A seminar entitled “Volunteering for Peace and Development” took place on Monday in Hanoi as part of activities to mark the International Volunteer Day which falls on December 5^th.  Delegates to the event heard the UN report on international volunteer activities in 2011, a report reviewing the Vietnam’s Youth Union’s activities in this field over the past 10 years as well as research results of the impacts of volunteer activities on Vietnam’s Millennium Development Goals. They also discussed measures to expand volunteer activities in forms and scale with the aim to change the world for better while seeking solutions for better connections among volunteer groups and organizations around the world. UN Development Program country director Setsuko Yamazaki spoke about Vietnam’s volunteer campaigns over the past time: “Vietnam has its long history of volunteering and every year thousands of Vietnamese, particularly the youth, take part in activities in community including tree planting, road construction, repairing school buildings, tutoring children and other similar programs. And I know that many Vietnamese think it’s only natural to offer their support and help for their better community and this is an admirable transition which I am confident will continue to be an integral part of your own country’s culture. And I hoping that the volunteerism of Vietnam will transcend to becoming an even more effective tool in Vietnam’s pursuit for development.”