On May 22, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh issued Decree No. 70 establishing the Central Committee for Dyke Protection. With that historical significance, on March 21, 1990, the Council of Ministers decided to take May 22 every year as "Vietnam's Traditional Day for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control". Continuing that glorious tradition, on February 13, 2019, the Prime Minister decided to take the week from May 15 to May 22 every year as the National Week for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control to raise awareness and responsibility of Party committees, authorities at all levels and people of all walks of life to build a safe society against natural disasters, for the sustainable development of the country.

The National Week in 2025 has the theme "Sustainable communities, disaster resilience", to emphasize the central role of the community in preventing, responding to and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters. A proactive, resilient and flexible community that can adapt to natural disasters will not only contribute to reducing damage caused by natural disasters but also be an important foundation for the sustainable and stable development of the country. On the morning of May 15, 2025, at Bao Thang District Secondary and High School for Ethnic Minorities, Lao Cai, the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam, organized the Golden Bell Contest "Preventing Natural Disasters with Me - Creating a Sustainable Future". With the aim of improving knowledge and skills in preventing and combating natural disasters in the context of increasingly severe climate change, minimizing damage caused by natural disasters. The "RCV" contest will be a useful playground, conveying many necessary skills and knowledge to students. The winner of the RCV competition will act as a child ambassador to help spread messages, thereby taking practical actions to reduce disaster risks.

In his opening speech, Mr. Nguyen Van Tien - Deputy Director of the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention - Ministry of Agriculture and Environment took the stage to give the opening speech of the program, saying: In recent years, the natural disaster situation in Vietnam has been complicated and unpredictable, causing serious damage to both people and property. In 2024, natural disasters in our country have been fierce and extreme, occurring in many regions, causing heavy losses in people, property and people's lives. In particular, storm No. 3 and the circulation after the storm caused heavy rain over a large area, leading to flash floods, landslides and serious landslides. Lao Cai is one of the most severely affected localities, with the tragic images in Lang Nu deeply engraved in the minds of many Vietnamese people, reminding us of the devastation of natural disasters.

In difficult times, facing life-threatening situations, there have been many shining examples, with their determination and understanding, bringing a second life to hundreds of people. That is the example of the head of Kho Vang village, Coc Lau commune, Bac Ha district, with a lightning-fast decision to evacuate 115 people to the high mountain, narrowly avoiding a landslide. Or teacher Vu Xuan Que, Principal of Secondary and High School No. 3, Muong Hum commune, discovered signs of an old landslide returning, promptly reported to the Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Hum commune, Bat Xat district, to urgently move 140 teachers and students to safety, avoiding the disaster of a landslide on the hill behind the school that completely collapsed the boarding house. This is a lesson for us to look back at the training and education of young generations about knowledge and skills to survive natural disasters.

Children are the future of the country, the generation of global citizens plays a key role in changing and building a sustainable nation. Children are also the most vulnerable group to natural disasters, needing special attention, and at the same time, there must be an appropriate approach through extracurricular activities and games suitable for children's age and awareness. With the aim of creating a useful and healthy playground, promoting the awareness of learning, learning knowledge and skills on natural disaster prevention for students, in recent times, many activities have integrated knowledge on natural disaster prevention in schools, including the Golden Bell contest "Preventing natural disasters with me - Creating a sustainable future" which has been organized in many localities such as Soc Trang, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Phu Tho, Quang Binh... The contest is not only a useful playground to help students improve their knowledge and practice skills but also an opportunity for them to demonstrate their sense of responsibility to the community. Through questions related to natural disaster prevention, the contest will contribute to raising awareness and response capacity, helping students protect themselves and support their families and friends when incidents occur. I hope that the positive effects of the contest will attract more attention from authorities at all levels, schools and the community to disaster prevention and control, thereby building a sustainable community that is resilient to natural disasters.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tien - Deputy Director of the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention - Ministry of Agriculture and Environment delivered the opening speech.

Speaking at the competition, Ms. Luong Minh Ngoc - UNICEF representative in Vietnam shared: In 2024, Vietnam has experienced a challenging year with severe and unusual natural disasters. We have witnessed more than 1,000 natural disaster events, including storm No. 3 - Yagi, the strongest storm in the past 30 years in the East Sea, causing historic floods and landslides in many northern mountainous provinces, including Lao Cai. The serious damage to people, property and the environment reminds us that natural disasters are no longer far away, but are present around us, directly affecting our families, schools and communities.

But we can see an opportunity in these challenges. An opportunity for us to learn, to act together and build a more sustainable community, better adapted to natural disasters. Children and young people across Vietnam are raising their voices and leading efforts to reduce disaster risks. I believe that children and young people in Lao Cai in general and Bao Thang district in particular are also capable of leading these efforts. And teachers are the ones who inspire them, helping them understand that knowledge is not only in books, but also the luggage to protect themselves and the community.

Ms. Luong Minh Ngoc hopes that the final round of the Golden Bell contest today will be a creative, innovative and useful playground for children to learn knowledge and skills to prevent natural disasters and adapt to climate change, not only to protect themselves, but also to be propagandists to their friends, family and the community around them. Each small action of ours today will bring about big changes in the future. I look forward to witnessing the contributions that each student will make on the journey towards a safer, greener and more sustainable Bao Thang, a Lao Cai.

Ms.Luong Minh Ngoc - UNICEF representative in Vietnam spoke at the contest.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thanh - Head of Education and Training Department of Bao Thang district spoke at the contest.

After 02 preliminary rounds at school and the final round for the 100 best students representing the schools today, the competition has found the winner, ringing the golden bell to demonstrate the knowledge, capacity and responsibility of the future generation with the work of PCTT to the whole community and society.

At the end of the competition, the organizing committee awarded 01 First prize; 01 Second prize, 01 Third prize, 10 Encouragement prizes; 03 Collective prizes for the cheering teams from the schools.