Speaking at the event, Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Maria Del Pilar Méndez Jiménez, said through the contests, the embassy wants Vietnamese people to join positive activities and spend the social distancing time at home in a more comfortable way, thus contributing to supporting the Vietnamese Government to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The contests also aimed to encourage initiatives and creativity of young Vietnamese who love the Spanish language, and all women in Vietnam and around the world, she said. Regarding the teaching and learning of Spanish in Vietnam, the ambassador said that the Spanish Embassy is planning to propose Vietnamese authorities make this language an optional foreign language in the curricula at secondary and high schools.
The ambassador expressed her hope that the contests of these kinds will continue to be organised in the coming years.
The literary contest targets those who love the Spanish language, thus promoting reading and writing activities in Spanish, and attracting public interest in Spanish culture in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the drawing contest, which attracted the participation of 400 contestants of different ages, contributed to honouring the role and contributions of women in society. In the framework of the contest, two online training classes on painting were arranged under the coordination of Hanoi Grapevine and the support of a number of foreign non-governmental organisations.
The organisers presented the first prize of the literary contest to Phan Lan Tuong, a student of Hanoi University. Meanwhile, Nguyen Bao Dang, a student of the Hanoi – Thang Long primary and secondary school won the first prize in the drawing contest.
