China study tour impresses Vietnamese youths

Project set to strengthen the friendship between the two countries

Vietnamese participants of the study tour pose on Friendship Gate in Pingxiang, which is located on the border between China and Vietnam, on May 21. (ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY)

It was a tearful farewell at Friendship Gate in Pingxiang, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, as 75 Vietnamese youth representatives hugged their Chinese counterparts and staff members of the receiving party. The visitors were set to return home after finishing a weeklong educational study tour of the region and the neighboring Guangdong province.

The group visited several of China's "Red tourism" sites — locations with historical and cultural significance for the Communist Party of China — in Guangxi, which borders Vietnam, and Guangdong.

Vietnamese participants experience livestreaming at the e-commerce base in Pingxiang on May 21. (ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY)

They also visited universities, an e-commerce livestreaming base and some cross-border scenic spots. They experienced the process of making Chinese traditional artworks of tie-dye, and shook hands with humanoid robots.

Starting in mid-May, the educational study tour was jointly organized by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

On April 15, President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam, jointly launched the "Red Study Tours" project in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

Participants of the study tour visit Vietnam Schools Museum on the Yucai Campus of Guangxi Normal University in Guilin city on May 19. (ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY)

As part of the project, youths from Vietnam will be invited to China from 2025 to 2027 to explore the revolutionary heritage that underpins the bilateral friendship and experience the dynamism of Chinese modernization at close quarters.

Nguyen Anh Thu, 18, said it was her first visit to China and she was deeply touched by the friendship between the two nations.

"I was impressed by both China's breathtaking natural views and its state-of-the-art technologies, and I gained fresh knowledge about Chinese culture and its modernization efforts. I hope the friendship between the two countries lasts for a long time and that I can become its messenger," she said.

Tran Van Nghia, 34, a manager with Phuong Linh Digital Technology Co in Vietnam, said he was very happy and honored to join the study tour. He hoped more Vietnamese youths get a chance to visit China in the future to see for themselves its development, especially in artificial intelligence technology.