September 5 was a great festive day for more than 22 million Vietnamese students nationwide.

Joining their day, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung asked teachers at the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School to become good mirrors for their students to follow.

Speaking at the opening school ceremony, Hung was full of praise for the school's achievements over the past 25 years. He expressed his confidence that in this school year of 2011-12, the teachers and students would achieve even more.

"You all should be proud of being students at this gifted high school which is known far and wide for its achievements over the past 25 years. You must study harder to continue the fine tradition of the school," Hung told the students.

Hung said this year was the first year Vietnam had started to implement the reform objectives and comprehensive renewal of the national education programme in order to improve the quality of teaching standards.

He reiterated the Party and Government's determination to improve the quality of the education sector – an important source of high quality human resources for the national path of industrialisation and modernisation.

The Hanoi-Amsterdam High School is one of the four best local public schools in the capital city.

In the last school year, many students from the school participated in international, national and city competitions and brought home many prizes and awards.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Sept. 5 visited the Da Phuc High School in the outlying district of Soc Son, where he had studied, on the opening day of the new school year.

He asked the school's teachers to exert further efforts and hold high their responsibility for local education in order to make the school become a leading banner in Soc Son district and a role model school for Hanoi .

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai was among many distinguished guests attending the opening day of the new school year at Thanh Quan Junior School in the capital's Hoan Kiem district. He asked the school teachers and students to work hard to create a learning environment in the school and develop more outstanding students.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh was with teachers and students at Tong Van Tran High School, in Y Yen district, Nam Dinh province, some 100km from Hanoi .

Ninh asked them to do their best to live up to the hard learning tradition of Nam Dinh province which is well known throughout the country.

More than 1.2 million students and teachers at kindergartens as well as primary and secondary schools in HCM City participated in a ceremony to kick off the 2011-12 school year on Sept. 5. /.