Duo Nguyen Ngan Giang and Do Ngan Giang are among the first contestants to join the programme with their "Com (green sticky rice) Vong village" video clip sent into the contest. (Photo: NDO/Ngoc Vy)

With a total award value of over VND320 million and more than one million English scholarships, the first Vietnamese Children – Reaching out the World programme was officially launched in Hanoi on October 15.

Both Vietnamese and foreign children living and studying in Vietnam at the age of 6-15 are eligible to join the event, which is being held in the format of a contest, in which candidates take part by sending their video clips Vietnamese or English with Vietnamese subtitles introducing their local culture.

Lasting until the early April 2020, the contest’s themes will be changed in each round, with the first round one on the unique cultural characteristics of the locality where the contestant lives and the second round is about food, costumes, festivals, historical sites and celebrities.

In particular, in the final round, contestants will be competing in exciting forms, including introducing food, displaying handicraft products, performing arts, simulating festivals and presentations in English.

The members of the organising committee at the launch of the contest. (Photo: NDO/Ngoc Vy)

Teams reaching the finals will have the right to participate in a forum on the theme of children promoting their national cultural identity, with a chance to contribute their initiatives to improve the children's sense, responsibilities and roles in preserving and promoting the national cultural identity, while being equipped with the necessary skills to promote and introduce Vietnamese cultural identity to international friends.

The total awards include VND322 million in cash and more than one million scholarships for English presentation and online English learning courses. In the final round, the organisers will award a first prize worth VND30 million, three second prizes, each worth VND20 million and three third prizes worth VND10 million each.

Hosted by the Central Council of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organisation and its partners, the event aims to improve children's understanding on the nation and ASEAN’s cultural traditions, while inspiring the passion for foreign language learning and creating a healthy, vibrant English language playing field for the country's children.

Contestants can register for the contest at its official website at https://vuonrathegioi.vn

VNF ( NDO )