A representative of the organizers present ran scarves to Malaysian youth volunteers participating in the Green Summer Volunteer Campaign in Trung My Tay Ward. Photo: Trung Tuyen/VNA  

A welcome ceremony for international volunteers was held on July 22 at the District 12 Vocational Education and Continuing Education Centre in Trung My Tay ward.

This year’s international volunteer teams include 48 Malaysian students and 45 students from Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos who are studying at universities across Ho Chi Minh City.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Duyen, Secretary of the Trung My Tay ward Party Committee and Chairwoman of the ward People’s Council, said that after more than three decades, the campaign has become a symbol of the locality’s youth, providing young people with opportunities to contribute to society and spread positive values.

She said the participation of international students not only supports community projects but also helps strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between young Vietnamese people and those of countries.

Since 2012, Malaysia’s Yayasan Sukarelawan Siswa (YSS) has sent more than 400 students to participate in volunteer programmes in Ho Chi Minh City. This year, 48 Malaysian students are joining the campaign, with 15 assigned to Trung My Tay ward.

Over nearly a month, the Malaysian volunteers will work alongside students from the University of Economics and Law and International University under Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, as well as local youth union members.

Their activities include providing free English and computer classes for children, organising summer programmes, visiting and presenting gifts to families of social policy beneficiaries, planting trees, painting murals and installing playground equipment. They will also help build a medicinal herb garden at the local health station, repair a house for a policy beneficiary family and carry out improvement projects at Tran Quang Co Primary School.

The volunteers will also take part in cultural and sports exchanges, culinary activities and ASEAN Day, helping deepen connections between Vietnamese and Malaysian youth.

Malaysian student Nur Dania Umairah Binti Joha said the volunteers hoped to work with local authorities, residents and young people to serve the community while strengthening friendship between Malaysia and Vietnam.

She said the theme “Volunteerism for Unity” reflects the idea that volunteering is not only about giving time and effort but also about building bridges of understanding, compassion and solidarity across boundaries.

According to the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s municipal chapter, the 93 international students will participate in volunteer activities across the city from July 22 to August 14. The Malaysian volunteers will be deployed to Kim Long commune and Phu Loi and Trung My Tay wards, while 15 Indonesian students will work in Bau Lam commune. Another 30 students from Cambodia and Laos will join volunteer teams across the city./.