“I am writing this letter from Earth, where I am on a mission to make all roads in the world safer for children...”, Dao Khuong Duy, a 6/1 student at Huynh Tan Phat Secondary School, Binh Dai District, Ben Tre Province, began his letter like this when he transformed into the superhero S-24/7. With clear, simple but concise, powerful words and full of love for family and fellow human beings, Khuong Duy's letter surpassed more than 1.5 million entries from students nationwide to win first prize in the national contest.

Dao Khuong Duy and his mother at the award ceremony of the 52nd UPU International Letter Writing Competition.

With the logical thinking of a good Math student, Duy's letter guides readers with specific evidence and intelligent imagination to solve very practical problems. Khuong Duy shared: "I really like the characters Super Man and Thanh Giong with extraordinary strength, always helping people. When I saw that the contest theme related to superheroes and traffic safety for children was very close, I participated. The character is named S-24/7 because the letter S is the beginning of many beautiful words on earth such as Superhero, Sacrifice, Safety and that superhero has the duty to protect children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without a single minute of rest".

Observing life around me, I see many people driving recklessly, riding without helmets, so Duy's character often transforms to stay one step ahead of the "traffic accident demon". Duy wrote: "Sometimes I am a traffic police officer, kindly helping a group of children cross the street. Sometimes I am a school security guard, reminding parents to always wear helmets and fasten seat belts for their children. Sometimes I am a cleaning lady, stopping her broom to advise children to walk orderly on the right side of the road. Sometimes I am a headwind, causing all vehicles to run under 30km/h when approaching areas with many children...". He hopes to be able to exchange and replace the very dangerous and wrong thoughts of people with the right thoughts, safety always comes first. Hidden in Duy's letter are very important and meaningful messages sent to adults. That is, all children deserve to go home safely. The inspiration for Duy to write this special and emotional letter was not only superhero movies but also books about famous people, Vietnamese history and the book "The Adventures of a Cricket" which he considers a close friend.

Although his family's circumstances are still difficult, he has never known what extra classes are, but Duy has often been at the top of intellectual competitions at school. All the knowledge he has acquired comes from lectures in class and books that his mother bought for him. His father is a worker at a small printing company near home, and his mother's health is not very good, so all the family's income revolves around a small tea shop. Huynh Thi Thao Tien, Duy's mother, shared: "Every day, Duy wakes up at 5 am, helps his mother push the cart out, arranges tables and chairs, and then prepares to go to school. Duy has loved to study since he was young, so he is very proactive in his studies. Whenever he has money, Duy spends it on books. I hope I will have good health to take good care of Duy and help him fulfill his dreams."

When she received the news that Duy won the first prize of the contest, Ms. Tien also thought it was like the first prizes that Duy often won, but when she learned that it was a national contest and that Duy's letter was also translated into French by the Organizing Committee for the international contest, she was very surprised. At the age of 12, with a soaring imagination, rich in emotions and simple language, the boy from the land of coconuts created a superhero full of love.

Article and photos: KHANH HA