Officially launched on Vietnam Television in 2010, the films of the “Life’s Gifts” program—deeply moving, rich in humanity, and full of profound philosophies—have touched the hearts of millions of viewers. Inspired by the program, many of those viewers began to submit their own heartfelt and meaningful stories, drawn from personal experience or daily observations, to the editorial board. From this idea and the enthusiasm of the audience, the “Life’s Gifts” Short Story Writing Contest was born.
Over the course of five months (December 2010 to May 2011), the contest organizers received 700,312 entries from 547,230 authors of all ages and professions—students, pupils, civil servants, retirees. Many submissions were especially moving, such as “Wake Up and Smile” by Trần Thái Hồng or “The Priceless Doll” by Hồ Uyên Sa. Particularly noteworthy was Nguyễn Phương Thúy, a young woman with brittle bone disease, who submitted 16 works; one of them, “A Perspective Creates Strength,” won a prize in the contest.
The contest had no First Prize. The two Second Prizes went to “Wake Up and Smile” by Trần Thái Hồng (12th-grade student, Kim Liên High School, Hanoi) and “The Priceless Doll” by Hồ Uyên Sa (Hue University of Foreign Languages). The three Third Prizes went to: “The Strange Painting” by Chu Thanh Hương; “Migratory Birds” by Phạm Thu Hằng (Nghe An); and “The Basket of Red Apples” by Trần Thị Phương Trinh (Ho Chi Minh City).
The organizers also presented nine Consolation Prizes and three Special Prizes: one for the author with the largest number of submissions who also had a work in the finals, one for an author in special circumstances with a work in the finals, and one “Friendly Prize” for a story about banking.
Arriving in her wheelchair to receive the award, Thúy shared: “When I submitted my story, I never thought I would win. I only hoped to share my thoughts with others and give myself more strength to live.”
“Life’s Gifts” is one of the very few programs broadcast daily during prime time on Vietnam Television. The General Director of VTV signed a decision recognizing “Life’s Gifts” as one of the best programs of Vietnam Television in 2011. Also this year, the Hanoi Department of Education officially piloted the integration of “Life’s Gifts” films into moral education classes in schools.
Reporter: Thanh Thanh