To celebrate the 71st anniversary of Vietnamese Doctors' Day (February 27, 1955 - February 27, 2026), on the afternoon of February 25, the Ministry of Health launched the 7th "Silent Sacrifice" contest.
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health Vu Manh Ha emphasized that the contest is a practical activity to arouse pride in the glorious tradition of the health sector; promote the spirit of responsibility, proactiveness, and creativity of the team of officials, employees, and workers throughout the sector in studying and following Ho Chi Minh's thought, ethics, and style.
This is also an opportunity to commend and honor typical collectives and individuals; replicate good models and effective ways of doing things, contributing to the successful implementation of assigned political tasks in the spirit of Resolution 72-NQ/TW dated September 9, 2025 of the Politburo.
According to the Deputy Minister of Health, Resolution 72-NQ/TW has shaped breakthrough and long-term solutions for the industry in the new development era: Strongly shifting from treatment thinking to proactive disease prevention; strengthening grassroots health care; free periodic health check-ups; towards universal health insurance and basic hospital fee exemption.
To realize those goals, the team of doctors and medical staff both receives close attention and faces increasingly high requirements from the Party, State and People.
In that context, journalism is identified as a bridge of compassion between the medical industry and society. "The pen is a flame that lights up moral values, spreads positive energy and helps society to be more empathetic to the hardships of the medical profession," the Deputy Minister emphasized.
According to Journalist Tran Tuan Linh, Editor-in-Chief of Health & Life Newspaper, Head of the Organizing Committee of the contest, the outstanding new point of the 7th season is the addition of the photo category in addition to the traditional writing category.
The Organizing Committee expects that, in addition to the power of words, the authentic moments recorded through the lens will bring a multi-dimensional, vivid perspective on the portrait of a Vietnamese doctor: the sweat after a long surgery, the happy smile when the patient is discharged from the hospital, or the image of a doctor crossing the forest in floods.
To ensure professional quality, the contest gathers a prestigious Final Judging Council. In the writing category, writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers' Association, holds the role of Chairman of the Council. Also participating are Assoc. Prof. Dr. BS Nguyen Lan Hieu and many journalists and leaders of major press agencies.
The photo category is chaired by NSNA Tran Thi Thu Dong, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, along with experienced journalists and photographic artists.
Entries must reflect real people, real events, and have a specific address. Entries must have a maximum of 4,500 words, and are encouraged to be expressed in modern forms such as Multimedia, Longform. In the photo category, authors can submit single photos or photo sets of 5–8 photos.
The prize structure has been expanded corresponding to two categories. The writing group has 1 Special Prize worth 80 million VND, 1 First Prize of 50 million VND and many Second, Third, and Consolation Prizes. The photo group has 1 First Prize of 50 million VND, 2 Second Prizes, 3 Third Prizes and 10 Consolation Prizes.
Entries are created from the launch date of February 25 to the end of November 30, 2026. The award ceremony is expected to take place in February 2027.
According to leaders of the Ministry of Health, after more than 15 years of organization, "Silent Sacrifice" is no longer just a simple press contest but has become a media brand with widespread influence.
Each season is hundreds, thousands of stories about medical ethics, about the will and dedication of doctors and medical staff across the country being told, touching the hearts of the public.
From doctors staying up all night at the operating table fighting for patients' lives, to dedicated nurses taking care of patients like relatives, to village health workers crossing mountains and streams to bring vaccines to remote areas, or scientists silently in laboratories... all have created a vivid picture of the spirit of "Doctors are like mothers" in the new era.
The prize structure of the 7th contest has been expanded in value compared to the most recent season due to having 2 separate categories and equivalent prize values.
The group of works wrote:
- 01 Special Prize worth 80,000,000 VND
- 01 First Prize worth 50,000,000 VND
- 02 Second Prizes - each prize worth 30,000,000 VND
- 03 Third Prizes - each prize worth 10,000,000 VND
- 05 Consolation Prizes - each prize worth 5,000 VND
Group of photo works:
- 01 First Prize worth 50,000,000 VND
- 02 Second Prizes - each prize worth 30,000,000 VND
- 03 Third Prizes - each prize worth 10,000,000 VND
- 10 Consolation Prizes - each prize worth 5,000 VND
