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As pandemic rages on in Vietnam, nearly 1 million high school students take graduation exam

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Despite the developments of COVID-19 in Vietnam, education authorities still stick to the plan to start the 2021 high school graduation exam, which involves the in-person attendance of nearly one million students, on Wednesday.

Traditionally held in July, the national high school graduation exam is an annual assessment that twelfth-grade students in Vietnam’s K-12 system are required to sit after they finish their studies.

Results of the test are needed for graduation and to help universities and colleges enroll undergraduates.

This year’s iteration of the exam is considered a momentous one as it is being held amidst the fourth and worst virus wave, which has driven Vietnam’s case count near 19,000 across 55 out of its 63 provinces and cities, as recorded since it first emerged at the end of April.

Back in 2020, the exam was delayed to August due to the epidemic situation. However, it has returned to the normal time frame of early July this year, even in provinces that are seeing an outbreak. 

In light of the situation, provincial authorities have committed efforts, manpower, and resources to ensuring epidemiological safety for test-takers. 

Many provinces and cities have tested all candidates for COVID-19 before the exam, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

Nguyen Thanh Phong (right), chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee visits an exam room in Le Hong Phong High School in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, July 7, 2021. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Thanh Phong (right), chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, visits an exam room at Le Hong Phong Specialized High School in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, July 7, 2021. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi Tre

Candidates sat for the first test of Vietnamese literature on Wednesday morning before taking the math test in the afternoon, both of which are compulsory subjects for all test-takers, according to the Ministry of Education and Training’s direction.

On Thursday, they will do three other tests of choice, including one in the ‘foreign language’ category; one among physics, chemistry, and biology in the ‘natural science’ classification; and another among history, geography, and civic education in the ‘social science’ group.

Pham Ngoc Thuong (right), Vietnam’s deputy minister of Education and Training, visits an exam venue in the northern Bac Giang Province, July 7, 2021. PhotoL Vinh Ha / Tuoi Tre

Pham Ngoc Thuong (right), Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Education and Training, visits an exam venue in northern Bac Giang Province, July 7, 2021. Photo: Vinh Ha / Tuoi Tre

On Wednesday morning, Pham Ngoc Thuong, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, visited northern Bac Giang Province, one of the largest epicenters of Vietnam in the fourth COVID-19 wave, to oversee the high school graduation exam.

Although the spread of COVID-19 in the province has generally been put under control, local authorities still had to suspend an exam venue at a high school after a student tested positive for COVID-19 during the screening process.

A student and his parent on the way to a venue of the national high school graduation exam in Can Tho City, July 7, 2021. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

A student and his parent on the way to a venue of the national high school graduation exam in Can Tho City, Vietnam, July 7, 2021. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

In southern Can Tho City, students had to endure a short shower before they reached exam rooms and took their first test.

“It has been raining since the early hours of the morning. I had to ask my friend to drive me to the venue,” said Nguyen Dang Thanh, a twelfth-grade student of Chau Van Liem High School in Can Tho.

“I’m slightly worried about the first day of the exam, but also confident about my performance in the literature subject.”

Nguyen Van Phuc (middle), deputy minister of Education and Training, visits an exam venue in Trung Vuong High School, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, July 7, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Van Phuc (middle), Deputy Minister of Education and Training, visits an exam venue at Trung Vuong High School in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, July 7, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

In the Mekong Delta’s Vinh Long Province, students showed up at exam venues as soon as 6:00 am to do check-in procedures.

As seen at the exam centers of Hoang Thai Hieu High School and Binh Minh High School, parents who accompanied their children had to pull over 50 meters away from the school gates and avoid forming large crowds in front of the schools.

“I’m worried about the COVID-19 situation, but hearing the at-risk exam officers were screened and superseded ahead of the test relieved me a little bit,” said Le Van Cong, a parent of a test-taker. 

A bus carries students in lockdown areas of Thua Thien-Hue Province to a venue for the national high school exam in Thua Luu High School, July 7, 2021. Photo: Phuoc Tuan / Tuoi Tre

A bus carries students from lockdown areas in Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam to a venue for the national high school exam at Thua Luu High School, July 7, 2021. Photo: Phuoc Tuan / Tuoi Tre

In Phu Loc District of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, many students were seen donning raincoats on the way to exam venues due to a sprinkle in the morning. 

A total of 13 students who live in cordoned areas in Loc Thuy Ward were allowed to leave to take the test at Thua Luu High School and Thua Luu Middle School. 

They were transported to the exam venues on two specialized buses, and were told to do the test in isolated rooms. 

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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20210707/as-pandemic-rages-on-in-vietnam-nearly-1-million-high-school-students-take-graduation-exam/61936.html

Education

Vietnamese high school principal’s enthusiastic greeting on first day goes viral on social media

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A video capturing the spirited moment of a high school principal, dressed in a white shirt, standing in the schoolyard and wholeheartedly applauding and welcoming every student on the inaugural day of his new role in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam, has garnered significant attention on social media.

The video began circulating on social media on Friday last week, marking the first day that Le Trieu Son took on the role of principal at Hai Ba Trung High School in Hue City, Thua Thien-Hue Province.

Numerous teachers at the school were surprised to witness the new principal standing and warmly greeting each student, a scene that also took many students aback.

Following the school drum signaling the commencement of the school day, Son took advantage of the 15-minute bellwork period in each class to visit every classroom, extending personal greetings to students and homeroom teachers.

During these visits, Son humbly introduced himself to the students and teachers, saying, “I have been assigned by the Department of Education and Training of Thua Thien Hue Province to serve as the school principal, and today marks the beginning of my job.”

“I hope you will join hands with me to transform this hundred-year-old school into a happy place.” 

In response to the principal’s sincerity, many students expressed interest and asked to shake hands with him.

Le Trieu Son visits every classroom on the first day of his new role as the principal at Hai Ba Trung High School in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam, December 1, 2023. Photo: Anh Thu / Tuoi Tre

Le Trieu Son visits every classroom on the first day of his new role as the principal at Hai Ba Trung High School in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam, December 1, 2023. Photo: Anh Thu / Tuoi Tre

Son, confirming the incident to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, said that he extended this personal greeting not only to morning classes but also to afternoon classes on Friday. 

Reflecting on the motivation behind his actions, Son explained that upon arriving at the school, he noticed the hurried faces of students rushing to their classes. 

In response, he headed to the schoolyard, greeted the students, and reminded them to walk slowly to avoid tumbles.

“I remained standing to welcome the students until the start of the class,” Son said. 

“Subsequently, I visited every classroom to personally meet with all the students and their respective homeroom teachers throughout the entire school.

“The fulfillment of my assigned tasks at this school hinges on the cooperation and engagement of the students.”

The Department of Education and Training in Thua Thien Hue Province has designated Son, the former principal of Gia Hoi High School in Hue City, as the new principal of Hai Ba Trung High School.

This decision comes in the aftermath of Ngo Duc Thuc’s resignation due to financial management violations.

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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20231204/vietnamese-high-school-principals-enthusiastic-greeting-on-first-day-goes-viral-on-social-media/77052.html

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UK government scholarship recipients train Vietnamese students in clean energy

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Luu Nguyen Nguyet Minh, an alumnus of the UK government’s Chevening Scholarship Program, is working alongside a cohort of her fellow Chevening alumni to promote the shift to renewable energy in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region.

Last weekend, the group hosted a two-day training program for 9th graders at Doan Thi Diem Middle School in Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City.

The program, named ‘Enhancing Awareness of Renewable Energy Toward Achieving Zero Net Emissions in the Mekong Delta,’ brought several Chevening scholars and local experts together to teach the participants about simple renewable energy models.

Minh, a Can Tho native, has spent the better part of her academic and professional life working to create positive changes in the Mekong Delta region.

“The project brings together Chevening alumni, young engineers, and lecturers from Can Tho University,” Minh said. “Young people in the Mekong Delta, especially in Can Tho, have the ability and passion to build a sustainable and healthy delta.”

During the training program, Nguyen Thi Anh Thu, a Chevening scholar who specializes in environmental and energy studies, spent time teaching the participants about energy, including different sources of energy and actions they can take within their families and schools to implement renewable energy and efficient energy-saving practices.

Thu specifically focused on the Mekong Delta’s abundance of wind as a clean, renewable energy source for the region.

Contributing to the project, Bui Minh Duc, a construction engineer in Can Tho, along with a team of experts, built a visual model depicting four systems of renewable energy production.

According to Duc, the model allows students to visualize the basic principles of generating electricity from renewable sources. The students also wrote down the ideas for their own model and presented them in English.

The model will eventually be donated to the school so that it can continue to be used to inspire the transition to renewable energy.

On December 11, a convoy from the British Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City will visit the school to present awards to the teams who participated in a solar energy-powered mini vehicle design competition.

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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20231201/uk-government-scholarship-recipients-train-vietnamese-students-in-clean-energy/77035.html

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Vietnam university awards honorary doctorate to S.Korean province governor

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The University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday awarded an honorary doctorate to Lee Cheol Woo, governor of North Gyeongsang Province in eastern South Korea for his contributions to the friendship between the East Asian country and Vietnam.

Speaking at a ceremony to give the doctorate, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tam, vice-president of the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, hailed Lee’s assistance, informing that Lee had received many medals and prizes, including the Order for the Hongjo Geunjeong Medal, the Proud Korean Grand Prize, and the grand prize for Proud Koreans Who Shined for Korea.

He promoted the establishment of the Saemaul Globalization Foundation in Vietnam.

Activities of the foundation and the Center for Rural Development – Saemaul Undong have helped foster Vietnam’s socio-economic development, which has been recognized by many Vietnamese localities.

Saemaul Undong is also known as the New Community Movement, a political initiative launched in 1970 to modernize the rural South Korean economy.

“Through the operations of the foundation and the Saemaul movement, North Gyeongsang Province governor Lee has helped with increasingly tightening the Vietnam – South Korea relations,” Tam said.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Thi Phuong Lan, rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, said Lee had contributed significantly to the local community through the Center for Rural Development – Saemaul Undong’s activities.

Lan added that Lee would continue making great contributions to the currently strong Vietnam – South Korea relations.

“It’s my great honor and pride to receive the honorary doctorate from the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, which is known as the largest university in Vietnam and the cradle of many talents of the country,” Lee remarked at the ceremony.

He added he used to be a teacher and has more than 40 years of working in the National Diet of Japan and then the North Gyeongsang Province administration.

“I get a new feeling when standing here because Vietnamese educators recognized my efforts and achievements from my contributions to human prosperity through the Saemaul movement,” Lee shared.

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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20231129/vietnam-university-awards-honorary-doctorate-to-skorean-province-governor/76995.html

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