Close to 600,000 letters were sent from around Vietnam to the 49th holding of the Universal Postal Union (UPU)’s International Letter-Writing Competition, for children under 15.

The contest tasked students to “Write a message to an adult about the world we live in.”

Contestants sent heart-wrenching letters on pressing issues of today, such as COVID-19, environmental protection, and plastic pollution, or mulling over the concept of happiness and kindness in the modern world.

Many stories featured the true values of love, family, and friends in the digital era, and also the pressure children must bear these days, while others spoke out against domestic violence and dreamed of a better world for children.

First prize was awarded to Phan Hoang Phuong Nhi, a seventh-grader at Duy Tan Middle School in Hue, the capital of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, in a ceremony held in Hanoi on June 26.

Her letter conveyed a touching message about the environment and why people should reduce their use of plastic bags and foam food containers to protect the environment and human health.

The organisers also presented three second and five third prizes as well as 30 honourable mentions. Special prizes were also given to five children with visual impairments.

In the contest, the 33rd held in Vietnam, each contestant submitted a handwritten letter of less than 800 words, with entries closing on February 25.

They could write letters in any language but foreign-language letters must have been accompanied by translations into Vietnamese, which is used in the judging.