HANOI: For the first time in history, nearly 30 million students along with about 1.7 million teachers nationwide, simultaneously saluted the flag and sang the national anthem at the opening ceremony of the new academic year on Friday (Sept 5).
This year’s opening ceremony was organised by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) in conjunction with the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s education sector.
The event took place from 8am to 9.30am at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi, broadcast live on VTV1, and connected online with around 52,000 educational institutions across the country.
It marked the first time that all schools nationwide celebrated the new academic year in unison.
Attending the ceremony were Party General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, together with current and former Party and State leaders, as well as former education ministers.
According to the programme, Party General Secretary To Lam delivered a keynote address celebrating 80 years of the education sector and inaugurating the 2025–2026 school year.
During the ceremony, senior Party and State leaders also presented the First-class Labour Order to the MoET, gave policy directives, and stroke the ceremonial drum to mark the new academic year.
The 2025–2026 academic year is particularly significant as it is the first to implement the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, the National Assembly’s five-year socio-economic development plan for 2026–2030, and the Politburo’s resolution on breakthroughs in education and training.
It is also the first year under the new Law on Teachers, and the first to roll out the National Assembly’s resolutions on tuition waivers and support for preschool and general education students, school meal programmes, construction of schools in border communes, and nationwide adoption of two sessions per day.
National education targets for this academic year include 35 per cent enrollment of children under three in nursery schools; 94 per cent enrollment of preschool-aged children; 99.7 per cent of six-year-olds entering grade 1; and 99.5 per cent completing primary school.
On this occasion, President Luong Cuong sent a letter to the education sector, emphasising that the 2025–2026 school year begins in a new context: the nationwide consolidation of administrative units, implementation of the two-tier local government model, and the rollout of Politburo Resolution No 71-NQ/TW dated on Aug 22, 2025 on education and training breakthroughs.
He expressed his wish that the sector stay focused on the theme of the year “Discipline – Creativity – Breakthrough – Development”.
The President called for the comprehensive development of students in knowledge, ethics, skills, character and aspiration to meet the demands of rapid and sustainable national development.
He urged students to keep nurturing their dreams, study diligently, and grow into patriotic, responsible, creative, compassionate citizens with great ambition for building a prosperous and happy nation.
He called on teachers, education managers and staff to uphold their dedication and love for the profession, embrace innovation and foster happy learning environments.
Parents, he stressed, should continue accompanying schools and society in caring for future generations.
Finally, the President urged central ministries, Party committees and local authorities to give stronger support to education through practical policies, ensuring that teachers and learners can teach, study, and train in the best possible environment. - Vietnam News/ANN
