Press Release

Award Ceremony of the writing competition "My grandparents and I"

16 November 2015

Ha Noi, 16 November 2015 - The award ceremony of the writing competition "My grandparents and I" launched by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and HelpAge International was organised at the Green One UN House in Ha Noi. Contestants in the writing competition were students from Ha Noi - Amsterdam School, Phan Dinh Phung School, British Vietnamese International School and the United Nations International School. The competition, launched on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of International Day of Older Persons and the Month of Action for Older People 2015, aims to not only change the social norms and stereotypes about older persons, but also to inform young Vietnamese to be more aware of the realities of an ageing society and to express their love and respect to their grandparents and older persons.

After nearly one month, the competition's organizer received 403 essays in English and Vietnamese. The first prize winner was Mr. Dang Duc Anh, class 9A of Ha Noi - Amsterdam school. The second prize were awarded to Miss Nguyen Hanh Trang, class 9E of Ha Noi - Amsterdam School and Miss Nguyen Tuong Vy Linh, class 12Q1 of Phan Dinh Phung. In addition, there were 4 third prizes and 18 consolation prizes.

Addressing the ceremony, Ms. Ritsu Nacken, Acting UNFPA in Viet Nam emphasized : "The stories submitted by the students are not only inspiring but also reflective of perception, respect, love and beyond that grandchildren have for their grandparents. The stories tell us memories that demonstrate loving relationships, surprising revelations, and the significance of family ties. From what we have seen, grandparents aren't ready for the sidelines. They want to be active, engaged, involved and appreciated".

In addition, the Saxophonist Quyen Van Minh, who was Ambassador for the Photo Voice Exhibition "Timeless" held in October 2015 was also awarded the Certificate of Appreciation for his great contribution to the photo voice event. Mr. Minh shared that age is nothing but a number and both senior and young generations are valuable in their own right, and older persons are active and forward-looking participants in society.

Viet Nam has officially entered the "ageing phase" since 2011, and is among the most rapidly ageing countries in the world. The proportion of older persons in the total population has increased to 10.5 per cent in 2014, and will be doubled to 23 per cent in 2040. As the world sets out an inspirational new development agenda, and commits to reaching the new Sustainable Development Goals, Viet Nam must envision a new paradigm that aligns demographic ageing with economic and social growth and protects the human rights of older persons to make sure no one is left behind.

Together, we need to reinvent our assumptions of age to break stereotypes and develop new models of ageing for the 21st century.