On August 28th, in Hanoi, Nong Thon Ngay Nay Newspaper coordinated with the Department of Grassroots Information and Foreign Information (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) to organize the Award Ceremony of the writing contest "Ralling Vietnamese Stories", towards celebrating the 81st National Day September 2nd.
According to the Organizing Committee, after two and a half months of launching, the contest has received 1,200 entries from domestic and foreign authors. About 100 entries were selected for publication, of which 21 excellent entries were awarded.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hoai, Editor-in-Chief of Nong Thon Ngay Nay Newspaper/Dan Viet Electronic Newspaper, Head of the Organizing Committee of the contest, said that the contest is organized to create a playground for Vietnamese people at home and abroad, Dan Viet readers as well as international friends who love Vietnam to share their stories, experiences and feelings about the country. The contest attracts authors from 34 provinces and cities across the country, Vietnamese citizens living and working abroad, and many foreign authors who are fluent in Vietnamese and are working in Vietnam.
The oldest author is Major General Phan Van Lai (96 years old); the youngest author is Trinh Anh Tu (8 years old).
Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of Grassroots Information and Foreign Information, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee, assessed: "The contest has expanded the space for Vietnamese people and international friends to write and tell stories about Vietnam. Through this contest, each Vietnamese citizen can contribute to writing a story about their country".
The first prize of the contest was awarded to the work "Where the national anthem harmonizes with the sound of waves" by author Vu Quoc Huy (Hanoi).
Two Second Prizes belonged to the work "Aspiration to bring Vietnamese music to the world from its roots" by singer Tung Duong and "Vietnam in my heart" by author Saleem Hammad, a Palestinian living and working in Vietnam.
Three Third Prizes were awarded to the works "Keeping a Vietnamese bloodline in the heart" by Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao, a student studying abroad in Thailand; "The stars that never go out" by Nguyen Thi Lan Huong (Hai Phong); and "Vietnam - A morning watching the sunrise from the Temple of Literature" by German Professor, Doctor Andreas Stoffers.
In addition to the main prizes, the Organizing Committee also awarded 10 thematic prizes, including: the Spreading Award for author Le Tho Binh with the work "A person who loves their country"; the Vietnam Aspiration Award, author Bui Hoai Son with the work "Each Vietnamese person is a beautiful story about the country".
Sharing his feelings after winning the First Prize of the contest, author Vu Quoc Huy (Colonel - Dr., Deputy Head of the Automation Institute, Military Science and Technology Institute, General Staff) said he was surprised when his story received sympathy and spread.
According to him, the story of participating in the contest is not something big but originates from very ordinary feelings and emotions of individuals. Therefore, he hopes that those emotions can touch the hearts of those who sympathize, so that the story will not only remain in the memories of those involved but will be shared more widely.
I think that each small story will become a big story, and that story is a picture of Vietnamese people. Each story is a slice" - he shared.
