Hanoi’s schoolyards came alive with laughter and friendship as students returned from summer break for the first morning of the 2026-2027 academic year.
The 2026-2027 academic year officially began across Vietnam on September 5. In Hanoi’s crisp autumn air, students returned to school with bright smiles, playful energy and the unmistakable excitement of seeing friends again.
At 6:30 am, the courtyard of Tran Duy Hung Secondary School was already alive with color as students gathered for the first day back. More than 26 million pupils and students nationwide began the new academic year with a special opening ceremony. This year’s event was held from 7:30 am to 8:30 am on September 5, combining in-person activities with a nationwide online broadcast.Teacher Vu Thuy Hoa Van of Tran Duy Hung Secondary School, wearing a blue ao dai, poses for photos with parents and students as they share the excitement of welcoming a new academic year.Nearly 2,400 students at Tran Duy Hung Secondary School join together in singing “Nhu co Bac Ho trong ngay vui dai thang” after the ceremonial drum sounds to mark the beginning of the school year.At Yen Vien Secondary School in Phu Dong commune, Hanoi, students from different grades settle into their places in the school courtyard early in the morning. Groups of friends chat and laugh as they reunite and prepare to begin another year together.Before the opening ceremony gets underway, a group of seventh-grade girls play rock-paper-scissors amid the lively atmosphere.Ngoc Bich, an eighth grader at Yen Vien Secondary School, takes a moment to braid the hair of her close friend sitting in front of her. “After such a long summer break, we really missed each other. Now that we are back at school, we are all ready for an energetic and productive new academic year,” Ngoc Bich said.One boy still looks a little sleepy after arriving at school early in the morning.Other students bring comic books along, making the most of the cool autumn weather to enjoy a few quiet pages before the ceremony begins.Sixth graders beam with excitement on their first day at a new school.At 8:15 am, the atmosphere turns solemn for the flag-raising ceremony. All students at Yen Vien Secondary School rise together and sing the national anthem.For Class 5CI2 students at Nguyen Sieu Primary School, excitement carries an added meaning: the new academic year is also their final year of primary school.
Vietnamnet.vn
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