Topics discussed at the congress include: City Youth Start-ups, Career Establishment, Innovation; City Youth Implement the "Green Environment - Green Lifestyle" Program; Pride in the History of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union and the "I Love My Fatherland" Movement; Accompanying Disadvantaged Youth and Improving the Capacity to Organize Volunteer Activities.

Patriotism in every person

Doctor Do Pham Nguyet Thanh (Military Hospital 175) said that each person will have their own way of loving their country, but it is not necessary to go abroad to introduce the country to international friends. According to Ms. Thanh, each post on social networking sites can be a way for each young person to introduce the image and culture of the country to the world. But to express that love for the country, according to Ms. Thanh, one must be healthy first because "only when healthy can one protect and build the Fatherland".

Sharing her feelings from the recent trip to overcome the consequences of storm No. 3 Yagi in the North, singer Phuong My Chi admitted that she overcame her worries and realized that the lesson of courage is something that every young person needs to have. "I spread the love of national culture to the younger generation through each of my musical works. Patriotism is always in everyone and every young person should act and share with their compatriots" - singer Phuong My Chi said.

Opinions are unanimous that one should not think too big, as long as each person completes his or her daily work well from his or her position, he or she is contributing to the development of the city and the country and is showing patriotism in his or her own way. As swimmer Anh Vien said when she first entered the competition, she only won a silver medal, so she was determined to win a gold medal to "force" friends from other countries to listen to the national anthem and salute the Vietnamese flag.

"Coming back, I not only "made" the athletes of other countries salute the Vietnamese flag once but three times like that when I stepped up to the podium to receive the highest medal" - Anh Vien shared.

Aspiration to contribute, commit Spirit

This spirit was shared at the forum on startups, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Mr. Truong Minh Dat - co-founder and CEO of BenKon Joint Stock Company - said that he started his business based on the motivation that "young people must commit themselves and also have the opportunity to contribute to the development of the country". The startup process has many difficulties, so Mr. Dat believes that the Association needs to support young people to equip themselves with skills and professional knowledge during the startup process.

Ms. Tran Phuong Ngoc Thao - Vice President of the City Young Entrepreneurs Association - believes that young people must think about reaching out to the world. "The story of sustainable business development is a new trend that young people starting a business must grasp. The City Young Entrepreneurs Association will have activities for those interested in investing in sustainable development" - Ms. Thao said.

Meanwhile, discussing the implementation of the "Green Environment - Green Lifestyle" program, Ms. Truong Thanh Thuy (project director of PRO Vietnam) shared the figure of about 64,000 tons of waste that PRO Vietnam has collected and recycled. Among them, there are valuable packaging groups but also low-value groups whose recycling processes have problems.

Ms. Ngo Nguyen Ngoc Thanh - Deputy Head of the Department of Environmental Protection (Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City) - said that the concept of young people playing an important role in sustainable development is becoming increasingly popular today. "Vietnam has committed to implementing the United Nations' sustainable development goals. That is not only a measure but also a direction for each country, city and individual to form an environmentally friendly lifestyle" - Ms. Thanh said.

Therefore, every young person needs to equip themselves with knowledge about environmental protection and climate change response. Critical thinking is needed to perceive environmental issues correctly and not be too pessimistic. At the same time, we must act not only to protect the environment in daily life but also to promote the pioneering role of young people, apply the strengths of social networks to propagate, perform the role of monitoring environmental protection work, and reflect on incorrect behaviors so that the authorities can promptly resolve them.