Professor Hoang Chi Bao, a member of the Ho Chi Minh National Political Institute, said that an ideal life means young people are aware of poverty and underdevelopment, as well as aspirations to overcome them.

“During wartime, the ideal of national liberation to wrest back independence and freedom for the nation were the lofty goals of many people. Many generations of Vietnamese people sacrificed their lives to realise these goals,” said Prof. Bao. “During peacetime, we are coping with poverty and underdevelopment and young people must understand that they should feel ashamed if they do not overcome these challenges. Once they grasp this, they know what an ideal life means and how to pursue it.”

Prof. Bao said when the country is in danger, young people have more chances to show their will and strength toward the country. But it does not mean that only when the country is at war, should young people show their ideals. 

“The Party, State and people have made every effort to pull the country out of its underdeveloped status and keep up with other countries in the region and the world to turn Vietnam into an industrial nation in one or two decades’ time. This means young people now have numerous chances for development.”

Vu Duy Thang, a maths-informatics student from Hanoi Teachers’ Training College, said that leading a healthy lifestyle is a manifestation of ideal life among young people. He said young people today must know how to deal with sources of negative information from outside, absorb good things and look forward to a better life for all. According to Thang, young people must be optimistic about their future, even though more challenges are lying ahead.

Thang shared Prof. Bao’s view that young people’s task now is to lift Vietnam out of poverty and its underdeveloped status.    

Nguyen Thanh Van, a 12^th grader from Tran Phu High School in Hanoi, said that ideals are sometimes ordinary and simple things. She admitted that the view on the ideal life for the present-day young generation is a little different from former generations.

“We should not say that present-day young people’s lifestyles are not ideal if we only look at the way they dress or use make-up every day,” said Van.

According to the grader, it is not necessary for young people to have similar ideals in different periods of the revolution. During wartime, young people volunteered to march to the front and defend the nation. During peacetime, they pursue the ideal of making the nation more beautiful. Ideals are not something out of reach, but comprise ordinary and simple things. To do this, young people must have dreams and ambitions and know how to realise them.

“They should be devoted to their daily work so that one day they will not regret what they have done,“ said the 12^th grader.