VietNamNet Bridge – Thousands of people throughout the country have, since mid-June, sent photos and text messages to raise funds in support of people and soldiers working and struggling for the Vietnamese sovereignty of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

Love for country: A photo selected from one of thousands of entries that will be presented to people living on the country's Spratly islands. — Photos go.vn/biendong

The photos, which feature Viet Nam's landscapes and people, have been attached to a map of the country and digitalised in high resolution. They can be found at go.vn/biendong. The map will be presented as a gift to those on the islands along with the funds raised during the campaign.

When the movement officially closed on July 18, many people still expressed their desire to contribute more photos, so the deadline was extended.

The campaign was organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications, Viet Nam Television, VTC Television, Viet Nam Red Cross, and Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Anthem contest    

A nationwide National Anthem Singing Festival will soon take place, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The festival will gather high school and college students to compete in three regional contests in the North, Central and South.

The contest for the North will be organised in downtown Ha Noi on August 17 and 18, said Trinh Ngoc Chung, secretary of the Communist Youth Union.

Chung explained that the reason for the contest was that many young people today could not sing the national anthem fluently.

"The ministry is organising this contest to encourage students to sing the national anthem so they can nurture their patriotism every day," he said. "Students will sing the song every Monday morning at the flag hoisting ceremony."

The national anthem, Tien Quan Ca (Marching Song), was composed by Van Cao in 1944 and adopted as the national anthem of united Viet Nam in 1976.

VNS/VNN