In 2026, the 55th UPU Letter Writing Competition will have the theme: "Write a letter to a friend explaining why human connection is essential in the digital world ."

(In English: Write a letter to a friend about why human connection matters in a digital world).

Below is a sample letter for the 55th UPU Letter Writing Competition:

To my sister,

I bet you're feeling very homesick right now, aren't you? Today is the 29th of Tet, the last day of the year, and I'm sitting outside writing this letter to you.

Mother was still meticulously arranging the fruit platter, while Father had just finished hanging the red couplets in front of the door. Everything was still very familiar, except for one thing: the small chair by the fireplace no longer held my sister sitting next to me.

I still remember the Tet holidays when we were little, Dad assigned my sister and me the task of washing banana leaves. My sister always did it faster, while I was busy playing in the water, getting my shirt completely wet. One year, my sister's rice cakes weren't perfectly square, but Mom still praised her, saying, "Your cakes feel solid in your hands." On New Year's Eve, my sister and I would huddle together, shivering, eagerly waiting for the fireworks.

Back then, I still thought Tet was about new clothes, banh chung (traditional rice cake), and lucky money. This year, my sister went abroad to study. With her gone, I've come to understand that Tet is also about the feeling of being with the people you love.

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Only human connection can truly bring out the full flavor of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year). (Illustrative image)

The first Lunar New Year my sister was away from home, our whole family placed our phones in the middle of the New Year's Eve dinner table to video call her. At home, fireworks blazed brightly, while where she was, it was probably still a cold winter afternoon. I also turned my screen towards the peach blossoms and the pot of bubbling sticky rice cakes. We saw each other, heard each other's laughter, and clinked glasses through the screen.

The digital world is truly amazing! Thanks to the internet, the distance between two worlds has shrunk to just a small frame. I can send you pictures of our New Year's feast, and you can send me a picture of snow falling in a foreign land. Thanks to messages and calls across time zones, I know you're still healthy, still studying hard, and always remember home.

But even after the call ended, I still felt a pang in my heart. I missed the feeling of my sister stroking my head and wishing me a Happy New Year, the tight hug at midnight. Technology allows us to "see" each other, but perhaps it can't transmit the scent of incense, the taste of hot sticky rice cakes, and the warm, reunion-filled atmosphere of family.

Perhaps the digital world helps us stay connected amidst change. But only human connection creates the true essence of Tet. Family bonds will become a stronger connection than any geographical distance.

I always hope that one day, not too far in the future, on the next Tet holiday, my sister will sit beside me again on that little chair by the fireplace. We'll stay up late watching over the pot of sticky rice cakes, reminiscing about old times, and standing side-by-side as fireworks light up the sky.

Wishing you a peaceful New Year in a foreign land. The whole family is waiting for your return.

My sister

Sample letter for the 55th UPU Letter Writing Competition: Robots cannot replace human connection . "The digital world is developing rapidly, but as long as people know how to look each other in the eye and speak sincerely, genuine connection between people will remain an irreplaceable value."
Sample letter for the 55th UPU Letter Writing Competition: Thank you for the 'bridge' connecting me to a special friend . From a conversation while practicing English, a 15-year-old student connected with and built a special friendship with a friend 70 years older than him across the ocean. The letter is a true story about the power of human connection in the digital world.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bai-mau-viet-thu-upu-lan-thu-55-tet-xa-nha-trong-the-gioi-so-2491108.html