Dao Manh Nghia, a young man from Quang Tri Province in north-central Vietnam, made history as the only Vietnamese to receive the Diana Award, an honor named after the late princess of Wales that is given to young leaders sparking change across the globe.

In mid-December, Nghia, a 25-year-old resident of Cam Lo District, received a certificate for the 2023 award.

Nghia, who was born in 1997 and graduated from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, works as a solicitor at a Japanese law company.

The man is deeply attached to community-driven activities, which made him reach the recognition of the Diana Award.

After being nominated for the award and undergoing several rounds of stringent selection, Nghia was named the only Vietnamese recipient of the accolade for his efforts in contributing to society.

“This is a big surprise to me. The award will be my motivation to continue such a meaningful journey,” Nghia expressed his emotions.

The young man said that he had joined countless social responsibility initiatives held in Southeast Asia in particular, and Asia in general.

He is also the founder of DMN, an initiative dedicated to Vietnamese youth, with a primary focus on promoting and disseminating awareness about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, Vietnamese law, international law, and various international and domestic affairs.

Through the civic and social organization, Nghia called for a donation of over US$20,000 to fund a slew of community-related programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, benefiting more than 50,000 people in need.

Since its inception in 2019, DMN has helped out over 100,000 people, delivered more than 20,000 medical supplies, and donated 100 financial aid packages to disadvantaged people.

Nghia also said that he was honored to be the winner of the ASEAN-Korea Academic Essay Contest 2019, to be selected as a senior delegate to participate in the CIMB Young ASEAN Leaders 2019 in Malaysia, and to be named an ambassador to the Asia-Pacific MY World 2030.

He has recently acted as a Vietnamese representative to join the Young ASEAN Leaders Policy Initiative 2023 in Thailand.

This non-profit organization serves as an international forum with the objective of addressing contemporary social issues through a grassroots approach, engaging the younger generation of ASEAN in policy creation and implementation.

Nghia is constantly finding ways to unlock the potential of the youth in his hometown during Vietnam’s international integration process.

“Many young people in the province have little opportunity to access information about international programs, while no solutions were introduced to keep them updated on these,” Nghia said.

As such, DMN was founded to solve the problem.

“We expect the initiative to create a network of young leaders via a wide range of activities such as the DMN Young Leaders Competition, various national and international workshops and conferences, dialogues, skill-training courses, and charity programs,” he added.

The Diana Award was launched by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 1999 in honor of the late Diana..

The Diana Award is given to young people aged 9-25 who are recognized for their social action or humanitarian work.

To qualify for the Diana Award, nominees must fulfill five essential criteria, encompassing vision, social impact, youth-led initiatives, service journey, and the ability to inspire others.

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