Following the global launch of the International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People 2024, Hanoi was the first location in Vietnam to respond to this Universal Postal Union (UPU) contest, kicking off the Vietnamese version on January 8 at Phan Chu Trinh Secondary School, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

The award ceremony for the 2023 UPU Letter-Writing Competition and the launch of the 2024 competition took place on January 8 at Phan Chu Trinh Secondary School, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi. Photo: Giao Duc Thoi Dai

According to Nguyen Thanh Ha, Principal of Phan Chu Trinh Secondary School, the theme of this year's competition is related to the 150th anniversary of the UPU (1874 - 2024).

"The UPU letter contains the writer's message, expressing their thoughts and concerns about the world emotionally and creatively," she said.

This year's international competition encourages participants to think about the future of the world with a message stating: "At the age of 150 years, the UPU has served people around the world for more than eight generations. The world has changed a lot since then. Write a letter to future generations about the world you hope they inherit."

The chosen theme encourages young people to articulate their thoughts on global challenges and propose innovative solutions. In line with the United Nations system's common agenda to deepen intergenerational solidarity and ensure a livable planet for the future, the theme allows young people to provide a framework for their visions of a better world, drawing on the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The poster for the 2024 UPU International Letter Writing Competition.

Entries must be handwritten and not exceed 800 words. The organizing committee will translate the winning letters by the Vietnamese contestants into English or French and send these copies along with the original to the jury of the UPU International Letter Writing Contest.

Since 1987, when Vietnam joined the competition, the UPU International Letter Writing Contest in Vietnam has continued to confirm its influence and attract great interest from students throughout the country.

Vietnamese students have won 18 International UPU Awards, including two first prizes, two second prizes, eight third prizes, and six consolation prizes.

In 2023, Dao Khuong Duy, a sixth-grader from Ben Tre Province in the Mekong Delta, won the third prize with a piece expressing his desire to become a superhero to fight road accidents.

Instructions for submission of UPU Letter 2024.

Every year since 1971, the UPU has launched the UPU International Letter Writing Contest, which encourages young writers between the ages of 9 and 15 to compose letters on a given topic for the chance to win exciting prizes. The competition is an excellent way to develop young people's writing skills and their ability to express their thoughts clearly about the social problem they may be concerned about. It also aims to promote the young generation's awareness and responsibility towards society, their nation, and the world.

The UPU secretariat, the International Bureau, chooses a theme each year. Participating countries then run the competition at the national level, often with the support of education authorities and the media.

An international jury, assembled by the International Bureau, judges the letters and selects the final winners and candidates for a special mention.