VietNamNet - The creativity and work of young people who contributed to the national socio-economy was spotlighted by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan on March 24 at the first ever Young Creation Festival.

Held in Ha Noi, the festival marks the 75-year anniversary of the founding of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and featured the awarding of prizes to 75 outstanding projects, innovations and products of significant importance in the field of education, scientific study and production.

The Deputy PM said he welcomed the initiative from the Youth Union to promote and honour the creative potential of young people.

The awards in part honoured the Union's foundation, but were also staged in celebration of the upcoming 10th National Party Congress, Khoan said.

Since the "Young Creation" movement which was launched by the Youth Union two years ago, thousands of projects and innovations have been created and benefited the country.

"The annual festival will not only encourage good inventions, but create a chance for young people to market their products to domestic and foreign enterprises," said deputy head of the festival's organisation board, Nguyen Hoang Hiep.

One of the winning projects was scientific study on improving techniques for growing coffee, cacao and pepper trees conducted by Nguyen Minh Chanh, an official from the Central Highlands Agro-forestry Scientific and Technology Institute.

"The Central Highlanders are very poor and have limited access to modern technology, so the project will help them to overcome some of their difficulties and improve their production capacity," Chanh said.

The Youth Union plans to establish a Young Creation Fund this year and work with Vietnam Television to launch a programme on the fund.

About 10,000 people attended the two-day festival.

(Source: VNA)