“We will return home and help build better lives for our villages,” said many of the young individuals honored at the 2024 Recognition Ceremony for Outstanding Ethnic Minority Students and Youth. These pledges are no longer just words - they are beginning to take shape.

At the 2024 ceremony, 125 outstanding students and youth from various ethnic minority groups across Vietnam were celebrated, including 12 individuals from particularly disadvantaged backgrounds.

Recognition as both pride and motivation

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At the 2024 Recognition Ceremony, 125 individuals were honored, including 12 from particularly disadvantaged ethnic groups.

One of the honorees, Mac Luong Ha Anh, an ethnic Thai, is now a freshman at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. She was among the 125 exemplary ethnic minority youth recognized in 2024.

Ha Anh recently participated in the “Understanding Ho Chi Minh's Diplomacy in the Digital Age” competition, organized by the academy’s Department of Political Theory. For the contest, she and her team chose to film at an interactive exhibition hosted by Nhan Dan newspaper, alongside visiting historic sites.

Just one year ago, during the 2024 recognition ceremony, Ha Anh - a student from the mountainous commune of Tuong Duong in Nghe An - was hesitant in front of crowds. Today, she exudes the confidence, poise, and maturity of a future diplomat.

“That moment of being honored among peers from across the country was not only a source of pride - it became a daily motivation for me to fulfill the promise I made: to return home and help build a more prosperous and beautiful village,” she shared.

Like Ha Anh, every one of the 125 honorees carried their own powerful stories of resilience, aspiration, and perseverance. The recognition ceremony instilled in them not only pride but also a profound sense of responsibility. These youth are continuing their journeys, showcasing the intelligence and determination of Vietnam’s ethnic minority generation in this new era.

Fueling the journey toward dreams

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The ceremony empowers ethnic minority youth to pursue their dreams. Illustrative photo.

Mac Luong Ha Anh is just one of thousands of ethnic minority students who have been shaped by the annual Recognition Ceremony for Outstanding Ethnic Minority Students and Youth. Organized by the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs (now the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs), in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (under the Vietnam Fatherland Front), the ceremony has become a milestone for many.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, this event plays a vital role in encouraging young members of ethnic minority groups. It inspires not only the honorees, but also future generations who now aspire to one day follow in their footsteps.

The recognition ceremony marks a meaningful moment in these young people’s educational journeys. It ignites their drive to strive even harder and become shining examples for their communities and the nation.

Over the course of 11 editions from 2013 to 2024, a total of 1,442 outstanding students and youth from Vietnam’s diverse ethnic groups and regions have been honored. Many of them come from especially disadvantaged ethnic groups, and the ceremony has served as an invaluable encouragement - helping to instill a love of learning and a spirit of determination among ethnic minority youth.

During the 2024 ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, speaking on behalf of the Party and State, affirmed that the honored students are a source of pride and joy for their families, teachers, ethnic groups, and society as a whole. He urged them to stay strong in spirit, to overcome future hardships, and to remember their responsibility to give back - especially to the places where they were born and raised.

In 2025, the ceremony will mark its 12th edition with greater scale and vision. The event is scheduled to take place in December in Hanoi, where around 150 outstanding ethnic minority students and youth will be recognized for their achievements.

Sy Hao