The 2014 Youth Volunteer Year proved to be a success, with a series ofactivities held across Vietnam demonstrating the youth’s dynamism incampaigns for community interests.

Voluntary activities towardsthe country’s seas and islands were a highlight of the year and werewarmly received by youth nationwide, especially amidst China’s illegalplacement of an oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone andcontinental shelf from May to July of last year.

A programme runby the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union(HCYU) and the Naval High Command mobilised more than 2 billion VND(about 95,240 USD) in donations for residents and soldiers on the TruongSa (Spratly) archipelago.

Meanwhile, the Central Committee ofthe Vietnam Students’ Association built eight flag poles on islandsusing money donated by undergraduate students across the country. Italso called upon businesses to give lifebuoys and 900 national flags toresidents in Phu Quoc Island, offered free check-ups to Tho Chuislanders, and presented gifts to children on the islands.

Theyouth visited and encouraged residents and soldiers on the Truong Saarchipelago as well as the families of coast guard servicemen andfishery resource surveillance forces performing their duties at sea. Afund to support fishermen working around Hoang Sa (Paracel) was alsoestablished.

In 2014, youth participation fuelled progress on thenational new-style rural area building programme, a Government-launchedinitiative to improve and develop Vietnam’s rural areas since 2011.

Duringthe summer volunteer campaign, youth teams were sent to disadvantagedlocalities in the northwest, Central Highlands, and southwest regionswhere they worked together to build infrastructure facilities includingirrigation systems, roads, hygienic toilets, cultural centres, andplaying grounds.

Volunteers advised rural residents aboutprofitable production models, animal and crop farming techniques, andtechnology transfer while disseminating information on laws andencouraging the young to practice healthy cultural activities.

Alsoin 2014, a wide range of traffic safety-themed activities wereconducted by HCYU chapters to raise awareness of traffic safety models;the Hanoi chapter established 30 volunteer teams who assisted police inensuring traffic safety at congestion sites and accident hotbeds andalso organised traffic law and skill courses for local residents.

Suchefforts greatly contributed to the 4 percent decrease in the number offatalities and a 13.8 percent reduction in accidents in 2014.-VNA