What is the most important thing in life?

This question was the topic for middle and high school students in Ho Chi Minh City in the Japanese speaking contest, organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training on January 10.

Vietnamese students line up to ask for calligraphy from a Japanese calligrapher at booths outside the contest - Photo: MY DUNG

On January 10, the city-level round of the Japanese Speech Contest with the theme "The Most Important Thing in Life" was held, with 6 junior high school students competing and 12 high school students making it to the final round.

The students excelled over 300 candidates from many secondary and high schools in Ho Chi Minh City in the previous grassroots rounds of the competition.

And the contest's requirement is to write an essay of 400-600 words in Japanese for high school students and 300-400 words for middle school students with the topic "The most important thing in life" which helps reveal the hidden things in the souls of middle school and high school students, young people today.

Two students show off Japanese letters after getting them from a calligrapher - Photo: MY DUNG

Tran Huynh Kha Doanh - a 10th grade Japanese major student at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted - shared that he was very interested in the theme of this contest. "The theme of the contest made us - the people cheering for our seniors, students - answer this question ourselves.

The contest not only connects us together, improves our Japanese communication skills, but also touches on things to think about in life," Kha Doanh expressed.

Speaking at the final round of the contest, Mr. Ono Masuo - Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City - assessed that "the most important thing in life" is an extremely profound topic.

"In addition to the values ​​that students cultivate, in the process of learning Japanese, feeling the power of language, the ability to convey thoughts and connect souls with others is also very important in each person's life.

I put my trust and hope in Vietnam, especially the dynamic and enthusiastic young generation of Vietnam," said Mr. Ono Masuo.

Award ceremony of Japanese speech contest on January 10 - Photo: MY DUNG

Mr. Pham Quang Tam - Deputy Head of Secondary Education Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training - said that the Japanese speech contest aims to create a healthy, positive and useful playground, train the spirit of solidarity and collective living skills of students, to enhance and further understand the differences between the two cultures of Vietnam and Japan.

First prize went to students from Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted and Le Quy Don Secondary School.

The Japanese speech contest is jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training and the Japanese Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, with sponsorship from the Japanese Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City. This year, the contest attracted about 300 students from 10 secondary and high schools to participate.

At the high school level, the first prize in eloquence went to contestant Nguyen Ngoc Kim Ngan - a student at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted; at the middle school level, the first prize went to a student from Le Quy Don Middle School, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dieu-quan-trong-nhat-trong-cuoc-song-la-gi-20250110180801466.htm