The Sino-Vietnam Youth Reading recently held at the auditorium of the Hanoi University of Culture was co-organized by the Vietnam-China Cultural Exchange Center of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam as well as the China Culture Center in Hanoi.

More than a hundred students from both countries participated in the event, where they shared what they had learned from reading and also discussed the legends of Sino-Vietnam friendship in history.

At the reading, Nong Jinyao, a student from the No 1 Primary School of Pingxiang city, Southwest China’s Guangxi province, led students of both countries to read stories about the friendship among former chairman Mao Zedong, former premier Zhou Enlai and former Vietnamese chairman Ho Chi Minh.

“When Chairman Ho Chi Minh was terribly sick, Premier Zhou gave special instructions that the best Chinese medical personnel be sent to Vietnam to care for him. In addition, Premier Zhou himself heard about the report on Chairman Ho Chi Minh’s condition and the plan for his treatment,” read Nong. The audience members immediately quieted down as they were deeply moved by the reading.

“Our direction determines our path, which then determines our destiny,” read Liu Sijin, a student from No 1 Middle School of Pingxiang city. It’s what President Xi Jinping said during his speech at the Vietnamese parliament on his 2015 state visit to the country.

“The water we drink is from the same river and we meet each other at both dawn and dusk.” Participants at the reading sang the song Vietnam and China together, which expressed their shared hope to deepen the friendship between the people in both countries.

The frequent cultural exchanges between China and Vietnam have left a deep impression on Pang Fujie, a student from No 1 Primary School of Pingxiang city. “When I was a second-grader, I performed with students from Vietnam at an event held at the square of Pingxiang North Train Station,” said Pang during an interview at the reading.

Student representatives from Dai Nam University also shared their feelings and thoughts about reading Chinese books. “By talking about their gains from reading in Chinese, students majoring in Chinese have greatly boosted their confidence in becoming cultural diplomats between the two nations,” said the vice-president of the university.

Chen Yihuang, an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, said the younger generation in both countries represents the future of the China-Vietnam friendship. By reading books eulogizing the long-standing friendship, young people will better cement the ties of friendship between the two nations.

“Both China and Vietnam have a tradition of celebrating reading. The China-Vietnam ties can be further advanced by having young people from both countries share what they’ve gained from reading,” said Peng Shituan, director of the China Culture Center in Hanoi.