The Vietnam National Union of Students (VNUS) Central Committee held a ceremony in Hanoi on January 5 to celebrate its 70th traditional day (January 9).

Politburo member and head of the Party Central Committee’s Information
and Communications Commission Vo Van Thuong (front, right) presents
the first-class Independence Order to the Vietnam National Union
of Students on January 5 (Photo: VNA)

At the event, Politburo member and head of the Party Central Committee’s Information and Communications Commission Vo Van Thuong bestowed the first-class Independence Order upon the union, the second time the VNUS has received the honour.

Recalling the milestones in the VNUS’s history, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and VNUS President Bui Quang Huy said that on January 9, 1950, the National Salvation Youth Union and the Saigon – Cho Lon Union of Students organised a march involving over 2,000 students, along with teachers and 7,000 residents in Saigon, urging security for students, freedom for those detained and the reopening of schools.

The march was suppressed barbarously, provoking hatred and determination to fight the French colonialists and their henchmen.

In recognition of the Saigon students’ braveness, the first national congress of the Vietnam National Youth League, the predecessor to the Vietnam Youth Federation, in February 1950 chose January 9 as the traditional day of students. The VNUS’s fifth national congress in 1993 also chose the date as the organisation’s traditional day.

Over the last 70 years, the VNUS has created many milestones in the Party and the nation’s glorious history. Its units have been established at 285 universities, academies and colleges nationwide, and 10 others have been set up overseas.

Students have become an important revolutionary force making effective contributions in various fields, Huy said.

Thanks to its achievements, the VNUS has been granted many noble awards by the Party and State, including the first-class Independence Order, the Ho Chi Minh Order and the Gold Star Order.

Also at the ceremony, 10 collectives with outstanding achievements were awarded the Prime Minister’s merit certificates. The “Sao thang Gieng” (January’s Star) award was also presented to honour 100 excellent cadres of the VNUS.