Hanoi drums up new school year 2023-2024

With some 2.3 million students, equal to 10% of the nationwide student community, today (September 5) should be a busy day for all schools in Hanoi as they kick off the new academic year 2023-2024.

Well-prepared and dressed in uniforms, students from kindergarten to high school begin their new school year with eagerness and excitement.

The opening ceremony at Dich Vong Secondary School in Cau Giay District. Photo: Hai Nguyen/The Hanoi Times

Nguyen Van Hoa in Cau Giay District has his daughter enrolled in first grade this year. He has prepared his daughter with a small flag and a flower for the opening ceremony.

“She is so excited,” he told The Hanoi Times. “She gets up early on her own, gets dressed, and we quickly arrive at the school for the ceremony.”

Today, Nguyen My Duyen in Ha Dong District takes a leave from work to enjoy the first day of the academic year with her kid.

“I’ve had everything ready for today so my family can attend the opening day at the school. It feels like my childhood again,” she said.

Nguyen Ha My, a student of Doan Ket Primary School in Ha Dong District, said that the opening day is a memorable and honorable moment, marking a milestone for all students.

“I’m happy to be able to partake in the day,” she said.

At Khuong Ha School, an inter-level establishment in Thanh Xuan District, some 1,300 new students will enroll in all three levels.

“In our third year of operation, we always strive to improve educational quality,” principal Nguyen Phuong Lien said.

“The school and all teachers have prepared an interesting, surprising ceremony for the students to enjoy. The teachers have been training all Summer and have been appropriately arranged for the new school year," she said.

“We have developed a good curriculum, a shared database for students, and added more books to the library,” Lien said.

At other primary schools, such as Hong Ky in Soc Son District and Thai Thinh in Dong Da District, all first-grade students have taken a two-week course to learn the rules. They and their parents have been delivered with specific class schedules.

According to the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, the opening ceremony must be brief, student-centric, inspirational and motivating.

Students of Ngo Quyen Secondary School in Dong Anh District carry Vietnam's national flag at the opening day. Photo: Thanh Hai/The Hanoi Times

The ceremony should feature a wide range of activities, including singing, dancing, and sport playing. Particularly at the kindergarten, the ceremony should last for 60 minutes.

After the ceremony, all students will go to their classrooms to start the new school year.

All schools must meet standards in hygiene and sanitation, teaching and learning, food preparation, utilities, and transportation.

“Every student should enjoy accessibility to school regardless of their family finance, especially those living in underdeveloped areas and those with disabilities,” the department director Tran The Cuong said.

Before the new year, some 29,000 teachers in Hanoi have taken training courses on the latest updates of books and teaching regimes. In regard to the shortage of teachers, Hanoi-based schools have signed contracts with a total of 6,000 new teachers.

To assure everything goes well on the opening day, Hanoi authorities have prepared several solutions to keep the streets clear and safe and deal with traffic violations, especially underage students riding motorbikes.

“The priority is to make sure no accidents happen to the students during the day,” Tran Dinh Nghia, Director of the Hanoi Traffic Police Department, said.

Addressing the new school year, State President Vo Van Thuong said that learning is an important mission for Vietnamese students at all levels in all regions.

"Each year marks a new meaningful, joyful journey for you to acquire new knowledge and skills and define your abilities," he said.

The young Vietnamese generations are the future of Vietnam, who will lift the nation in the global communities," he said.

"Vietnam will only become a nation of happiness and prosperity and level others in the world if our people love their families, people and the mother nation," the President said.

He suggested that all students live and work well, be brave, and stand up and fight for their rights.

"I have faith in you. I see the bright future of Vietnam through your youthful strength, dreams and desires."

The President expressed his hopes that all teachers will always be good and passionate as passion and well-being will keep them overcoming difficulties and devoted to the nation and its young generations.

"I expect Vietnamese parents to side with the school and the education sector to develop the children well for a better society."