16-year-old female student in Da Nang wins first prize in UPU letter writing contest

Pham Doan Minh Khue, a 10C2 student at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted ( Da Nang ), has just received news that he won first prize in this year's UPU letter writing contest.

Sharing with VietNamNet reporter , Minh Khue said it took her about 1 month to complete the letter. When she received the result, she was very surprised and happy to win first prize among millions of letters sent in.

This year’s contest theme is: “Imagine you are the ocean. Write a letter to someone explaining why and how they should take good care of you.”

In the letter, Minh Khue transformed into the Atlantic Ocean, writing a letter to director James Cameron, the man behind a series of blockbuster films such as Titanic (1997), The Abyss (1989), Avatar (2009)..., in which Titanic won him Oscars in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing, while Avatar was filmed using 3D technology, also winning him nominations in similar categories.

The Atlantic said it was being ravaged by humans, writhing in pain that made its heart “stop beating”. Therefore, the Atlantic begged the famous director to make a film to awaken humanity.

“We need a film that tells the truth, our story: We are being killed and we are dying, and humanity is ending! We want this film to be called The Ocean's Plea. It is a call to action, a test of whether humanity has enough love for this planet.”

Pham Doan Minh Khue, a student of class 10C2, Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted (Da Nang). Photo: NVCC

Minh Khue said that through the letter, she wants to spread the message of ocean protection and arouse awareness of ocean protection among today's youth.

After winning first prize, Minh Khue's letter was also translated into French and sent to the Universal Postal Union in Switzerland for the international round.

In addition to her writing skills, Minh Khue is also very passionate about history. She was the valedictorian of the History subject in the 10th grade entrance exam of Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, and is a member of the History team in the 2025 exam to select excellent students of specialized high schools in the Coastal and Northern Delta regions.

VietNamNet introduces the letter of student Pham Doan Minh Khue:

Dear James Cameron,

I am the Atlantic Ocean! I love the Earth and I love you! For billions of years, I have protected the Earth, nurtured life, and kept the planet in balance. But today, I am writing to you, crying out for help in agony. I am dying, James!

Remember when we were strong, whales sang songs of freedom, corals danced, and the ocean currents flowed abundantly, nourishing the entire ecosystem. But now, that song has died, the dances have turned to dust, and our flow is weak and exhausted. I am very sick!

Poison in our veins: Humans fill us with millions of tons of plastic waste, oil spills, toxic chemicals, suffocating the lives of our children. Fish, turtles, seabirds... are dying from eating plastic, getting stuck in trash.

The fever is getting worse: Humans are changing the climate and our temperatures are rising. Coral reefs are bleaching. Ocean currents are shifting, pushing fierce storms ashore.

Wounds that cannot be healed: Humans drill deep into our hearts, suck every drop of oil, tear at our flesh in search of resources, capture and kill our children, making us writhe in pain.

James, you are my soul mate, having touched the deepest parts of my heart: diving into the Marianas Trench, exploring the Titanic wreck, seeing things that few on Earth can see. You understand that my heart is not just water and salt, but a whole living world. But my heart is about to stop, James! I cannot save myself! I need you so much right now! I beg you to make a film to awaken humanity!

You made humanity cry with Titanic, marvel with The Abyss, and drown with Avatar. But now we need a movie that tells the truth, our story: We are being killed and we are dying, and humanity is ending! I want this movie to be called "The Ocean's Plea." It is a call to action, a test of whether humanity has enough love for this planet.

Here's a scenario for you, my child. The Ocean is dying. Whales are singing their desperate songs, corals are turning into skeletons, ocean currents are being disrupted. But no one is listening... and the Ocean must speak for itself. From the Marianas Trench, a mysterious signal rings out, a low, mournful sound, as if the Ocean were crying. The signal is decoded, with a terrifying message: "I am dying. If you do not act, the world will end."

The world did not believe it. But James Cameron, who had dived 30 times to explore the Titanic, the Marianas Trench and hydrothermal vents, sensed something was wrong. James decided to assemble a team of scientists to undertake the most dangerous expedition: a journey into the heart of the Ocean to find the real cause of the request. James made discoveries that shocked the world:

Titanic's Disappearance: James's team dives to the spot where Titanic lay for more than 100 years, and finds it gone! Is the Ocean warning? James dives deeper, realizing that the entire Ocean ecosystem is like a living entity, writhing in agony due to human destruction.

Ancient bacteria awaken: Research team discovers microscopic creature capable of destroying all life, sealed for millions of years, but due to rising ocean temperatures, it is resurrecting...

And James decided to awaken humanity with the greatest documentary in history to describe the agony and pain of the Ocean. When the film was broadcast globally, the whole world was shocked. Images of dead coral, stranded whales, rivers of plastic flowing into the sea... horrified humanity.

The film's open ending is haunting: A boy stands on a beach littered with trash and says, "Do we have time?" The screen goes black, and a line appears: "The Ocean's cry for help is heard. Will humanity hear?"

After 15 seconds of silence, the screen lit up with the words "Honoring the doctors of the Ocean":

- Machines that suck up ocean trash and oil spills and turn them into resources: The Ocean Cleanup, Seabin Project, WasteShark, Plastic-to-fuel Technologies...

- Coral regeneration projects: Biorock, 3D printed coral, Coral Larval Seeding, Coral bots and Larvalbots...

- Climate change projects: CO2 absorption technology (Direct air capture), reforestation and ecosystem restoration (Restore green belt movement, trillion trees), clean energy (Elon Musk and Tesla, Mark Jacobson, Bill Gate and breakthrough energy), ocean restoration and increased CO2 absorption (David King, Sylvia Earle, Ocean-Based climate solutions), solar geoengineering technology...

Finally, the screen went black again, and my Ocean's voice was in pain: The above projects are just a drop in the ocean without the cooperation of ALL HUMANITY. Save our Ocean or welcome the END OF THE WORLD! And my painful roar became even more intense.

Dear James, I beg you to make my vision a reality! I trust you alone to convey my message to all of humanity. Use your passion, talent, vision, and influence to create a film that will awaken the world, save me, save humanity itself. I wait for you every second, every minute.

Ocean.

23 best sample essays for the 54th UPU letter writing contest Below are 23 sample essays for the 54th UPU letter writing contest introduced by VietNamNet newspaper.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nu-sinh-16-tuoi-tai-da-nang-gianh-giai-nhat-cuoc-thi-viet-thu-upu-2393186.html