The writing contest on "Environmental Protection in Hanoi" conveys messages and perspectives on environmental protection and has received enthusiastic support from many locals. 

After three months, the awarding ceremony for the second writing contest on “Environmental protection in Hanoi” was held on September 27 in Hanoi.

This is the second time Kinh Te & Do Thi (Economic & Urban) Newspaper, in collaboration with the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment, has hosted the contest, which received more than 500 entries from nearly 320 organizations and individuals.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Trong Dong said the city has been implementing various solutions to reduce environmental pollution, including treating surface water, improving air quality, and speeding up the construction of waste and wastewater treatment plants.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Trong Dong awards certificates of merit to individuals that have contributed to environmental protection and the success of the contest. Photo: Pham Hung/ The Hanoi Times

"I hope the contest will spread the awareness and responsibility to protect our environment more widely with specific and practical actions. It is also one of the opportunities to send a call to individuals, businesses, and the whole society to unite in protecting the environment so that our capital city becomes greener, cleaner, and more beautiful," Dong said.

For his part, Editor-in-Chief of Economic & Urban Newspaper Nguyen Minh Duc, head of the Organizing Committee, expressed his joy that nationwide readers have paid attention to issues related to environmental protection.

"The environment is life. Loving the environment means loving ourselves. The contest is one of the opportunities for people to unite for environmental protection actions. Through the second contest, we wish to enhance community awareness and responsibility to protect the environment among Vietnamese citizens at home and abroad and foreigners living, studying, and working in Vietnam," Duc emphasized.

Le Hoang Minh Nguyet, a resident of Ha Dong district, is the mother of award-winning Nguyen Nguyen Nguyet Linh (14 years old), said she and her daughter are very happy to learn that her daughter's work was highly graded by many experts, reporters, veteran journalists specializing in the environmental field.  

Young author Nguyen Nguyet Linh (14 years old) and her classmate were rewarded by Editor-in-Chief of Economic & Urban Newspaper Nguyen Minh Duc for their contributions to environmental protection in the capital city. Photo: Pham Hung/ The Hanoi Times

"The article, though simple, is written with an honest mind, coming from children's right thoughts about the living environment. Being able to share and convey her message through the writing contest on "Protecting the environment in Hanoi" is a great encouragement to my daughter," Nguyet told The Hanoi Times.

Being recognized in the contest is a motivation for children to do more environmental protection activities, and to develop an awareness of environmental protection in the subconscious, Nguyet added.

 Promoting the contest into an action plan 

Being a scientist with many years of environmental research, former Director of the Environmental Modeling and Monitoring Research Center of the University of Natural Sciences (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), Prof. Dr. Hoang Xuan Co believes that it is a close and vivid form of communication that has created the publicity for the writing contest on "Environmental Protection in Hanoi".

Environmental workers collect waste on Dinh Tien Hoang Street in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem District. Photo: Chien Cong/ The Hanoi Times

“The Organizing Committee needs to build a roadmap, offer initiatives and solutions, and work together with other organizations, as well as residents, to bring into full play all the internal resources, promoting the participation of many experts, businesses and social organizations,” he shared with The Hanoi Times.

"It can be said that the contest has synthesized different thoughts to create an overview of Hanoi's environmental protection activities, bringing different perspectives and voices, helping people in this profession better understand other professions," Co emphasized.