On the morning of November 2, in Hanoi, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VIFOTEC) in coordination with the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education and Training solemnly held the award ceremony of the 20th National Youth and Children's Creativity Contest in 2024 and launched the 2025 contest.

In his opening speech, Dr. Phan Xuan Dung, Chairman of VIFOTEC, emphasized the significance of the competition in inspiring passion for science and nurturing creative talents for the young generation. He also acknowledged and praised the efforts of the Organizing Committee, teachers and especially the students who participated in the competition with enthusiasm and creativity.

Dr. Phan Xuan Dung shared: "The contest is the inheritance and promotion of the nation's fine traditional values, imbued with Uncle Ho's teachings: "Whether Vietnam's mountains and rivers become beautiful or not, whether the Vietnamese people can step up to the stage of glory to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world powers or not, depends largely on your studies."

Mr. Dung affirmed that over the past 20 years, the Organizing Committee has always strived to "create all conditions for students across the country to bring to the Contest many intellectual products that can continue to be developed in the future or applied in practice".

According to Dr. Phan Xuan Dung, this year's contest saw the participation of a large number of students with 907 topics from 58 provinces and cities across the country. This is "the largest number ever, with significantly improved quality".

"Cu Chi Tunnels Model" won special prize

This year, the Steering Committee has selected 106 topics for consideration, including: 1 special prize (20 million VND), 5 first prizes (15 million VND each), 10 second prizes (10 million VND each), 30 third prizes (8 million VND each) and 60 consolation prizes (5 million VND each). The total prize value is 735 million VND.

The special prize honors the group of authors with the topic of Cu Chi Tunnel Model. They are 8th and 9th grade students from Cau Giay Secondary School, Hanoi including Luu Bao Chau, Nguyen Duy Kien, Nguyen Lam Uyen, Le Ngoc Khai Vy, Nguyen Thanh Mai.

More than just a miniature model, the Cu Chi Tunnels model is a harmonious combination of historical and geographical knowledge with the application of modern technology. The model uses solar batteries, presence sensors, sound, light, along with rich content presented in both Vietnamese and English, bringing a realistic and vivid experience to viewers.

In particular, the Cu Chi Tunnels model also integrates interactive features such as audio recordings, information lookups, videos, and games, helping learners explore the nation's heroic history in an interesting and effective way.

This is a typical STEM product, inspiring students' passion for learning, research and creativity, while contributing to spreading historical and cultural values ​​to the community.

With tireless efforts, the author team plans to continue developing the topic, creating smaller versions of the tunnel, suitable for teaching conditions in different regions, and adding more features and languages ​​so that the product can reach more users.

The Organizing Committee also awarded prizes to many authors and groups of authors with creative ideas through products and models that are related to life and contribute to environmental protection, and can be applied to subjects and real life...

In addition to awarding prizes to the contestants, the Steering Committee also decided to "award certificates of merit to 10 units and 20 individuals with outstanding achievements in propaganda, dissemination and organization of the contest."

Also at the closing and award ceremony, Secretary of the Central Youth Union, Chairman of the Central Council of Young Pioneers Nguyen Pham Duy Trang launched the 21st National Youth and Children's Creativity Contest.