The General Secretary outlined three requirements for continuing to nurture and develop the younger generation of ethnic minorities.

Strongly inspire the aspiration for self-improvement among ethnic minority communities.

Reporting on the academic performance of outstanding and exemplary ethnic minority students and youth, and the organization of the 2025 Commendation Ceremony, Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religion Dao Ngoc Dung stated that Resolution 71 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development, the directives of the General Secretary at the opening ceremony of the 2025-2026 school year, along with policies on tuition fee exemption, reduction, and support, and policies supporting lunch for students in border communes, have brought great encouragement and a joyful atmosphere to the people and the younger generation.

"These policies and guidelines have been building trust and strongly inspiring aspirations for advancement among ethnic minority communities, especially the younger generation," the Minister said.

The Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions has been closely coordinating with ministries, sectors, and localities, focusing on implementing many practical tasks and solutions; with particular emphasis on training, fostering, and developing human resources for ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

The Ministry organizes the Ceremony to Honor Outstanding and Exemplary Ethnic Minority Students and Young People to recognize and commend their outstanding efforts and achievements in their studies, training, and contributions.

To date, the organizing committee has selected 150 outstanding individuals representing 53 ethnic minority groups from 30 provinces and cities nationwide. The Minister hopes that these young people will continue to strive and excel in the future.

We are always concerned about how to develop the existing strengths of the locality.

Em Thi Lai (a S'tieng woman from Dong Nai province) - the girl who won two national medals and a gold medal at the 2025 World Vovinam Championship - shared: "For me, these achievements are not just for myself, but for my locality and my ethnic group."

"The encouragement from the General Secretary today is a source of motivation for people like me to have more confidence on the path we have chosen," Thi Lai said, adding that the attention of the Party and State leaders has created favorable conditions for her development as well as for the younger generation. Thi Lai promised to continue striving even harder to bring more achievements to national sports.

Y Xim Ndu (a M'nong ethnic minority from Dak Lak province) shared that as a young man from an ethnic minority group, witnessing the many difficulties faced by his people, he has always been concerned about how to leverage the existing strengths of his locality, develop the economy while preserving and promoting the ethnic cultural identity.

"How can we keep young people connected to their mountainous homeland and villages when more and more young people are leaving their villages to find work in the southern provinces?" Y Xim Ndu pondered.

Based on these thoughts, after years of accumulating experience studying and working in several regions with developed tourism such as Sa Pa and Da Lat, Y Xim Ndu decided to return to his hometown and, together with local youth, develop experiential tourism programs focusing on agriculture, outdoor activities in the forest, and cultural exchange to learn about the unique traditional culture of the locality.

These activities create jobs and stable livelihoods for many young people and local residents, gradually developing existing strengths, enhancing the value of local agricultural production, and preserving and promoting ethnic culture to a wider audience.

“Attending the Commendation Ceremony and meeting with Party and State leaders is a source of pride, motivation, and timely encouragement for me to continue learning, expanding, and developing community tourism and sustainable green tourism projects in the locality,” said Y Xim Ndu.

Lo Thi Bay (of the O Du ethnic group, from Nghe An province) shared that, having been born and raised in the mountainous western region of Nghe An, witnessing the difficulties of her people, she has strived even harder in her studies with the hope of returning to contribute to building her village and homeland in the future.

In the 2025 high school graduation exam, I scored 27 points in the C00 subject combination and was admitted to the Early Childhood Education major at Hanoi Pedagogical University 2.

“I want to send a message to the O Du children: As long as we keep trying, no matter where we start, we can still reach our dreams. Believe that if others can do it, we can do it too,” said Lo Thi Bay.

The female students also expressed their gratitude to all levels and sectors for their continuous attention to the cause of ethnic education, especially the education of ethnic minorities; creating conditions for them to study, develop, and affirm themselves.

Organizing such a commendation ceremony is very meaningful and timely.

Speaking at the meeting, General Secretary To Lam expressed his great pleasure in meeting the young people – exemplary individuals representing the intellect, knowledge, and aspirations of ethnic minority youth across the country. The General Secretary assessed the organization of this commendation ceremony as very meaningful and timely.

"Seeing the children radiant in their traditional costumes, reflecting the rich cultural identity of each ethnic group, and witnessing their growth, I am deeply moved and proud. I sense their spirit of overcoming difficulties. They have faced countless challenges, from family life and circumstances to their living and learning environments, yet they have overcome them, even surpassing many peers with more favorable conditions," the General Secretary noted.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, General Secretary To Lam extended warm greetings, heartfelt affection, and heartfelt congratulations on the students' academic achievements and progress.

The General Secretary stated that the history of the Vietnamese revolution will always remember the great, enduring contributions and sacrifices of ethnic minority people.

According to the General Secretary, in recent years, under the leadership of the Party, ethnic affairs have achieved many important and comprehensive results in many fields. In particular, the education and training sector in ethnic minority areas has made significant progress.

“The school system, especially ethnic minority boarding and semi-boarding schools, continues to be strengthened; policies on tuition fee exemptions and reductions, scholarships, and student recruitment; and credit policies for students are being implemented more and more. A class of young ethnic minority intellectuals is gradually forming and developing; affirming their role in the political system, in state management, science and technology, and in socio-economic development,” the General Secretary said.

General Secretary To Lam emphasized that the achievements of the students being honored today are a vivid result of those efforts. “These students not only excel in their studies and win high awards in national and international competitions, but they also actively hone their foreign language and digital technology skills, participate in community activities, and contribute to local economic development… Today’s recognition is not just about academic excellence and high achievements, but also highly values ​​their social and community activities. Many of them are shining examples of responsibility towards their families, villages, hometowns, and nation… I greatly admire their spirit of overcoming difficulties. Despite very challenging environments, conditions, and circumstances, they have shown great confidence in achieving such admirable results,” the General Secretary said.

According to the General Secretary, the achievements of the students honored today also prove and convincingly demonstrate a truth that: "Circumstances may differ, but knowledge, awareness, and aspiration can always open the path to a bright future."

The Party and State leaders are very proud and confident that from villages, hamlets, and communities, more and more intellectuals, officials, entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, athletes... from ethnic minorities will emerge, contributing to building and protecting the country and homeland, making it increasingly prosperous and developed.

To continue nurturing the younger generation of ethnic minorities in the new era of development, the General Secretary emphasized three requirements for ministries, departments, and governments.

The Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions needs to take the lead in reviewing and improving policies for ethnic minority students, building a mechanism for monitoring, connecting, and providing long-term support to those who are commended, and replicating successful models.

The Ministry of Education and Training continues to consider the education and training of ethnic minorities as a key task, focusing on identifying and nurturing gifted students, investing in boarding and semi-boarding school systems, and caring for the teaching staff.

The General Secretary also instructed the Ministry of Education and Training to take the lead in coordinating with relevant ministries, sectors, and agencies to develop a plan for training and creating a pool of ethnic minority cadres from outstanding students.

"This is very important. The immediate priority is to study and select scholarships for overseas training for those who have been commended," the General Secretary said, adding that it is necessary to create the most favorable conditions for them to continue striving for greater heights.

General Secretary To Lam also requested that localities create favorable conditions for the development of ethnic minority youth.

Emphasizing that the country is entering a new era, the General Secretary expressed his hope that the students will continue to nurture their aspirations for learning, constantly improve their knowledge and skills; master science and technology, embrace digital transformation, cultivate discipline, and develop innovative thinking. Along with that, they should live with ideals, ambitions, and a sense of responsibility towards their families, hometowns, communities, and the country; be proud of their national traditions and identity, avoid feelings of inferiority or self-doubt; and dare to go far but always keep their homeland and country in mind.

Earlier, Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religion Dao Ngoc Dung also emphasized that in recent times, the Party and State have paid great attention to ethnic minority communities. The Minister hoped that the younger generation, especially ethnic minority children, would steadfastly move forward and accelerate on the path of development, worthy of the trust and advice of the General Secretary.