One day in mid-June, Bu Xang Hamlet in Thuan Loi Commune (Dong Nai City) was livelier than usual as members of the Former Youth Volunteers' Association and local residents gathered to celebrate the handover of a "Comradeship House" to former youth volunteers Nguyen Xuan Thanh (born in 1952) and his wife Pham Thi Hue (born in 1958), who had been living in difficult housing conditions.
After learning of the couple's circumstances and wishes, the Former Youth Volunteers' Association of Dong Nai City mobilised resources to build them a new home. The 50-square-metre house was constructed at a total cost of 200 million VND. Deeply moved by the gift, Thanh said: "Our new home has helped stabilise our family's life, eased the burden of old age, and given us renewed motivation to continue participating in the association's activities."
In Ha Tinh Province, from the beginning of July, Youth Union organisations and the provincial Viet Nam Youth Federation organised more than 60 traditional education sessions under the themes of "Paying Tribute to Those Who Served the Nation" and "When Drinking Water, Remember Its Source", alongside social welfare programmes and gatherings with former youth volunteers. More than 70 "return-to-the-roots" journeys and over 60 volunteer campaigns to renovate martyrs' memorial sites were also organised.
Young people in Ha Tinh presented more than 350 gift packages worth over 200 million VND; supported livelihood models for disadvantaged former youth volunteer families; organised 35 free medical examination and medicine distribution programmes benefiting more than 1,000 former youth volunteers, policy beneficiary families, and people with meritorious service; prepared 76 "Meals of Gratitude" for elderly former youth volunteers living alone; and helped repair and renovate homes for many families.
Vu Trong Kim, President of the Viet Nam Former Youth Volunteers' Association, said that thanks to the Party and State's attention to former youth volunteers, together with support from organisations, businesses, benefactors, and the wider community, comradeship activities have expanded steadily over recent years.
Associations at all levels have continued to strengthen and expand their organisations, making comradeship work their central task. The principle of "Wherever there are former youth volunteers, there is an association; wherever there is an association, there are comradeship activities" has been translated into practical support, ranging from improving members' living conditions and providing housing assistance, healthcare, and visits during times of hardship to helping one another develop their livelihoods.
As of May, nearly 400,000 members were participating in associations across 2,515 communes and wards nationwide. The expanding network has enabled member support activities to reach communities from urban centres to remote and mountainous areas. In the first six months of this year alone, the central association mobilised resources to provide 2,900 gift packages worth approximately 1.7 billion VND to poor members and elderly female former youth volunteers living alone without family support.
Provincial and municipal associations distributed more than 56,000 gift packages worth over 34 billion VND and presented 36 savings books, thousands of kilograms of rice, and many other essential items to members facing difficult circumstances. Many localities have also maintained community initiatives such as "Saving Piggy Banks", "Compassion Piggy Banks", and "Meals of Gratitude".
Alongside immediate support, improving housing conditions for former youth volunteers has remained a priority. In response to the nationwide campaign to eliminate temporary and dilapidated housing, associations at all levels mobilised resources to build 56 new houses and repair 12 others for members during the first half of 2026, with total funding approaching 4 billion VND.
During the 2019–2026 term, the associations helped to build 1,107 solidarity houses and repair 509 homes for disadvantaged members. The nationwide Comradeship Fund has mobilised nearly 236 billion VND, providing resources for a wide range of social welfare activities.
Many associations have identified support for members' economic development as a sustainable way to improve their quality of life. As a result, the movement entitled "Former Youth Volunteers Excelling in Economic Development for the Sake of Comradeship" has spread widely, leading to the establishment of nearly 1,300 effective production and business models in crop cultivation, livestock farming, agricultural processing, services, and handicrafts. Many former youth volunteers have not only escaped poverty and achieved stable livelihoods but have also created jobs for the children of former youth volunteers and local residents.
In addition to material assistance, former youth volunteer associations have worked closely with Youth Union organisations, Veterans' Associations, and other organisations in recent years to visit and encourage members during illness or hardship, as well as to organise gatherings on national holidays and traditional anniversaries.
According to Vu Trong Kim, more than 500 association members currently live alone without family support, many of them in their seventies or eighties. Therefore, alongside material assistance, greater attention to members' spiritual well-being has become an urgent requirement. In response, associations at all levels have continued to maintain regular visits and emotional support, helping members feel less isolated while bringing them greater encouragement and joy in their daily lives.
