Many countries around the world celebrate Teachers’ Day, but from country to country the date of the holiday varies. Vietnamese people celebrate Viet Nam Teachers’ Day on November 20 each year, a Monday in 2017. In 1957 Vietnamese teachers & education professionals travelled to Poland and participated in an international teacher’s meeting. The initial celebration originated in 1958 as the anniversary of that meeting. From there it evolved and in 1982 the day was officially renamed as Viet Nam Teachers’ Day. Days before the occasion, students at all schools prepare a music performance or a play within a team, some schools even organize a competition where the best performances will be chosen to perform on the special day and the best one will of course wins a prize. On the special day, most schools allow students and teachers a day-off for a formal ceremony including a speech by the principle and a student representative, then the special prizes are granted to different teachers, in recognition of their respective contribution to education. Parents and alumni students pay respect to teachers by offering gifts like clothing, cosmetics, fruits, flowers and so on. Alumni often wait for this day or the days before to visit their old teachers to pay respect and talk about memories from the past. This celebration is not strictly dedicated only to people who teach classes, but also to those who provide moral education or anyone who have been nurturing the development of children and students in one way or another, anyone who is important to your own development, all can be celebrated on this day. Vietnamese Teachers Day is an invaluable tradition that is meant to teach young people about the importance of education and the people who are providing them. Their presence is anything but flashy but their impact is undeniably significant to each and every life that they touch.
