Meaningful activities organised during the “Spring journey to the border – Tet of compassion” program

On the morning of January 27, the Vietnam Students’ Association of Dong Nai Province, the Provincial Youth Union, and the Provincial  Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Council, in coordination with the Party Committee, the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Committee, and the Youth Union of Dak O commune, organized the 2026 “Spring journey to the border - Tet of compassion” program.

Nguyen Tran Phuong Ha, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union and Vice President of the Vietnam Students’ Association of Dong Nai province, delivers a speech at the program. Photo: Nga Son

Attending the event were Phung Hiep Quoc, Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Commune Party Committee, and Chairman of the Commune People’s Council; and Nguyen Tran Phuong Ha, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union, Vice President of the Vietnam Students’ Association of Dong Nai province, and Chairwoman of the Provincial Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Council.

In her remarks at the program, Nguyen Tran Phuong Ha emphasized that the Vietnamese people have the traditions of “mutual support and compassion”, and “the intact leaves protect tattered ones”. Despite historical ups and downs, this tradition has been passed down through generations of Vietnamese, becoming especially evident each time Lunar New Year (Tet) approaches.

Nguyen Tran Phuong Ha, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union and Vice President of the Vietnam Students’ Association of Dong Nai province, together with representatives of benefactors, presents symbolic plaques of scholarships and gifts to representatives of the Dak O Commune Youth Union. Photo: Nga Son

Upholding this noble tradition, ahead of the 2026 Lunar New Year (the Year of the Fire Horse), the Vietnam Students’ Association of Dong Nai province, the Provincial Youth Union, and the Provincial Young Pioneer Council, in coordination with Dak O commune, organized the “Spring journey to the border – Tet of compassion” program. The initiative aims to bring a warm and meaningful Tet to children and disadvantaged residents in border areas, encourage them to overcome difficulties, comply with the Party’s guidelines and the State’s laws and policies, and contribute to socio-economic development while protecting national defense and security at the local level.

At the same time, the program aims to educate Youth Union members, association members, and students about national traditions and the cultural values of traditional Vietnamese Tet, thereby increasing awareness and fostering a sense of responsibility among the younger generation to firmly safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and border security.

Phung Hiep Quoc, Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Dak O Commune Party Committee, and Chairman of the Commune People’s Council, presents scholarships to students. Photo: Nga Son

Within the program's framework, the organizing committee awarded 20 scholarships to students who overcame difficulties to achieve good academic results, presented 50 gift packages to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and donated 60 sets of Young Pioneer ceremonial uniforms to primary schools in Dak O commune. The Party Committee, the VFF Committee, and the Youth Union of Dak O Commune also mobilized resources to present 50 gift packages to disadvantaged households in the border area.

Representatives of the Dong Nai Provincial Youth Union and leaders of Dak O commune present gifts to local households. Photo: Nga Son

Notably, during the program, Youth Union members, association members, and young people joined residents in making banh tet (cylindrical sticky rice cakes) for distribution to disadvantaged families as gifts. Free food stalls and traditional folk games were also organized for children and teenagers in the commune.

Youth Union members, association members, and students attend a flag-raising ceremony at Border Marker No. 62(2). Photo: Nga Son

*As part of the “Spring journey to the border – Tet of compassion,” Youth Union members, association members, and students visited and learned about the operations at the Dak O Border Guard Station, and took part in a flag-raising ceremony and sang the national anthem at Border Marker No. 62(2). The Provincial Youth Union and the Vietnamese Students’ Association of Dong Nai province also presented sports equipment to officers and soldiers of the Dak O Border Guard Station, and offered gifts to soldiers preparing for demobilization.

By Nga Son - Translated by Hong Van, Thu Ha