HA NOI — Ho Thi Hieu Hien, a Vietnamese pupil from the central city of Da Nang has been presented with the gold medal by Edouard Dayan, director general of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in Bern, Switzerland.
The twelve-year-old girl passed over two million candidates from 60 countries worldwide and won the first prize of the 39th UPU international letter-writing competition this year with the theme "Write a letter to someone to explain why it is important to talk about AIDS and to protect yourself against the disease".
In her letter to Zhang Yi-mou, a popular Chinese film director, Hien expressed her hope that the director would produce more movies on HIV/AIDS to help raise public awareness of the danger of the disease to effectively prevent it from spreading.
Addressing the presentation ceremony on Friday, Hien said she was honoured to receive the award and that this is the second time she has taken part in the contest. Hien said that she will continue to participate in the next year's competition on forest protection.
Director General Dayan said Hien's letter showed her intelligence and creativity. He said he hopes more pupils will take part in the UPU Letter-Writing Competition to share their views for the social progress freely and openly.
Fine art exhibition to raise funds for Agent Orange victims
HCM City — A photo and fine arts exhibition opened in HCM City on Friday to raise funds for Agent Orange /dioxin victims in the southern province of Tay Ninh.
The exhibition is showcasing 34 oil paintings, 35 black and white and colour photos taken by a group of artists and photographers after their fact-finding tours of Tan Binh and Chau Thanh districts in late July this year.
Through the event, the authors expressed their deep sentiments towards AO victims and called for donations from the public to them.
The exhibition will last until Saturday.
Charity scooter run to help underprivileged children
HCM CITY — The fifth annual charity scooter run will be held on November 28 in HCM City to raise funds for more than 100 orphaned and underprivileged children who live in Dieu Phap Pagoda Orphanage in Dong Nai Province.
To participate, tickets can be purchased for VND300,000 (US$15) in advance and for VND350,000 ($17) on the day of the event, according to the organiser Sai Gon Scooter Centre.
To join the ride, participants should arrive at the Sesame Training School for Disadvantaged Kids in HCM City's Binh Thanh District on the day of the event at 8am.
More than 500 children have benefited from the fund-raising activity, and nearly 500 people have participated over the last five years.
Student beats nearly 2,000 to win English Olympic competition
HCM CITY — Ngo Hoang Long, a student at the American International School in HCM City, has won first prize in the English Olympic Contest 2010, jointly organised by Apollo English Organisation and the HCM City Department of Education and Training.
This contest was launched in September and drew nearly 2,000 students from 85 high schools in the city. Preliminary rounds produced 10 finalists who competed in oral presentations.
Lam Tran Nhat Uyen from Sai Gon South International School bagged second place, while Bui Quang Minh Hoang from the University of Pedagogy won third prize. The winners received gifts and scholarships, as well as certificates from both Apollo and the department. — VNS