Promoting Rights of Disadvantaged Children and Adolescents in Vietnam
	Children's Rights and Business Principles (CRBP) - Sustainable Commitment for Future of Children

Overcoming hardships to achieve prosperity

A Lung, a young H’Mong man born and raised in Tran Yen, Yen Bai, has long cherished the dream of showcasing the untouched beauty of his homeland, home to the majestic nine-tier waterfall, centuries-old shan tuyet tea forests, and the traditional H’Mong embroidery to both domestic and international visitors. Motivated by this aspiration, Lung shared his idea with a group of local youths, and together, they established a community-based ecotourism model that leverages the region’s natural landscape, culture, and people.

However, despite his determination, A Lung’s entrepreneurial journey was far from smooth. From the outset, his plan to build a path to the waterfall faced hesitation from local authorities due to concerns about cost, manpower, and environmental impact. A turning point came when Lung’s initiative was selected as one of 22 models supported by the project “Enhancing the capacity of associations, social organizations, and ethnic minority youth to actively engage in entrepreneurship and socio-economic decision-making in Yen Bai, Vietnam” (referred to as the EU/Participation Project), implemented by Save the Children in collaboration with local partners in Tran Yen and funded by the European Union.

Supported by Save the Children, A Lung and his peers formed the “Community tourism” initiative group in Kien Thanh commune, Tran Yen district, Yen Bai province.

With this support, Lung and his team began constructing a trail to the waterfall using natural materials such as bamboo and rattan, both cost-effective and harmonious with the mountainous landscape. Upon seeing the tangible results, local authorities shifted from reluctance to full support for the group’s project.

“The knowledge gained from the project’s training courses was truly valuable,” Lung shared. “Understanding how to operate a community-based ecotourism model helped me find the right direction. Without those classes, I’d still be struggling with concepts like capital management, market analysis, or identifying target customers. Now I believe I can bring the beauty of my hometown to people across the country.”

Thanks to the project’s support, Dinh Kieu Anh from Thinh An hamlet, Quy Mong commune, also boldly invested, learned, and innovated to successfully establish the Green Startup Cooperative for producing mien dao trang thai (a type of traditional glass noodles). Founded in October 2021 with an annual production capacity of 20,000 kilograms and a 500-square-meter workshop, the cooperative generated a revenue of VND 500 million from noodle sales between August 2022 and the Lunar New Year 2023. This remarkable result is a well-earned reward for the dedication of Kieu Anh and her fellow cooperative members.

With support from the project, Dinh Kieu Anh boldly invested, learned, and successfully established the Green Startup Cooperative to produce mien dao trang thai.

“Myself and everyone in the cooperative have changed significantly in knowledge, skills, and especially in courage, daring to act to build a local noodle brand,” Kieu Anh shared. “Thanks to the project’s support in capital, technical implementation, encouragement, and close companionship, we’ve had the courage to confidently pursue our dreams.”

Solving the capital and technical barriers to youth entrepreneurship

Access to capital and technical expertise has long been a major barrier for young people pursuing entrepreneurship. In Tran Yen district, thanks to the EU/Participation Project funded by the European Union since February 2020, these challenges have gradually been addressed. The project has selected and supported 18 youth-led startup initiatives and 4 social initiatives proposed by local youth. These initiatives span a wide range of sectors, including agriculture (medicinal velvet plant, cinnamon, black sticky rice), livestock (local black chicken, hill chicken, grass-fed goats, apple snails), services (agricultural machinery, tourism, electronic weighing bridge), and production (glass noodles, aluminum-glass workshops, tea bags, wood chipping, cinnamon wood furniture). These models have not only effectively utilized local resources but also created stable jobs, generating monthly incomes of VND 5-7 million for hundreds of young people in the area.

Tran Thi Van Nga, Secretary of the Tran Yen District Youth Union, shared: “We are constantly concerned with how to best accompany and support young people in their journey of personal and professional development. The timely and appropriate presence of the project has helped us solve the difficult problem of funding and technical support for youth. We sincerely hope that social organizations will continue to join hands in encouraging youth to take advantage of available resources, strive for economic growth, and harness the enthusiasm and creativity of the younger generation to contribute to the prosperity of their hometowns.”

In addition to the EU/Participation Project, Save the Children has implemented numerous projects supporting youth entrepreneurship in Vietnam, including: The Advancing Successful School-to-Work Transitions (ASST) program, the project “Promoting an Enabling Environment for Youth with Disabilities to Access Sustainable Employment Opportunities 2022–2024” funded by the Citi Foundation, the project “Supporting Youth and Children in Response to COVID-19 (2021–2024)” funded by the European Union and implemented in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the “Skills to Succeed” project funded by Accenture, and the Child-Centered Community Development Program in Lao Cai province.

Le Thi Thanh Huong, Country Director of Save the Children in Vietnam, stated: “Entrepreneurship offers young people the opportunity to assert themselves, contribute to their communities, and shape their own futures. Through projects like EU/Participation and Skills to Succeed, we have witnessed transformative changes in mindset, skills, and self-confidence among youth across many localities. We are confident that, with the support of local authorities, the collaboration of relevant agencies and social organizations, and the active participation of Youth Union members, the entrepreneurship support models established through our projects will continue to thrive and expand in the future.”

Empowering youth for sustainable development

In each project, Save the Children designs tailored interventions for specific youth groups, including youth with disabilities, ethnic minority youth in mountainous areas, migrant youth, and gender-diverse youth. While all projects center around youth, activities are flexibly adapted based on the characteristics of each target group, local context, needs, challenges, and access to support services. The organization has successfully implemented core skills training programs, including life skills for transition, vocational skills, green thinking, developmental thinking, and livelihood models suitable for each youth group.

Moreover, Save the Children continues to strengthen collaboration with international organizations and businesses to conduct market research and equip young people with the necessary skills to meet real-world demands and adapt to emerging trends. Core focus areas include lifelong learning, socio-emotional development, creative thinking, digital literacy, and green entrepreneurship. At the same time, the organization proactively works with businesses to design market-responsive training programs, connect local resources and services, and create favorable conditions for young people to grow in a comprehensive and sustainable manner.

All these efforts are aimed at realizing the goal of Save the Children’s Child Poverty program: to equip adolescents and youth, those most affected by inequality and discrimination, with the knowledge and skills (including digital competencies) to successfully and confidently transition into adulthood, both in life and in work.

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