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QTO - When students proactively seek out books to read, write about, and share their feelings, reading culture transcends the boundaries of mere movements. The Reading Culture Ambassador competition is a quiet but effective driving force, contributing to bringing books back to the center of school life.

Nearly 14,000 entries

Over the years, the Reading Culture Ambassador competition has quietly infiltrated schools, fostering reading habits among students. With meticulously crafted essays, videos , and elaborate manuscripts, the competition has gradually created a space for students to access books voluntarily and with personal enthusiasm. From these initial experiences, the habit of reading—something seemingly difficult to cultivate in the digital age—has been nurtured naturally.

Entering 2025, building on the foundations laid in previous years, the Reading Culture Ambassador Contest continues to spread strongly throughout the school system in Quang Tri province. Nearly 14,000 entries were received at the school level, with participation from hundreds of educational institutions at all levels. From this large number of entries, the Organizing Committee selected outstanding submissions for the provincial preliminary round, including both written entries and video submissions, demonstrating the diversity of forms of expression and the increasingly serious investment from students and schools.

Students from Quang Tri province win prizes at the 2025 Reading Culture Ambassador competition - Photo: DH

This result is a continuation and convergence of systematic and persistent approaches implemented over many years in various localities. Previously, in the former Quang Tri province, the Reading Culture Ambassador competition was launched early and maintained continuously with the clear involvement of the government. The Provincial People's Committee issued an annual plan for organizing the competition, creating a foundation for the culture and education sectors to closely coordinate, making the competition a regular activity in schools and spreading it evenly across all districts, towns, and cities.

Meanwhile, in the former Quang Binh province, the competition was implemented with an emphasis on depth, encouraging creative thinking and the ability to relate to practical situations among students. Entries went beyond simply sharing book reviews, boldly proposing ideas and solutions to encourage reading in connection with school libraries, classrooms, and the community. Many written entries and videos were meticulously produced, clearly demonstrating the learners' reading, writing, and independent thinking skills.

Spreading powerfully

The combination of a systematic, synchronized approach and a focus on in-depth development has created a clear ripple effect for the Reading Culture Ambassador Contest in 2025. No longer just a movement-based activity, the contest is gradually becoming a driving force promoting reading habits, contributing to bringing books back to the center of school life, and subsequently spreading to families and communities.

The competition is not a separate activity, but is closely integrated into school life. Many schools have proactively built classroom libraries and open reading spaces; maintained weekly book introduction sessions; organized reading clubs; and displayed outstanding entries for students to read and discuss together. Books, therefore, no longer sit idly on shelves, but become material for dialogue, reflection, and the growth of learners.

At Quang Xuan Secondary School (Quang Trach commune), the Reading Culture Ambassador competition is considered one of the educational activities that has a clear impact on students. Mr. Nguyen Minh Lam, the school principal, shared: “The school has implemented many activities related to the competition to help students understand the meaning of reading, as well as the role of the library and reading culture in their learning and development. We encourage students to participate in ways suitable for each age group and ability.”

According to Mr. Lam, the important thing is not winning an award, but the students' participation. 100% of the school's students participated enthusiastically, with many investing serious effort into their entries. Every year, the school selects a number of outstanding entries to submit to the provincial level. In recent years, the school has had 2-3 students win awards. This result has motivated them to continue reading, writing, and nurturing their passion for books.

It cannot be a single effort.

The positive impact of the competition gradually spread from the school to the family. Many parents noticed positive changes in their children's daily habits. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, a parent of a student in Dong Hoi ward, said: "Before, my child rarely read books and mainly used their phone. Since participating in the competition, they have proactively sought out books to read, taken notes, and shared what they have read. There are evenings when the whole family reads together, discusses, and the atmosphere at home is much warmer."

For many students, participating in the competition has opened up new horizons, allowing them to better understand life, write better, and express their thoughts more confidently. This also shows that the competition has touched upon the core of reading culture: changing students' perceptions and reading behaviors. Students' proactive reading, writing, and sharing of their feelings about books is the foundation for the sustainable development of reading culture, not only in schools but also in the community.

In 2025, Quang Tri province had 5 students who won top prizes at the National Reading Culture Ambassador competition. Among them, Dao Minh Trang (Nguyen Tat Thanh Primary School, Dong Ha Ward) won first prize and the most impressive video clip award. Nguyen Minh Phuong (Gio Linh Secondary School, Gio Linh Commune) won third prize and the most voted video clip award. Duong Nu Thien Tam (Nguyen Binh Khiem High School, Quang Trach Commune), Le Nguyen Bao Linh (Tan Lap Secondary School), and Ho Tue Lam (Song Hieu Primary School, Dong Ha Ward) all received consolation prizes.

Mr. Ho Duc Thien, Deputy Director of the Provincial Library, commented: “The Reading Culture Ambassador Contest has created a positive effect, arousing a love of books among students. In the future, we will continue to promote the role of the library, expand reading spaces, strengthen the application of technology, and diversify reading promotion activities so that reading becomes more accessible and convenient for learners.” According to Mr. Thien, developing a reading culture cannot be a solitary effort, but requires the long-term collaboration of libraries, schools, and families. When each student finds joy in reading, the reading culture will naturally spread.

From a competition for students, the Reading Culture Ambassador program has gradually affirmed its role as a "soft support" in the development of reading culture. The pages opened each day, the sincere writings, the naive yet emotionally rich thoughts are proof of a persistent cultivation process. And from these green shoots, the habit of reading—the foundation of knowledge and character—is gradually being nurtured in school life today.

Dieu Huong

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202512/tu-trang-sach-mo-ra-eb66461/