Fostering creativity through UPU letters

Students from Da Nang have won first prize nine times at the national level, along with numerous second, third, and honorable mention prizes at the international UPU letter writing competition for students aged 9-15 worldwide.

Student Dinh Hoai Truc Linh (second from the left) receives an award at the competition. Photo: Provided by the contestant.

The UPU International Letter Writing Contest is an annual literary competition for young people (ages 9-15) worldwide , organized by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in collaboration with UNESCO since 1971.

Develop writing and thinking skills.

At the 55th UPU International Letter Writing Competition in 2026, Dinh Hoai Truc Linh (9th grade, Nguyen Hue Secondary School, Hai Chau Ward) won third prize nationwide. Linh said that with the theme "Write a letter to a friend, explaining why human connection is necessary in the digital world," she chose to write to Gemini – an artificial intelligence system – because she needed sharing rather than answers through commands.

Linh said that in her letter, she shared with Gemini that both the world and she herself are growing up "comforted" by YouTube, TikTok, Emoji, and Messenger... In the vast "sea" of digital information, perhaps the lifeline keeping her from "sinking" is the connection of love, from family, school, hometown to the embrace of humanity...

Linh also expressed her gratitude for Gemini providing so much valuable data; however, nothing is more sacred than the connection of hearts, family meals, encouragement, and sincere feedback… Through her letter, she believes that these invaluable things cannot be replaced by any source code, algorithm, or server, and wonders if any vast forest is not nurtured from tiny seeds. “I am delighted that my letter won an award in the competition. This is a great encouragement for me to continue developing my thinking and writing skills, as well as nurturing my love and passion for Literature,” Linh confided.

This year, Nguyen Hue Secondary School also had student Do Ngoc Bao Han (class 8/4) win the National Encouragement Award. Speaking about the achievements of the two students, Mr. Vo Thanh Phuoc, Principal of Nguyen Hue Secondary School, shared that in recent years, many students in the school have achieved high results in the UPU International Letter Writing Competition, such as student Nguyen Dac Xuan Thao (class 7/10), who won first prize nationally and second prize internationally in the 38th UPU International Letter Writing Competition in 2009, or student Nguyen Thai An Tam (class 8/8), who won second prize in the 51st UPU International Letter Writing Competition in 2022…

Accordingly, the school always sets out a plan for students to study and prepare not only for the UPU International Letter Writing Competition but also for other competitions both domestically and internationally. Based on their field and expertise, the school will assign teachers to provide appropriate guidance to students participating in these competitions.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Tran Anh Tuan (left) and Director of the Department of Education and Training Le Thi Bich Thuan (right) present a certificate of merit to Pham Doan Minh Khue, winner of the 54th UPU International Letter Writing Competition 2025. Photo: THU HA

Asserting its position

Not just this year, but for many years now, Da Nang has had numerous students win prizes in the UPU International Letter Writing Competition. For example, in 2025, student Pham Doan Minh Khue (Class 10C2, Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted) won first prize nationally in the 54th UPU International Letter Writing Competition and second prize internationally with a letter addressed to leading Hollywood director James Cameron, conveying the message that the ocean is suffering from unhealing wounds, resources are dwindling, its breath is agonizing, and a film is needed to awaken the world. This also marks the ninth time a Da Nang student has won first prize nationally in the competition after 37 seasons held in Vietnam.

Previously, Da Nang had students like Ho Thi Hieu Hien (6th grade/9, Tay Son Secondary School, Hoa Cuong ward) who won first prize nationally and internationally in the 39th UPU International Letter Writing Competition in 2010; and Nguyen Do Quang Minh (9th grade/1, Nguyen Khuyen Secondary and High School, Cam Le ward) who won first prize nationally in the 53rd UPU International Letter Writing Competition in 2024…

Mr. Pham Tan Ngoc Thuy, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, stated that the achievements of Da Nang students in the annual UPU International Letter Writing Competition are proof of the creative thinking and social responsibility of the younger generation towards the issues of modern society. To further develop this potential, the city's education sector will continuously innovate and improve the quality of talent identification and nurturing, creating more opportunities for students to showcase their abilities and express their personal opinions. This will provide them with a space for creative freedom, skill development, and confidence to affirm the city's educational standing on the international stage.

The results from the UPU International Letter Writing Competition in particular, and other competitions in general, contribute to improving the quality of education in the city, even reaching out to the world education map. In the future, the education sector will continue to advise on training and developing students' talents; at the same time, the school community, teachers, and families need to pay attention to and support students so that they can strive to study, unleash their creativity, and achieve higher results and accomplishments.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/phat-huy-sang-tao-qua-canh-thu-upu-3337197.html