In the cool early morning in Binh Yen Village, Phuoc Ninh Commune in central Quang Nam Province, local villagers gather eagerly for the second “Chicken Market Day” for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Dispelling myths that modern young people are self-interested and indolent, many youth in Vietnam are taking action to study hard and better their communities.

“Despite being unlucky in life, they have been doing their utmost to gain victory over their destinies to become helpful citizens in society. They have performed miracles,” said Nguyen Van Chi, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Relief Association for Handicapped Children, at a ceremony to praise the disabled for overcoming their hardships.

Sixty-eight years have elapsed since French colonialists in Ho Chi Minh City’s Hoc Mon District shot the late Party General Secretary Ha Huy Tap to death.