Ho Chi Minh City launched the “Tu Hao Su Viet” (Proud of Vietnamese History) contest on March 12 as part of activities to celebrate 40 years of the Southern Liberation Day (April 30).

The contest has two separate competitions, an online essay writing competition and a team competition, both under the theme of “HCM City – Proud of 40 Years of Development”.

According to the organiser, around 5,000 contestants have thus far registered to join the online contest, open for registration through March 28. Results will be announced on March 31.

The team round, which commenced in January, is divided into three rounds, the qualifying round, the semi-final and the finale.

To be held on April 10, the finale will focus on Vietnam’s history during the US war between 1955 and 1975 and especially on the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975 between January 1 and April 30; the revolutionary tradition of municipal Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union; and the city’s achievements in the past four decades.

The contest is intended to raise the youth’s sense of responsibility in preserving the value of national history and educate them on historical lessons and values.

The award ceremony will take place at the City's Youth Cultural House on April 30.-VNA