First-grade students at Nguyen Cong Tru Primary School (Phu Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) return to school on August 20th - Photo: TRUC LINH
Speaking at a recent conference on the implementation of the 2025-2026 school year plan for the general education sector, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, requested that 100% of primary, secondary, and high schools in the city implement the "happy school" model.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu (Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City)The school should be the friendliest.
"Depending on specific conditions, each school will implement the happy school model to a certain extent. The goal of the city's education sector is to create the best learning conditions, the friendliest environment, and bring the best things to students."
"When implementing a happy school model, facilities are one thing, but relationships within the school are even more important. The ideal environment is one where teachers can build trust so that students can confide in and exchange ideas," Mr. Hieu affirmed.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dac, principal of Hoang Hoa Tham Secondary School in Tan Binh ward, also stated: "A happy school is not only about happy students, but also about happy teachers. Therefore, in addition to creating conditions for students to develop their abilities, teachers also need support for digital transformation, to teach effectively, and to fulfill their duties well."
During the summer months, Hoang Hoa Tham Secondary School is rapidly repainting many of its facilities, adding more trees and flowers to the schoolyard and fences, and organizing training courses on artificial intelligence (AI) for teachers.
"Sparking interest and a desire to explore and learn in students is one of the factors that makes them happy to go to school. To achieve this, teachers must prepare appropriate teaching content. But this preparation is not for the purpose of one-sided lecturing in class."
For the new school year, teachers at Hoang Hoa Tham Secondary School will focus more on guiding students on how to prepare for lessons at home. Through the LMS system, teachers will assign tasks for students to research the lesson beforehand.
"When they're in class, students might give presentations or share what they've learned. The important thing here is that the teacher shouldn't judge whether the students are right or wrong, but only encourage them to express their thoughts and opinions," Mr. Dac shared.
First-grade students at Tran Hung Dao Primary School (Ho Chi Minh City) enthusiastically participate in games on the first day of school, August 20th - Photo: NHU HUNG
Respect differences
In addition to regular classes, many schools say they are planning to open clubs for students to register for based on their personal interests in sports, music, and more.
Mr. Le Thanh Hai, principal of Chinh Nghia Primary School in Cho Lon ward, said that upon the start of the school year, each student will receive a gift prepared by their homeroom teacher. Initially, students will go to their old classroom, meet their homeroom teacher from the previous school year, listen to her advice and congratulations. Afterward, the 5th grade teachers will go down to the 4th grade classrooms to pick up their students and bring them to the 5th grade classrooms.
The other classes follow the same procedure. This method avoids disruption and also makes students feel valued when their teacher leads them into a new classroom.
According to Mr. Hai, building a happy school is one of the three key tasks for the new school year. The staff of Chinh Nghia Primary School will implement many solutions to create a friendly learning environment that respects differences, fosters love and cooperation among teachers, students, and parents.
Meanwhile, Nam Saigon Primary, Secondary, and High School in Tan My Ward will implement a "flexible learning" system for 10th-grade students. Instead of having to choose a combination of 3-4 elective subjects, 10th-grade students at Nam Saigon School can choose individual subjects according to their interests and abilities.
For compulsory subjects, students will attend fixed classes. However, for elective subjects in the 2018 General Education Program, students will attend classes taught in the subjects they registered for.
In addition to focusing on academics, South Saigon School also constructed new restrooms to international standards (equipped with air conditioning and sound systems for music) for elementary school students, and replaced all multi-functional desks and chairs for first-grade students.
"The school day is scheduled to end at 4 PM, but students are given 60 minutes to play in the schoolyard to make the most of the existing facilities such as the football field, volleyball court, basketball court, badminton court, etc. Because the school has three levels of education, we are planning to schedule after- school playtime for each level."
Specifically, students from grades 6 to 12 will have the option to choose from a variety of arts subjects to develop their individual talents, such as organ, piano, saxophone, modern dance, vocal music, and traditional music.
"In the 2025-2026 school year, we plan to open a free traditional music class on Saturday mornings for students who enjoy singing Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera), folk songs, and playing traditional musical instruments...", informed Mr. Tran Nghia Nhan, the school principal.
Data: Trong Nhan - Graphics: N.KH.
What did the teacher and students do in Week 0?
In Hanoi, many private schools start the school year from the first week of August, while public primary schools gather first-grade students as early as around August 21st.
Students come to school to meet their teachers, find their classes, and prepare mentally and with basic skills for the new school year. Their teachers take them on a tour of the school, showing them the various rooms, especially the restrooms and how to use them.
"Students are trained in discipline such as lining up, getting used to their seats, practicing proper sitting posture, how to hold a pen, and using school supplies. More importantly, students have two weeks to overcome the initial awkwardness of the new environment before the actual school week begins," said Ms. H., a teacher at Dich Vong A Primary School.
According to first-grade teachers at Kim Lien and Le Van Tam primary schools, the teachers faced many difficulties during the first week of first grade because the students still maintained habits from kindergarten. Many children did not know how to use the toilet independently, or were shy and fearful. Some children came to class crying. Others refused to sit still in class.
Ms. Phuong Thi Thin, principal of Van Yen Primary School, said that they have created a separate timetable for the two weeks before the new school year to help students "transition from preschool to first grade as smoothly as possible."
In some schools, parents of first-grade students take turns attending their children's classes. This is also a way for parents to empathize and gain experience in supporting their children during their first days at school.
In mountainous provinces, Week 0 starts even earlier. In Van Ban and Mu Cang Chai (Lao Cai), many teachers volunteer to come to school even before the start of the school year to provide free review sessions for students. Week 0 is even more important for first-grade students because it's the time when they learn more Vietnamese to communicate with their teachers and classmates.
"We have to teach students everything from how to open and close books to how to get their school supplies. For students in mountainous areas, there's something even more important in week 0: creating excitement so that the children have a positive first impression of school, replacing the fear of learning with a love for going to school," shared Ms. Hoang Thi Nguyet, a first-grade teacher at Khanh Khe Primary and Secondary School (Lang Son).
Week 0 at this school lasts approximately 120 minutes per session. In addition to classroom lessons focusing on proper posture, pen grip, and the use of books and learning materials, students participate in group activities to foster teamwork and improve their Vietnamese listening and speaking skills.
Students in grades 1, 9, and 12 are introduced to the new system early.
The 2025-2026 school year will be the first year that the Ministry of Education and Training includes a school year timeframe allowing schools and localities to arrange for 9th and 12th grade students to start school two weeks before the official opening ceremony.
This aims to give schools more time to arrange timetables sufficient for students in the last two grades to review, increase practice time, and provide various learning and testing methods to ensure students have the necessary skills and abilities to perform well in entrance exams and high school graduation exams.
Ms. Lan Anh, a middle school teacher in Hai Ba Trung ward (Hanoi), said that because there are two extra weeks before the official start of the school year, the school is dedicating time for homeroom teachers to exchange information on career guidance, prepare for the upcoming entrance exam, and guide students on self-study. Subject teachers have time to review old knowledge, organize initial assessment tests to get an overall picture of the situation, and develop specific solutions to support students who have knowledge gaps.
Ms. Thai Hang, a parent whose child attends Ly Thuong Kiet Secondary School (Hanoi), believes that the two-week "buffer" helps children avoid immediately jumping into a new curriculum with stressful pressure, giving them time to "catch up" with their studies after a period of rest.
Apart from students in grades 1, 9, and 12, students in other grades have not yet returned to school, but schools in Hanoi are already ready to welcome them back. While students in many schools in Hanoi's inner city are on holiday due to preparations for the 80th anniversary of National Day, teachers are still coming to school to prepare everything for the children's return after the summer break.
Acts of kindness and generosity before the start of the school year.
Ms. Nguyen Quoc Thu Tram, principal of Ngoc Lan Kindergarten (Da Nang), presents gifts to students in mountainous areas from the teachers' fund - Photo: CHAU SA
In the last days of August, as the school year approaches, the atmosphere in Da Nang is filled with preparations for the new academic year, not only bustling within families but also brimming with affection from teachers, the local community, and generous donors.
At Ngoc Lan Kindergarten (Hai Chau Ward), the teachers quietly contacted parents' groups, discreetly learning about each child's particularly difficult circumstances. Through small donations collected over many months via "piggy banks" and zero-cost markets organized by the teachers themselves, a fund of love was established.
Before the start of the school year, the school prepares gifts worth a few hundred thousand dong to send to children who are orphaned (having lost one parent) or those with disabilities who are integrated into the school system.
Ms. Nguyen Quoc Thu Tram, the school principal, said emotionally: "Although these are just small gifts, they represent warm sharing. We hope this will give more motivation to the children and their parents to confidently move forward into the new school year."
What is commendable is that this fund is not only for children in the school but is also extended to share with students in the disadvantaged mountainous areas of Tay Giang, like an extended thread of love connecting the city to the remote regions.
In Lien Chieu ward, the local authorities are also busy implementing the "support for schooling" plan. Dozens of gifts, each worth from 500,000 VND to 1 million VND, raised through social mobilization, will be given to poor students before the start of the new school year.
The most heartwarming and inspiring story comes from Hoa Vang commune. After about a month of campaigning, the "Hoa Vang Commune Shared Textbook Library" officially launched, placed in school libraries. The campaign raised 551 million VND for books and donated over 6,200 textbooks.
In the 2025-2026 school year, the library will lend more than 15,000 books to 1,254 students from poor households and families receiving preferential treatment in mountainous areas. According to the leaders of Hoa Vang commune, after each year, parents and students will return the books so that the next generation can continue to use them.
From the 2026-2027 school year, the commune strives to mobilize sufficient resources to ensure that the "shared library" meets 100% of the needs of disadvantaged students, while also allocating funds to purchase new books to replace damaged ones.
Da Nang has also announced its school year schedule for 2025-2026, according to which students in grades 1, 9, and 12 will start school as early as August 25th; other grades will start from August 28th. On September 5th, the entire city will hold an opening ceremony, marking the beginning of a new school year.
We are determined to ensure that no student drops out of school.
According to the leaders of the Department of Education and Training of Can Tho City, in order to create favorable conditions for officials and employees to work with peace of mind at the beginning of the new school year, the department has processed school transfers and enrollment registrations for nearly 600 preschool children and students of all levels who have transferred to follow their parents.
Currently, schools have basically reviewed and prepared classrooms and school facilities, ready for students to return to school. However, the problem for the new school year is the shortage of teachers according to the allocated staffing quota, lacking approximately 1,900 teachers.
The Department of Education and Training is continuing to transfer teachers from areas with a surplus to areas with a shortage, implementing a new recruitment process, and encouraging the recruitment of teachers from other areas. Regarding the ethnic minority language (Khmer) teaching program under the new curriculum, Can Tho is lacking teaching equipment and textbooks and has requested support from the Ministry of Education and Training.
In An Giang, Mr. Dam Thanh Lac, principal of Giong Rieng High School in Giong Rieng commune, said that the teachers at the school also mobilized benefactors to provide gifts and health insurance for disadvantaged students and to ensure that they do not have to drop out of school for any reason.
In Ca Mau province, over 27 billion VND has been allocated to repair and upgrade classrooms, provide additional desks and chairs, and address leaks and flooding. Repair work is being actively implemented to ensure the new school year begins in the best possible conditions, with the goal of ensuring no school or classroom lacks desks, chairs, or classroom space during the back-to-school season.
Mr. Tang Thien Tinh, vice chairman of the People's Committee of Dat Mui commune, added that the commune has directed schools to review the list of students, with the determination "to ensure that no student drops out of school due to poverty or transportation difficulties."
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/den-truong-with-niem-hanh-phuc-20250825075842916.htm
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