Ten youth representatives from Vietnam visited the site of the historic Zunyi Meeting in Southwest China's Guizhou province on Friday, marking the first stop of the 2025 China-Vietnam Youth Exchange program.

The key meeting of the leaders of the Communist Party of China held in Zunyi in 1935 proved to be a turning point in the history of China and the CPC.

The four-day exchange program, held under the theme "Youth Uniting for the Future", was jointly organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee and China Daily. It brought together Chinese and Vietnamese youth delegates, along with Vietnamese experts, for site visits, discussions and the drafting of proposals.

The event, which started on Thursday and concluded on Sunday, was part of broader efforts to implement agreements reached by the top leaders of China and Vietnam. In April, President Xi Jinping proposed inviting Vietnamese youths to China for "Red Study Tours" over the next three years to strengthen bilateral ties.

Yang Tao, vice-president of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, called the program a response to this initiative.

Speaking on Sunday, Lu Yongzheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee and head of the provincial publicity department, noted that 2025 marks both the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam and the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

He highlighted Guizhou's historical significance in China's revolutionary history and the role of red culture in the province's development.

Nguyen Vinh Quang, deputy chair of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association, was deeply moved upon seeing a photo of Vietnamese General Nguyen Son (1908-56) displayed at the Zunyi Meeting site.

"General Nguyen Son was the only Vietnamese who participated in the Long March (1934-36), which was an extremely grueling and magnificent chapter of the Chinese revolution. We are so proud of this," he said. "This shows the revolutions of our two countries were never separate. Together, we achieved such great victories."

On Saturday, the Vietnamese delegation visited the Guizhou Long March Culture Digital Art Museum in Guiyang, the provincial capital, where they explored digital techniques such as holography and virtual reality for historical storytelling.

Nguyen Thi Hoai Thuong, a 22-year-old graduate of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, said she was deeply impressed by the experience.

"Vietnam also boasts many red sites and stories. I truly hope we can establish similar venues to help young people gain a better understanding of history," she said.

In addition to historical education, the program showcased Gui-zhou's rural development and innovation.

On Friday, the Vietnamese delegates visited a village known for its craft traditions and participated in experiential activities designed around local resources, including paper pulp embossing and pottery-making.

"I never realized there are so many ways for rural economic development until now," said Bui Kim Dung, a 26-year-old Vietnamese student majoring in Chinese at Guizhou Minzu University.

The group visited the National Big Data (Guizhou) Comprehensive Pilot Zone in Guiyang on Saturday, where they learned about Gui-zhou's efforts in developing digital infrastructure and promoting its big data industry.

Pham Nhu Hoai, a 23-year-old employee of a Vietnamese foreign trade company, emphasized the importance of technology in global commerce. "Big data is crucial for trade, and China leads the world in this domain," she said.

The program concluded on Sunday with a joint proposal issued by Chinese and Vietnamese youths. It called on young people from both countries to carry forward red culture, promote bilateral friendship and actively contribute to future development.

"The youth represent the future and hope," said Zhou Li, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily. He expressed confidence that the visit to Guizhou would inspire "the future protagonists of both countries to translate ideals into actions and pass on the baton of China-Vietnam friendship from one generation to the next".

guiqian@i21st.cn