition of the city's youth for more than three decades. From literacy classes during the 1994 Summer Cultural Enlightenment Campaign to youth projects in remote areas, volunteer programs have become an environment for young people to train, grow, and contribute.

"What makes the volunteer movement valuable is not just the projects built or the tasks completed, but also the spirit of sharing and responsibility towards the community that is nurtured in each young person," Hai said.

While previously the familiar image of volunteer soldiers was building bridges, roads, renovating schools, or organizing summer activities for children, this year a new image has emerged alongside these traditional tasks: young people assisting citizens with smartphone operations, guiding them on the use of digital citizen applications, filling out online forms, or accessing electronic administrative services.

That is the mission of the "Digital Summer" team, the highlight of the 2026 summer volunteer program.

Immediately after the launching ceremony, hundreds of volunteer soldiers participated in the "Digital Touchpoint 2026" event with various experiential spaces such as: Digital Citizenship, Digital Party Membership, Digital Economy and Small Business, Basic Digital Skills...

At the "Digital Party Member" area, volunteers guide elderly party members on using the Party Member Handbook application and carrying out Party administrative procedures in the digital environment...

Month of Action for Children: "Enjoy Summer in Ho Chi Minh City"

At the launching ceremony, in addition to youth projects, social welfare activities, and childcare, the organizers also awarded 60 scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, kicking off a series of activities in response to the Month of Action for Children "Enjoying Summer in Ho Chi Minh City".

Previously, in the wards, communes, and special zones of Ho Chi Minh City, summer opening programs were also organized to care for and bring the best things to the young people of the city.

KIM ANH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuoi-tre-tp-hcm-khoi-dong-mua-he-so-20260601081825843.htm