(VOVworld) – The 2014 summer camp for overseas Vietnamese and Ho Chi Minh City’s youths opened in the city on Tuesday. Sixty participants including overseas Vietnamese youths from 10 countries and territories, are being divided into four sub-camps named after Vietnam’s islands.

Participants at the 2014 summer camp take a photo in front of the Monument in honor of President Ho Chi Minh (Photo: thanhnien.com.vn)

Ha Quoc Thien Vu, a Vietnamese living in the US, said: “this is the fourth time I’ve participated in such a summer camp. After each trip, I feel more proud of the homeland and hope that when I graduate, I will use the knowledge I gain from school to work for Vietnam.”

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hanh, Vice Chairwoman of Ho Chi Minh City’s Commission for Overseas Vietnamese, said through summer camps, overseas Vietnamese young people are provided with precise and updated information about Vietnam’s sea and islands and learn more about the fighting tradition of Vietnamese navy soldiers. Hanh said: “a summer camp can help overseas Vietnamese youths have a fun and meaningful vacation. The aim of this year’s event is to help them completely understand the issue of national maritime sovereignty and deepen their patriotism for the homeland.”

During the 4-day event, themed ‘My homeland’s blue sea’, delegates will visit Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria Vung Tau province, learn the art form of ‘Don ca tai tu’ or traditional improvisational chamber music of the southern region. They will also visit the pupils of Nguyen Dinh Chieu School for sight-impaired kids, Navy Brigade 171, and have an exchange with young people in Vung Tau city.