Hanoi (VNA) – A ninth grader in the central city of Da Nang won the first place at the national round for the 53rd Universal Postal Union (UPU) letter-writing competition for young people, surpassing 1.5 million entries with his letter about children who lack love and need a place to express their feelings.
In his writing, addressed to the UPU General Director in 2174, Nguyen Do Quang Minh from Nguyen Khuyen Secondary-High School expressed his hope that in the next 150 years when electric emails and other advanced means of communications become popular, postal services will still be provided for free for children to write letters to the Santa Claus.
He also wished that there will be more Santa Claus schools so that people can learn how to bring happiness to children.
Minh’s letter will be translated into either English or French. The translated version and its Vietnamese original will be sent to the UPU organising board based in Switzerland.
Since 1971, the UPU has encouraged children aged 9-15 to write letters on a given theme to win exciting prizes in its competition, aiming to making young people aware of the important role postal services play in societies. It develops their skills in composition and their ability to express thoughts clearly. It also fosters enjoyment of letter writing and helps strengthen the bonds of international friendship.
The UPU's secretariat, the International Bureau, chooses a theme annually and publicises it each year. Participating countries then organise the competition at the national level through the Post, often with the support of the educational authorities and media.
In 2024, participants are encouraged to reflect on the future of the world under the theme: "At 150 years old, the UPU has served people around the world for more than eight generations. The world has changed enormously since then. Write a letter to future generations about the world you hope they inherit."
The contest has been held in Vietnam for 36 times so far./.
