A take-away coffee shop in Ha Noi. The capital's Youth Union is advised to launch a national business start-up programme for young people aimed at creating new-styled co-operatives and high-tech enterprises, Nguyen Thien Nhan, President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee says yesterday.— Photo tuoitre.vn

Nguyen Thien Nhan, a member of the Politburo and President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee, raised the opinion in a conference held by the Viet Nam Youth Union on Wednesday.

The conference aimed to collect opinions of young people nationwide for the coming 12th Party Congress.

Speaking at the conference, Nhan said, "This was a chance for young people to contribute to the country's development drive."

The Forum posed the question, what should young people do to contribute to the country's development in the next five years?

"At present, the country has 500,000 businesses. So what should young people do to increase the number to 1 million in the next 5 or 10 years?" he said.

"The Youth Union should launch projects to form enterprises and establish new-styled co-operatives in localities for agricultural development," he added.

Contributing opinions to young people-related activities, Standing Secretary of the Youth Union Nguyen Manh Dung proposed that the Party and State should create favourable conditions for young people so as they could further contribute to the country's development.

Meanwhile, Mai Huu Tin, president of the Young Businessmen's Association, said it was necessary to have policies that support the private economic sector because the sector fuels economic development.

"Our young businessmen always compare themselves to other countries' businessmen. We are lagging behind them in terms of capital, management skills and information technology," Tin told the conference.

"To stay determined, we need a belief, to be protected, to create favourable conditions and a business environment for small- and medium-scaled businesses," he said.

Preferential policies together with a transparent business environment were good conditions for private business development, which is a catalyst stimulating young people to start their own businesses and get rich, he said.

Nguyen Ngoc Ho, deputy head of the HCM City's Industry and Commerce Department, said so far there was lack of models mobilising farmers to establish co-operatives.

According to Ho, it was necessary to form new-styled co-operatives applying hi-tech in production to get a breakthrough in the agriculture sector.

He suggested that the Youth Union should form a special task force to set up new-styled co-operatives in localities.

Prof. Dr. Phan Thanh Son Nam from the National University of HCM City, said the State should focus on fostering young human resources in universities.

At present, many talented young people had to quit their scientific research career due salary policies which undermined their dedication, Nam said.

Agreeing with Nam's opinion, Vu Mao, the union's former first secretary, stressed the importance of developing human resources.

"Training human resources was training a young work force with high qualifications for economic development," he told the conference. — VNS