Students persevere in facing challenges and successfully establish careers

The festival is chaired by the Ministry of Education and Training, in coordination with the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the People's Committee of Can Tho City.

Also attending were: former Vice President, President of the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education Nguyen Thi Doan; Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son; Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung; Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat; First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Bui Quang Huy; leaders of central ministries, departments and branches; Can Tho City and provinces in the Mekong Delta region; associations, businesses and a large number of students from educational and training institutions nationwide.

Contribute to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland in the new period

The 6th “Students with Startup Ideas” Contest in 2024 was launched in August 2023, with 707 entries, of which 80 best projects entered the voting and final rounds. The projects of students from training institutions in this contest apply new technologies such as IOT, Big Data and AI. Many projects have been implemented and initially successful, some projects have made profits, with impressive revenue, profit and growth indicators.

The festival includes many activities such as: Displaying and introducing startup ideas of students; Forum connecting innovative startup networks of universities and colleges; Forum to inspire startups for students; Final round of the 6th “Students with Startup Ideas” Contest; Exchange activities, high-tech demonstrations between delegations attending the festival, etc.

After visiting the exhibition booths, introducing start-up ideas of students; speaking at the opening ceremony of the festival, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that start-ups and innovation are an important driving force and resource in the sustainable development of each country. To have start-ups and innovation, there must be innovative people; start-ups require passion, determination, perseverance and courage to overcome difficulties and challenges to achieve success.

Expressing his joy at clearly feeling the passion, aspiration, determination, perseverance and courage to start a business and contribute of students at the festival, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that with the viewpoint of "rich people, strong country", the spirit of entrepreneurship in the letter sent to Vietnamese industrialists and merchants on October 13, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh wrote: "A prosperous national economy means the businesses of industrialists and merchants are prosperous".

Imbued with his ideology, in recent years, the Party and the State have paid special attention to, and have issued and effectively implemented many policies and guidelines to support and encourage startups and innovation. On October 30, 2017, the Prime Minister approved the Project "Supporting students to start businesses by 2025" (Project 1665).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated: The National Startup Festival for Students, which has been held annually since 2018, has truly become an intellectual playground, a place to form valuable ideas and scientific research to promote the entrepreneurial aspirations of young people. This is also a favorable environment to support students in forming and realizing startup ideas and projects.

After 6 years of implementing Project 1665, up to now, 100% of universities, academies, colleges, and intermediate schools have plans to support students in starting a business. 90% of students have been educated and raised awareness, equipped with knowledge and skills about starting a business before graduation; attracted nearly 3,000 student start-up projects and over 4,000 start-up ideas and projects in the field of vocational education. There are 110 co-working spaces for start-ups in universities; more than 120 universities have made innovative start-ups a compulsory or elective subject; 10 training institutions have arranged funds to support student start-ups.

The Youth Union at all levels has organized more than 3,000 creative idea competitions, attracting nearly 370,000 young people to participate with nearly 14,000 startup ideas; supporting nearly 16,000 projects with a total budget of nearly 700 billion VND.

There has been a fundamental change in connecting startup support entities in the entire ecosystem; a Network of Innovation and Startup Center Connections of universities and colleges has been established.

The Prime Minister expressed his pride in having many Vietnamese students achieve high results in studying and doing scientific research at home and abroad and being recruited to work at large corporations and technology companies in the world such as Facebook, Space X, Google, Quora, etc.

“The entrepreneurial spirit, the entrepreneurial movement and the entrepreneurial results of students have been contributing to the cause of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland in the new revolutionary period – the Ho Chi Minh era,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

Recognizing, appreciating and praising the positive results of startups and innovation among Vietnamese students and youth in recent times, contributing to the overall success of the country, the Prime Minister also pointed out the limitations. That is, the startup ecosystem is still limited, lacking cohesion; there is still a gap compared to other countries in the region and the world. Startup support policies for students are still slow to be implemented; incubation and startup activities in higher education institutions have not gone into depth. The system of facilities and laboratories is not adequate; the team of consultants to support startups is still small...

Analyzing the context, situation, orientations and development goals of the country, the Prime Minister said that in order for start-up activities among students to develop dramatically and truly become a widespread movement across the country, there needs to be a drastic participation of the entire political system; the support of the people and businesses with specific, appropriate, practical and effective support mechanisms, policies and solutions in the short and long term.

Connect, invest, and facilitate the development of the startup ecosystem

The Prime Minister requested that in the coming time, the Ministry of Education and Training, together with all levels, sectors and localities, focus on implementing drastically, synchronously and effectively "1 promote; 2 strengthen; 3 connect; 4 concentrate; 5 encourage" in start-up activities.

In particular, it is necessary to promote the effective implementation of current policies; at the same time, promptly review, amend and supplement appropriate mechanisms and policies, creating a favorable environment, conditions and legal basis for young people, students and pupils to start businesses and innovate.

“Two enhancements” include: Strengthening the connection between universities and colleges with research centers with full modern equipment to help students research, create sample products, create connections between occupational groups through the support of staff, lecturers, and coordinators; strengthening the mobilization and effective use of resources to promote startups and innovation among students.

The “three connections” are: Connecting student startup support centers in universities and vocational training institutions with local startup centers, forming a national startup connection network; connecting localities with universities in ordering and assigning tasks to develop startup projects in the spirit of solving practical local problems; connecting startup education from high school to higher education into consistent content and programs.

The Prime Minister requested to implement “four focuses”. That is to focus on enhancing the spirit of innovation in the education sector, among the team of managers, staff, teachers, students; to focus on proposing, forming and developing centers to support innovative startups in higher education institutions and vocational training institutions. Along with that, to focus on proposing to build a trading floor for ideas and startup projects of students, students, and young people with businesses; to focus on completely resolving outstanding issues.

According to the Prime Minister, the “five incentives” include: Encouraging businesses, agencies and units to use products created from startup projects; encouraging businesses to coordinate and support educational institutions in implementing career counseling, employment and startup support. Next, encouraging businesses to build shared startup experience and innovation spaces; encouraging students, lecturers and lecturers to actively participate in startup activities and to promote the commercialization of research products. In addition, encouraging lecturers and youth union members to actively innovate, have new ways of thinking and doing things; participating in innovative startup activities and community support activities.

The Prime Minister requested the Youth Union to widely implement the “Youth Start-up” program, especially creative start-ups. The focus is on developing the start-up capacity of Vietnamese youth, participating in creating an environment to support young people to start businesses to develop the country on the basis of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy, knowledge economy, and sharing economy.

Along with that, the Youth Union continues to closely coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to effectively implement the coordination program, focusing on promoting the implementation of specific tasks to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship among young people, students, and pupils. In particular, promoting movements in learning foreign languages, learning information technology, protecting the environment, and combating climate change, because these movements bring both common benefits and specific benefits to each individual.

For higher education institutions, vocational education institutions, and general education institutions, the Prime Minister requested that organizations effectively implement issued mechanisms and policies; proactively allocate resources to promptly build and perfect the startup ecosystem; support staff and lecturers to register for exclusive patent ownership. Along with that, establish a science and technology development fund for higher education institutions and vocational education institutions; develop a startup and innovation network, a network of experts, advisors, consultants to support training courses, organizations to promote production and business, and a venture capital support fund; connect with the national startup and innovation network.

The Head of Government directs investment in the construction of standard laboratories; provides teachers, students and pupils with information on start-up support policies; proactively issues and advises on the issuance of mechanisms to coordinate with businesses to develop training programs, foster knowledge and skills on careers and jobs for students. Along with that, organize experiential activities, career guidance, and start-ups for students associated with specific content and programs through learning and experience right at businesses, factories and enterprises, ensuring that learning goes hand in hand with practice.

The Prime Minister suggested that students follow the shining example of previous generations; always be diligent, hardworking, try to study well, practice well; maintain faith, fulfill responsibilities to themselves, their families, the community, and society; live a life full of passion, ambition, aspiration to rise up, and the will to establish themselves and their careers.

Students should always carry within themselves the spirit of determination: "Nurture ideas; ignite passion; be determined, persevere; face challenges, accept risks, and build successful careers", contributing their efforts and intelligence to the cause of building a more civilized and prosperous homeland and country.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh believes that the passions, dreams, ambitions and aspirations of the youth will continue to be nurtured, take flight and become reality, so that our country will have truly diligent and talented owners who always live, study and work with all their heart, contributing to building the country to become increasingly powerful and prosperous; the Vietnamese people will become increasingly prosperous and happy; and soon realize the mission of bringing the nation to the stage of glory, standing shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the five continents, as beloved Uncle Ho always wished.