How Xi encourages youth to promote China-Vietnam friendship as 'frontrunners'

BEIJING -- During Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Vietnam in 2023, then Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong arranged a special meeting in Hanoi for the Chinese leader. The event brought together young Chinese and Vietnamese representatives, as well as individuals who had contributed to building the friendship between the two countries.

Xi encouraged the attendees, particularly young people, to "take the lead" in promoting bilateral friendship as "frontrunners." It was during this occasion that Le Nguyet Quynh, a Vietnamese student, met Xi for the first time.

Quynh is now a 19-year-old freshman majoring in economics at Tsinghua University, Xi's alma mater. She described her impression of Xi: "He is kind, tall and dignified."

Representing Vietnamese youth, Quynh gave a speech in front of Xi at the event. A picture of that moment has now become the cover image of her profile on WeChat, China's most popular all-in-one messaging app.

"Every time a classmate added me on WeChat and saw that I had met Xi Dada, they were all curious about how it happened," Quynh said. The affectionate term Dada refers to uncle in Chinese dialects, and was given to Xi by Chinese netizens. "It was a marvelous experience, indeed," she said.

Quynh, whose hometown is Vietnam's Nghe An province, the birthplace of Ho Chi Minh, started learning Chinese in junior high. After stumbling upon a video report of Xi's visit to his alma mater, she set her sights on attending Tsinghua University, her dream school.

Like Quynh, many Vietnamese students have chosen to pursue higher education in China. Around 20,000 Vietnamese students studied in China during the 2023-2024 academic year. The number of Chinese students in Vietnam is also on the rise.

Xi's belief that amity between nations lies in the affinity between their peoples really strikes a chord with Quynh. "No matter where you go, if people from two countries can get along well, they'll naturally start sharing elements of their own cultures with each other," she said. "And that's how friendships grow and last."

"And when it comes to maintaining the friendship between our two nations," Quynh said, "it's indeed us the youth who should carry that responsibility forward."