These 100 youths created jobs for nearly 1,400 regular farming workers and tens of thousands of seasonal labourers, said Secretary of the League Nguyen Hoang Hiep at a press briefing in Hanoi on December 22.

They include 19 from ethnic minority communities, 81 farmers, 3 cadres involved in agricultural encouragement and technological transfer, and 2 with agricultural inventions. Seven of them earn more than VND1 billion annually, he said.

The annual Luong Dinh Cua Awards are for rural young people who excel in production, business, technical transfer, environmental protection, and building new rural areas, as well as those who make active contributions to activities of the Youth League in localities.

The 2010 awards will be granted for more fields than last year, said Mr Hiep.

The awards ceremony, scheduled for December 25 at the Hanoi Opera House, will be broadcast live on the national television channel VTV1 from 10.00 to 11.00.