The 2012 Overseas Vietnamese Youth Camp will get underway on July 11 and run until July 30, with 170 young campers taking part, said the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA).

With the theme ‘Coming to the Red Land’ the annual event is to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the death of the heroic martyr Vo Thi Sau, the 150th anniversary of the opening of Con Dao Prison and the 65th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day, on July 27.

The camp is to help overseas Vietnamese students and pupils get a better understanding of the culture and solidarity of Vietnamese ethnic groups, said Nguyen Thanh Son, Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the COVA.

Under the programme, the camp will be moved across the country, with the opening ceremony held at the Culture and Tourism Village for Vietnamese Ethnic Minority people in Dong Mo , Hanoi and the closing ceremony held in Dat Do district in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau .

Over the 20-day journey, the young campers will take part in many interesting and exciting activities, including paying tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his Mausoleum. They will also head to the northern province of Thai Binh to honour heroic martyrs, offer incense at the Dong Loc Crossroads Monument in the central province of Ha Tinh and honour the heroic martyrs on Con Dao Island .

Before they head home they will embark on sightseeing trips to the countryside in Ninh Binh, Thua Thien-Hue, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces.-VNA