In the 2024 provincial Reading Culture Ambassador contest, numerous groups and individuals won high prizes. In the national contest, contestant Pham Gia Bao, a student of class 11A1 at Le Hong Phong High School (Tay Hoa district) won the consolation prize; Le Bao Toan, a former student of Luong Van Chanh High School for the Gifted (Tuy Hoa city), a student at the Political Officer School (Ministry of National Defense), won the title of Outstanding Reading Culture Ambassador.

Pham Gia Bao (left cover) with Ms Tran Thi Le Thuy, Principal of Le Hong Phong High School at the closing, awarding ceremony of the 2024 Reading Culture Ambassador Contest

The carefully crafted, clearly recorded articles and numerous of the articles showing the enthusiasm of the students when participating in the contest prove that reading culture has not been neglected among young people. Coming to books, they have positive thoughts and perceptions about life.

Emotional sharing

“Books have taught me to live more positively and responsibly. They have taught me to study hard and make even the smallest contributions to the country. And above all, books have taught me what true patriotism is - the desire for Vietnam to develop and for Vietnamese people to be truly happy...". That was the feeling of Pham Gia Bao when he wrote an essay to participate in the 2024 Reading Culture Ambassador contest.

In his contest entry, Gia Bao expressed his gratitude to the author of the novel "A Fierce Childhood" - Phung Quan.

"The book has truly become a brilliant piece of the 16-year-old that I was lucky enough to read. Numerous times I wondered if I hadn't read "A Fierce Childhood", how would I have known that at the age of eating and growing up, the "'National Guard Children" had to go through so numerous difficulties and hardships. Knowing that they would suffer, would be hungry, and could easily lose their lives, the boys never once trembled or faltered. I will never forget the bright, innocent smiles even during the beatings or amidst the enemy's rain of bombs and bullets... The author has let me know the pieces in the colorful picture of childhood, but a bit gloomy, dark of tragedy but also extremely brilliant of the endless days of wandering, dedicating oneself to the country", Gia Bao wrote.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Le Thuy, Principal of Le Hong Phong High School, the school identifies reading culture as a factor that promotes students' spirit of self-study and discovery, contributing to building a reading culture in the community; simultaneously, it is an important solution to improve the quality of teaching.

From there, the Board of Principal as well as teachers regularly update good, meaningful books to introduce to students; create conditions for pupils to borrow books; organize book-telling contests and participate in book-related contests organized by levels and sectors. In particular, each teacher and pupil is a reading culture ambassador spreading the value of books.

Therefore, Le Hong Phong High School not only won the collective prize with the most participants but also the school with the most winners. This result is the sweet fruit of the efforts of teachers in nurturing the passion for reading for pupils throughout the school.

Participating in the Reading Culture Ambassador contest for 4 consecutive years, in order to win the title of National Outstanding Reading Culture Ambassador in 2024, Le Bao Toan has previously achieved numerous remarkable achievements such as: Third prize nationwide in 2021, consolation prize and the most impressive illustration entry nationwide in 2022, the most impressive illustration entry award at the provincial level in 2023.

Bao Toan shared: “For me, the Reading Culture Ambassador’s journey is beautiful and meaningful. This journey has recorded my most intense emotions, my great love for books, knowledge and reading culture. This is the third time I have been honored to receive an award at the National Reading Culture Ambassador contest and also the first time I have participated in the contest as a student of the Vietnam People's Army. It is a process of research, accumulation, passion, exploration and spreading my own reading culture. Holding the noble award from the contest organizers is an extremely sacred and precious thing. Today's award will be the motivation and strength for me to keep spreading the love of reading to everyone".

In the contest entry, Bao Toan built a plan to develop a mobile library to bring books to villages, borders and islands to develop comprehensive knowledge and improve people's intelligence. Bao Toan worried: In the beloved S-shaped strip of land, there are still some areas with difficult socio-economic conditions, where reading is very limited, so I want to spread reading to people in border areas, islands, and places with difficult socio-economic conditions. We - book lovers must be the bridge, the source to call for donations, give books, spread knowledge and reading culture. Funds to develop reading culture, library trips bringing books to remote villages, borders, and islands will kindle the love of books in everyone.

Spreading reading culture

The 2024 Phu Yen province Reading Culture Ambassador Contest was launched in April and received 7,089 entries from 40 schools (high school, middle school and primary school) in the province. The entries followed the rules, expressing love for books through sharing and feeling books to inspire, lead a positive lifestyle, and be responsible to society; simultaneously, express the desire to contribute, build and develop a prosperous and happy homeland. Numerous entries were invested in, presented elaborately, uniquely and uniquely, with a broad message-conveying effect.

The contest aims to arouse a passion for reading among young people, thereby encouraging and promoting a reading culture in the young generation, forming reading habits and skills for them. Simultaneously, it affirms the position and great role of reading culture in contributing to improving people's knowledge, developing thinking, creativity, nurturing personality, soul, enhancing awareness of law compliance, forming a healthy lifestyle for the young generation, promoting the building of a learning society in the community.

According to Mr Le Hoang Phu, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the neat lines recording their sincere thoughts from good stories about life, about the benefits of reading books... young people have been successful, have known how to enrich their own knowledge. Together with family and school, books will contribute to accompanying children on the path of conquering knowledge and perfecting their personality to become useful people for their family, hometown and society.

“However, in order to spread the love of books and the passion for reading, it is certainly not only through the activities of the contest, but also from each family and school that we need to create a habit of reading, nurture the love of books for children from a young age. Especially promoting the effectiveness of the library system, community reading spaces so that everyone can read books anytime, anywhere”, Mr Phu emphasized.

Source: Phu Yen Newspaper

Translated by HAI LOAN