After 15 days of the summer camp with lots of activities across 10 cities and provinces from the north to the central coast, 155 Vietnamese youths and students from 29 countries said goodbye to each other as they sang and danced to Vietnamese folk music.

Thomas Bui Hoang Thang, a young expat from Canada, said the summer camp left him with more knowledge about his homeland and the national solidarity in the struggle for independence and in building the country.

Nguyen Thi Minh Thao, a third-year medical student living in Russia, said the camp was fun, giving her many interesting things to learn about the homeland. She described them as meaningful and priceless gifts that she would take to Russia and present to her Vietnamese friends there.

Deputy head of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Luong Thanh Nghi said the Vietnamese students living overseas had unforgettable experiences in recent days as they visited a number of relics that have been an important part of the country’s history, such as ATK historic relic in Thai Nguyen, Sen Village in Nghe An where late President Ho Chi Minh was born, Dong Loc T-junction in Ha Tinh and Truong Son Martyrs’ Cemetery in Quang Tri.

They also met with local students and made good impressions among local people through voluntary and charity activities. They planted trees in Sen Village and mangrove forests in Cam Thanh, Quang Nam, and cleaned up My Khe beach in Da Nang.

They donated a total of 245 million VND to pay tribute to 14 Vietnamese heroic mothers and presented gifts to orphans and impoverished students.

Held annually by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs since 2004, the Vietnam Summer Camp has attracted close to 2,000 Vietnamese youth and students living in some 30 countries and territories to participate. –VNA