The 49th edition of the International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People was launched at a ceremony held at Thanh Cong secondary school in Hanoi on December 6.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham Anh Tuan delivers
a speech at the launch ceremony on December 6 (Source: vovworld.vn) 

The contest, organised by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), tasks students to “Write a message to an adult about the world we live in”.

The contest, the 33rd time held in Vietnam, is open to all Vietnamese children under 15. Each contestant is required to submit a handwritten letter of less than 800 words before February 25, 2020.

The contestants can write their letters in any language but foreign-language letters must be accompanied by their translations into Vietnamese, which is the language used for judgement.

The organisers will award one first prize worth 5 million VND (216 USD), three second prizes worth 3 million VND each, five third prizes worth 2 million VND each, 30 consolation prizes worth 1 million VND each, along with several other prizes such as those for ethnic minority contestants and contestants with disabilities will be awarded.

The winning Vietnamese letter and its English or French translation will be sent to the international UPU writing contest.

At the 2018 international competition, Vietnamese student Nguyen Thi Bach Duong from Hai Duong province won the third prize for her letter that were imagined to have come from the 19th century.